1985 NBA Finals

1985 basketball championship series August 2023 1985 Finals Lipofsky.jpg Los Angeles Lakers star point guard Magic Johnson (No. 32; in gold and purple) dominates small forward Cedric Maxwell (No. 31; in green and white) during a game in the 1985 NBA Finals. NBA 1985 Boston Celtics K. C. Jones 2 Los Angeles Lakers Pat Riley 4 May 27–June 9 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar(Los Angeles Lakers) Celtics: Larry Bird (1998)Dennis Johnson (2010)Kevin McHale (1999)Robert Parish (2003)Lakers: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1995)Michael Cooper (2024)Magic Johnson (2002)Bob McAdoo (2000)Jamaal Wilkes (2012)James Worthy (2003)Coaches:K.C. Jones (1989, player)Pat Riley (2008)Officials:Hugh Evans (2022)Darell Garretson (2016)Earl Strom (1995) Celtics defeated 76ers, 4–1 Lakers defeated Nuggets, 4–1 The 1985 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1984–85 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It featured the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics against the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics were looking to repeat as NBA champions for the first time since the 1968 season. The Celtics had home court advantage for the second year in a row as they finished the regular season with a 63–19 record while the Lakers compiled a 62–20 record. The Lakers looked to bounce back from the previous year's painful loss to the Celtics in the championship series, and were still seeking to beat Boston for the first time ever in NBA Finals history. Also for the first time since 1955, the Finals implemented a 2–3–2 format with Games 1 and 2 in Boston while the next three games were in Los Angeles. The final two games of the series would be played in Boston, if required. This change of format came after David Stern had a conversation with Celtics legend Red Auerbach in 1984, who disliked the frequent traveling between games.2008-06-09 Stern: Celts' Auerbach played role in Finals format https://www.espn.com/nba/playoffs2008/news/story?id=3432867 2024-03-20 ESPN.com enDelamater Tom 2010 NBA Finals, Game 4: Does the 2-3-2 Format Favor L.A. or Boston Most? https://bleacherreport.com/articles/404006-lakers-celtics-game-4-does-the-2-3-2-format-favor-la-or-boston-most 2024-03-20 Bleacher Report en The 2–3–2 format would be used until the 2013 NBA Finals, after which the 2–2–1–1–1 format returned in 2014.Golliver Ben 2013-10-23 NBA Board of Governors unanimously adopts 2-2-1-1-1 Finals format change https://www.si.com/nba/2013/10/23/nba-finals-format-david-stern-adam-silver-board-of-governors 2024-03-20 Sports Illustrated en-us The 2–3–2 format has long been used by Major League Baseball in the World Series and was also used in the League Championship Series upon changing to a best-of-seven format later that year. The Stanley Cup Final in the National Hockey League also went to a 2–3–2 format that same year as well as the previous year but returned to a 2–2–1–1–1 format from 1986 onward. With the help of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, the Los Angeles Lakers achieved their first NBA Finals victory over the Boston Celtics in nine meetings, four to two games. The Lakers recovered after losing in a rout in Game 1, dubbed as the "Memorial Day Massacre". The series was the last time the NBA World Championship Series branding would be in use as the NBA Finals branding would replace it for 1986. The video documentary Return to Glory recaps the 1985 NBA playoffs action.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOnXLXlUJyM 1985 Lakers Return to Glory 2025-03-08 Retro Junk (Including Classic NBA) 2026-06-21 YouTube Background Los Angeles Lakers 1984–85 Los Angeles Lakers season After losing to the Celtics in the previous year's finals, the Lakers entered the 1984–85 NBA season with a mission. Once again using the effective Showtime offense, they ran away with the Western Conference-leading 62 wins. The team as a whole underwent a slight evolution, as James Worthy supplanted Jamaal Wilkes as the starting small forward, while Byron Scott began to earn more minutes as the backup to both Magic Johnson and Michael Cooper.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h28Pfvgt3ls Big Game James - The James Worthy Story 2017-09-03 Santiago73 2026-06-21 YouTube In the playoffs, the Lakers eliminated the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets, going 11–2 in the three playoff rounds.1984-85 Los Angeles Lakers Schedule https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1985_games.html 2026-06-21 Basketball-Reference.com Boston Celtics 1984–85 Boston Celtics season The Celtics repeated with the NBA's best record by winning 63 games. For the second straight season, Larry Bird won the MVP award, while Kevin McHale won Sixth Man Award for the second year running, despite making the transition from bench cog to starter late in the season with Cedric Maxwell nursing a knee injury. Danny Ainge also emerged as the team's starting shooting guard, after the Celtics traded Gerald Henderson to the Seattle SuperSonics in the offseason.In a surprise move, the NBA champion Boston Celtics... - UPI Archives https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/10/16/In-a-surprise-move-the-NBA-champion-Boston-Celtics/6651466747200/ 2026-06-21 UPI en The Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers, finishing with an 11–4 record heading into the finals.1984-85 Boston Celtics Schedule https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/1985_games.html 2026-06-21 Basketball-Reference.com en By that point, Boston's classic starting five under head coach K. C. Jones was solidified, featuring Bird, McHale and Robert Parish in the frontcourt, and Ainge and Dennis Johnson in the backcourt. However, Bird and reserve guard Quinn Buckner got into a heated shouting match at Chelsea's in Quincy Market and scuffle with a bartender/bouncer, which allegedly resulted in Bird punching the bartender and injuring his right index finger.@bostonradio Boston Radio Watch May 17, 2025 40 years ago yesterday, May 16, 1985, Larry Bird injured his right index finger in a bar fight at Chelsea’s in Quincy Market, where Bird took on bartender-bouncer Michael Harlow. Bird’s scoring average dropped from 29.9 points per game before May 16 to 22.2 points afterward. https://x.com/bostonradio/status/1923821628384813307 X Since the fight, Bird struggled in the last few games against the 76ers and in the Finals.Archives L. A. Times 1985-07-31 Bird Admits Being in Bar, Site of Altercation https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-07-31-sp-5397-story.html 2026-06-21 Los Angeles Times Road to the Finals 1985 NBA playoffs Los Angeles Lakers (Western Conference champion) Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference champion)LAL1st seed in the West, 2nd best league recordRegular seasonBOS1st seed in the East, best league recordDefeated the (8) Phoenix Suns, 3–0First roundDefeated the (8) Cleveland Cavaliers, 3–1Defeated the (5) Portland Trail Blazers, 4–1Conference semifinalsDefeated the (4) Detroit Pistons, 4–2Defeated the (2) Denver Nuggets, 4–1Conference finalsDefeated the (3) Philadelphia 76ers, 4–1 Regular season series Both teams split the two meetings, each won by the home team: #fff January 16, 1985 Los Angeles Lakers 102 Boston Celtics 104 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts February 17, 1985 Boston Celtics 111 Los Angeles Lakers |score2=117 The Forum, Los Angeles, California The January 16, 1985 matchup between the two teams came down to the last seconds, as Boston's Kevin McHale hit the game-winner with one second remaining.Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics Jan 16, 1985 Game Summary https://www.nba.com/game/lal-vs-bos-0028400449 2026-04-22 NBA en Series summary Game Date Road team Result Home team Game 1 May 27 Los Angeles Lakers 114–148 (0–1) Boston Celtics Game 2 May 30 Los Angeles Lakers 109–102 (1–1) Boston Celtics Game 3 June 2 Boston Celtics 111–136 (1–2) Los Angeles Lakers Game 4 June 5 Boston Celtics 107–105 (2–2) Los Angeles Lakers Game 5 June 7 Boston Celtics 111–120 (2–3) Los Angeles Lakers Game 6 June 9 Los Angeles Lakers 111–100 (4–2) Boston Celtics Game 1 #eee May 27 3:30 p.m. EDT Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts CBS Los Angeles Lakers 114 Boston Celtics |score2=148 report 24–38 25–41 30–29 35–40 James Worthy 20 McHale, Wedman 26 each Kurt Rambis 9 Kevin McHale 9 Magic Johnson 12 Dennis Johnson 10 14,890 No. 10 Darell Garretson No. 20 Jess Kersey Boston leads the series, 1–0 The Celtics defeated the Lakers 148–114. It was dubbed the "Memorial Day Massacre" and a profound embarrassment for the Lakers team.Mahoney Andrew 2020-05-27 35 years ago, the Celtics destroyed the Lakers in the 'Memorial Day Massacre' https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2020/05/27/celtics-lakers-memorial-day-massacre/ 2026-06-21 Boston.com Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had only 12 points and 3 rebounds, while Magic Johnson pulled down only one rebound. Danny Ainge of the Celtics started hot, scoring 15 points in the first quarter. Scott Wedman made all 11 shots he took from the field.Blakely A. Sherrod 2020-05-22 Celtics Playoff Rewind: Scott Wedman destroys Lakers in Memorial Day Massacre https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-playoff-rewind-scott-wedman-destroys-lakers-in-memorial-day-massacre/334586/ 2026-06-21 NBC Sports Boston Afterwards, Abdul-Jabbar apologized to his teammates for his terrible performance.Hartwell Darren 2020-05-27 This Date In Celtics History: C's crush Lakers in ‘Memorial Day Massacre' https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/boston-celtics/this-date-in-celtics-history-cs-crush-lakers-in-memorial-day-massacre/335589/ 2026-06-21 NBC Sports Boston Boston led by 30, 79-49 at the half, a record for the largest halftime lead in a Finals game. The 34-point differential set a new record for a Finals game between the Celtics and Lakers in their rivalry. This record would stand until the 2008 NBA Finals, when the Celtics defeated the Lakers in Game 6, 131–92.2008 NBA Finals Game 6: Lakers vs Celtics, June 17, 2008 https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200806170BOS.html 2026-06-21 Basketball-Reference.com Game 2 #eee May 30 9 p.m. EDT Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts CBS Los Angeles Lakers |score1=109 Boston Celtics 102 report 31–26 33–20 23–29 22–27 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 30 Larry Bird 30 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 17 Larry Bird 12 Magic Johnson 13 Dennis Johnson 8 14,890 No. 11 Jake O'Donnell No. 9 John Vanak Series tied, 1–1 The Lakers recovered from the Game 1 loss behind Abdul-Jabbar's 30 points, 17 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 8 assists. Lakers swingman Michael Cooper finished with 22 points on an 8 for 9 shooting performance, including several clutch outside jumpers down the stretch. The series was evened at 1–1.1985 NBA Finals Game 2: Lakers vs Celtics, May 30, 1985 https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198505300BOS.html 2026-06-21 Basketball-Reference.com Game 3 #eee June 2 12:30 p.m. PDT The Forum, Inglewood, California CBS Boston Celtics 111 Los Angeles Lakers |score2=136 report 29–25 30–40 26–35 26–36 Kevin McHale 31 James Worthy 29 Kevin McHale 10 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14 Danny Ainge 10 Magic Johnson 16 17,505 No. 25 Hugh Evans No. 12 Earl Strom Los Angeles leads the series, 2–1 The Celtics held a 48–38 lead in the second quarter before the Lakers rallied and led, 65–59, at halftime. The Lakers pulled away in the second half and won the game 136–111. Abdul-Jabbar scored his 4,456th career point and became the league's all-time leading playoff scorer, which had previously been held by Lakers guard Jerry West. Larry Bird's shooting slump from game 2 continued. He shot a combined 17 of 42 from the field in games two and three. James Worthy led the Lakers with 29 points.1985 NBA Finals Game 3: Celtics vs Lakers, June 2, 1985 https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198506020LAL.html 2026-06-21 Basketball-Reference.com Game 4 #eee June 5 6 p.m. PDT The Forum, Inglewood, California CBS Boston Celtics |score1=107 Los Angeles Lakers 105 report 28–32 31–26 23–26 25–21 Kevin McHale 28 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 21 Kevin McHale 12 Magic Johnson 11 Dennis Johnson 12 Magic Johnson 12 17,505 No. 4 Ed T. Rush No. 9 John Vanak Series tied, 2–2 The Celtics tied the series in the fourth game with a 107–105 win with a buzzer-beating jumper by Dennis Johnson, who scored 27 points.1985: Clutch Dennis Johnson https://www.nba.com/watch/video/1985-clutch-dennis-johnson 2026-06-21 NBA.com Kevin McHale led all players with 28 points to go along with 12 rebounds for the Celtics. Game 5 #eee June 7 6 p.m. PDT The Forum, Inglewood, California CBS Boston Celtics 111 Los Angeles Lakers |score2=120 report 31–35 20–29 30–31 30–25 Robert Parish 26 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 36 Kevin McHale 10 Kurt Rambis 9 Dennis Johnson 17 Magic Johnson 17 17,505 No. 10 Darell Garretson No. 11 Jake O'Donnell Los Angeles leads the series, 3–2 In this game, the Lakers stomped out the Celtics by jumping out to a 64–51 lead and stretched it to 89–72 before the Celtics cut the deficit to 4 points, late in the 4th quarter. The Celtics would cut the lead to 4 points several times, but the Lakers answered each time. Magic Johnson made three shots, Kareem added four more shots, and Cooper hit 2 outside jumpers, and the Lakers came away with a 120–111 victory to take a 3–2 series lead.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-5pS1PnNGo Celtics @ Lakers 1985 NBA Finals Game 5 (NBA On CBS) 2026-06-09 MDBBall 2026-06-21 YouTube Game 6 #eee June 9 1 p.m. EDT Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts CBS Los Angeles Lakers |score1=111 Boston Celtics 100 report 28–26 27–29 27–18 29–27 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 29 Kevin McHale 32 Johnson, Rambis 10 each Kevin McHale 16 Magic Johnson 14 Danny Ainge 11 14,890 No. 25 Hugh Evans No. 12 Earl Strom Los Angeles wins the series, 4–2 In the series clincher, the game was tied at halftime. The Lakers would hold the Celtics to just 18 third quarter points to pull away. Abdul-Jabbar scored 29 points and James Worthy scored 28 of his own, as Los Angeles became the first road team to clinch a title at the Boston Garden. Magic Johnson dished out a game-high 14 assists. Celtics' forward Kevin McHale scored 32 points and grabbed 16 rebounds—both game-highs—before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Larry Bird's dismal shooting continued as he hit just 12 of 29 shots. The 38-year-old Abdul-Jabbar was named MVP of the series, his second Finals MVP award and first since 1971 (back when he was known as Lew Alcindor), averaging 25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.5 blocks in six games. Worthy averaged 23.7 points for the Lakers, while Magic Johnson scored 18.3 points per game to go along with 14.0 assists and 6.8 rebounds. Los Angeles shot 51.2% as a team for the series. McHale led Boston in scoring (26.0) and rebounding (10.7) while shooting 59.8% from the floor. Bird averaged 23.8 points and 8.8 rebounds on just 44.9% shooting. Celtics' guard Dennis Johnson led both teams in minutes played (247). Boston shot 47.6% from the floor while out-rebounding Los Angeles 259–256.1985 NBA Finals - Lakers vs. Celtics https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1985-nba-finals-lakers-vs-celtics.html 2026-06-21 Basketball-Reference.com It was the first time (and only time until 2022) in NBA Finals history where the other team clinched the championship against the Celtics in Boston.Aldridge David 2022-06-17 A Celtics opponent last won a title in Boston in 1985. Here’s how Lakers did it https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3369282/2022/06/16/celtics-lakers-nba-title-history/ 2026-06-21 The New York Times 0362-4331 It was also only the Celtics' second Finals series defeat, having previously lost to the St. Louis Hawks in 1958. Player statistics Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers |-! style="background:#FDE910;" | align="left" | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar || 6 || 6 || 35.5 || .604 || .000 || .769 || 9.0 || 5.2 || 1.0 || 1.5 || 25.7 |- | align="left" | Michael Cooper || 6 || 0 || 25.5 || .588 || .286 || .905 || 2.0 || 3.7 || 1.2 || 0.3 || 10.2 |- | align="left" | Magic Johnson || 6 || 6 || 39.2 || .494 || .500 || .871 || 6.8 || 14.0 || 2.2 || 0.0 || 18.3 |- | align="left" | Mitch Kupchak || 6 || 0 || 14.5 || .550 || .000 || .643 || 3.3 || 0.7 || 0.2 || 0.2 || 5.2 |- | align="left" | Ronnie Lester || 2 || 0 || 3.0 || .000 || .000 || 1.000 || 0.0 || 0.5 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 1.0 |- | align="left" | Bob McAdoo || 6 || 0 || 19.5 || .379 || .000 || .714 || 3.0 || 0.8 || 0.0 || 0.5 || 8.2 |- | align="left" | Mike McGee basketball || 4 || 0 || 6.5 || .500 || .600 || .667 || 1.0 || 0.5 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 4.8 |- | align="left" | Chuck Nevitt || 1 || 0 || 2.0 || .000 || .000 || .500 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 1.0 |- | align="left" | Kurt Rambis || 6 || 6 || 22.0 || .500 || .000 || .538 || 8.5 || 0.8 || 1.3 || 0.5 || 7.5 |- | align="left" | Byron Scott || 6 || 6 || 34.7 || .395 || .286 || .556 || 3.7 || 2.2 || 2.5 || 0.2 || 11.2 |- | align="left" | Larry Spriggs || 4 || 0 || 6.8 || .600 || .000 || .500 || 1.8 || 1.5 || 0.3 || 0.3 || 3.5 |- | align="left" | James Worthy || 6 || 6 || 39.0 || .564 || .000 || .700 || 4.5 || 3.2 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 23.7 Boston Celtics Boston Celtics |- | align="left" | Danny Ainge || 6 || 6 || 33.8 || .414 || .400 || .750 || 3.0 || 7.0 || 2.0 || 0.0 || 11.0 |- | align="left" | Larry Bird || 6 || 6 || 40.2 || .449 || .333 || .850 || 8.8 || 5.0 || 1.8 || 0.7 || 23.8 |- | align="left" | Quinn Buckner || 4 || 0 || 7.8 || .545 || .000 || .000 || 1.5 || 2.0 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 3.0 |- | align="left" | M. L. Carr || 3 || 0 || 2.7 || .375 || 1.000 || .000 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 2.3 |- | align="left" | Carlos Clark || 2 || 0 || 3.5 || .500 || .000 || 1.000 || 0.5 || 1.5 || 0.5 || 0.0 || 2.0 |- | align="left" | Dennis Johnson || 6 || 6 || 41.2 || .382 || .000 || .857 || 4.3 || 9.5 || 1.7 || 0.7 || 16.0 |- | align="left" | Greg Kite || 5 || 0 || 8.8 || .444 || .000 || .500 || 2.0 || 0.6 || 0.2 || 0.0 || 1.8 |- | align="left" | Cedric Maxwell || 5 || 0 || 10.8 || .500 || .000 || .700 || 1.0 || 0.2 || 0.4 || 0.0 || 2.6 |- | align="left" | Kevin McHale basketball || 6 || 6 || 40.0 || .598 || .000 || .727 || 10.7 || 1.3 || 0.3 || 1.8 || 26.0 |- | align="left" | Robert Parish || 6 || 6 || 37.2 || .481 || .000 || .771 || 9.0 || 2.0 || 1.0 || 1.8 || 17.2 |- | align="left" | Scott Wedman || 6 || 0 || 17.5 || .611 || .636 || .556 || 3.3 || 1.7 || 0.8 || 0.0 || 9.3 |- | align="left" | Ray Williams basketball || 4 || 0 || 9.3 || .500 || .000 || .000 || 0.3 || 2.8 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 3.5 Team rosters Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers 1984–85 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar C 7 2 225 UCLA 1947–04–16 21 Michael Cooper SG 6 5 170 New Mexico 1956–04–15 32 Magic Johnson PG 6 9 215 Michigan State 1959–08–14 1 Earl Jones basketball C 7 0 210 University of the District of Columbia 1961–01–13 25 Mitch Kupchak PF 6 9 230 North Carolina 1954–05–24 12 Ronnie Lester PG 6 2 175 Iowa 1959–01–01 11 Bob McAdoo C 6 9 210 North Carolina 1951–09–25 40 Mike McGee basketball SF 6 5 190 Michigan 1959–07–29 43 Chuck Nevitt C 7 5 217 North Carolina State 1959–06–13 31 Kurt Rambis PF 6 8 213 Santa Clara 1958–02–25 4 Byron Scott SG 6 3 195 Arizona State 1961–03–28 35 Larry Spriggs PF 6 7 230 Howard 1959–09–08 52 Jamaal Wilkes SF 6 6 190 UCLA 1953–05–02 42 James Worthy SF 6 9 225 North Carolina 1961–02–27 Pat Riley Bill Bertka Dave Wohl Boston Celtics Boston Celtics 1984–85 44 Danny Ainge G/F 6 4 175 Brigham Young University 1959–03–17 33 Larry Bird F 6 9 220 Indiana State 1956–12–07 28 Quinn Buckner G 6 3 190 Indiana University 1954–08–20 34 Rick Carlisle G 6 5 210 University of Virginia 1959–10–27 30 M.L. Carr G/F 6 6 205 Guilford College 1951–01–09 40 Carlos Clark G 6 4 210 University of Mississippi 1960–08–10 3 Dennis Johnson G 6 4 185 Pepperdine University 1954–09–18 50 Greg Kite C 6 11 250 Brigham Young University 1961–08–05 31 Cedric Maxwell F 6 8 205 University of North Carolina at Charlotte 1955–11–21 32 Kevin McHale basketball F/C 6 10 210 University of Minnesota 1957–12–19 00 Robert Parish C 7 0 230 Centenary College of Louisiana 1953–08–30 8 Scott Wedman G/F 6 7 215 University of Colorado 1952–07–29 20 Ray Williams basketball G 6 3 188 University of Minnesota 1954–10–14 K.C. Jones Jimmy Rodgers Chris Ford Television coverage The Finals were telecast by CBS in the United States, with its coverage anchored by Brent Musburger. Dick Stockton did play-by-play with Tom Heinsohn as color analyst, working their second Finals together. Pat O'Brien worked sideline duties for both teams. Celebration The Lakers were invited to a reception at the White House with President Ronald Reagan, where Kareem Abdul-Jabbar presented the President with a jersey. The following Tuesday would be declared "Laker Day" by Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley with a parade beginning at 9th in Broadway.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nKpnhvJzhE 1985 Lakers Parade (1 of 3) 2009-09-05 nonplayerzealot4 2026-06-21 YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kus6x41tw5g 1985 Lakers Parade (2 of 3) 2009-09-05 nonplayerzealot4 2026-06-21 YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kxB7nsqOJA 1985 Lakers Parade (3 of 3) 2009-09-05 nonplayerzealot4 2026-06-21 YouTube Aftermath 1987 NBA Finals thumb|Kareem Abdul Jabbar holding a personalized President Ronald Reagan Lakers' jersey at the team's White House visit In the postgame presentation of the Larry O'Brien trophy, Lakers owner Jerry Buss exclaimed, "this has removed the most odious sentence in the English language. It can never again be said that the Lakers have never beaten the Celtics!".Hojnacki Sean Photo Timeline of Storied LA Lakers-Boston Celtics Rivalry https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1536767-photo-timeline-of-storied-la-lakers-boston-celtics-rivalry bleacherreport.com 23 June 2026 After appearing in and winning both the 1981 and 1984 NBA Finals, this finals championship marked the first loss for the Larry Bird-era Celtics, the first Finals loss to the Lakers in the history of the rivalry, and the Celtics' first finals loss since 1958.Boston Celtics Playoff History - RealGM https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/teams/Boston-Celtics/2/Playoff-History 2026-06-21 basketball.realgm.com Boston would appear in two more NBA Finals before the decade was over, winning it all the next year against the Hakeem Olajuwon-led Houston Rockets in six games, only to lose in a rematch to the Lakers in 1987. Footage of the Lakers' locker room celebration after the Finals was later used in the sports blooper-laden music video for "Walk of Life" by Dire Straits, released later that year. See also 1985 NBA playoffs References External links NBA History 1985 NBA Finals at Basketball Reference DafFy--3y5c "Return to Glory" – Documentary on the 1985 NBA playoffs Category:NBA Finals Finals NBA Finals NBA Finals Category:1980s in Los Angeles County, California NBA Finals Category:May 1985 sports events in the United States Category:June 1985 sports events in the United States Category:Basketball competitions in Boston Category:Basketball competitions in Inglewood, California NBA Finals NBA Finals