The prelude to the 1980-81 season brought big changes for the franchise. The Celtics owned the No. 1 pick in the 1980 NBA Draft, which they sent with the No. 13 pick to the Golden State Warriors for Robert Parish and the No. 3 selection. Boston then used the No. 3 pick to select Kevin McHale. Later, in training camp, Dave Cowens stunned the club by announcing his retirement. Even without Cowens, however, the Celtics had all the pieces in place: Bird, Maxwell, and Parish up front; Ford and Archibald at the guard positions; and a deep bench that included McHale, Gerald Henderson, Rick Robey, and ML Carr. Boston and Philadelphia battled all season for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, and the Celtics’ win over the 76ers on the final day gave them the title with a 62-20 record. The two teams faced off in the Eastern Conference Finals. Behind Julius Erving, Philadelphia took the lead after four games, but Boston evened the series with back-to-back two-point wins in Games 5 and 6. Bird nailed a jump shot late in Game 7 to give the Celtics a 91-90 victory and a trip to the Finals. Boston faced an upstart Houston squad in the Finals. The Rockets, who had finished the regular season with a 40-42 record, had somehow emerged victorious from the Western Conference. Behind center Moses Malone, Houston put up a surprisingly tough fight, but the Celtics came away with yet another championship banner.

WATCH IN HQ Watch Part I and II Boston Celtics win record 17th NBA championship By MarketWatch Last update: 12:10 am EDT June 18, 2008 Comments: 10 SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — The Boston Celtics routed the Los Angeles Lakers 131-92 Tuesday night to win a record 17th National Basketball Association championship in the latest chapter in one of the league’s most-storied rivalries. It was one of the most dominating performances in NBA playoff history. Boston led by as many as 43 points late in the game. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, who were acquired in off-season trades, led the Celtics with 26 points each in front of a hometown crowd as Boston won the championship series, four games to two. Boston’s Paul Pierce was named the championship series’ most valuable player. Kobe Bryant, the NBA’s most valuable player during the regular season, led the Lakers with 22 points. The title was Boston’s first since 1986. Boston and Los Angeles have met 10 times previously for the title, most recently in 1987, when the Magic Johnson-led Lakers beat Boston four games to two. Boston had beaten Los Angeles in eight of the 10 prior title series. Between them, the teams have won half championships in the league’s history. Boston’s 17-title run includes eight straight between 1959 and 1996, while the Lakers’ 13 trophies included three straight between 2000-2002. The Lakers won four titles in Minnesota and nine after moving to Los Angeles in 1960. The teams set the stage for this year’s …

THE LEGEND

THE LEGEND

A video I made about the lakers/celtics 2010 nba finals rematch.

The finish of this classic game between the Lakers and Celtics. The winner claims league’s best record.

Classic game highlights between two great teams from the 1980s. Many superstars and Hall of Fame players battle for supremacy.

Because of some popular demand, here is this battle royale between Lakers and Celtics. Many superstars and Hall of Fame players provide high quality play.

It was like that all game long, two of the NBA’s best trying to carry their teams to the next round. Pierce and the Boston Celtics succeeded, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 97-92 on Sunday. “We both tried to will our team to victory and, just like Dominique Wilkins, I ended up on the short end and the Celtics won again,” he said. “I think the second round of the postseason, Game 7, these fans will finally have an opportunity to forget a little bit about what Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins did and remember what Paul and LeBron did. 23 years old, 45 points in a huge crucial playoff game vs the Boston Celtics, game 7. “This will go down in history.”

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