In the 1984 NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers seemed to have the upper hand on the Boston Celtics, but they blew a couple of close games and lost the series in seven painful games.
It was the eighth time in as many tries the Lakers had lost the championship to the Celtics, and they were determined to do something about it the following season.
The two teams met again in the 1985 title series, and L.A. was promptly blown out of the water in Game 1 by 34 points.
But it responded by taking three of the next four contests. In Game 6, the Lakers had a golden opportunity to clinch the world championship against their hated rivals.
However, that contest would be played at the Boston Garden, the ancient arena that had served as a graveyard for the championship dreams of many Lakers teams in the past.
Yet, on June 9, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and a new cast changed the history of basketball’s greatest rivalry.
After a tight first half, the Lakers took control of Game 6 in the third quarter and held off a final Celtics rally to finish them, 111-100.
Abdul-Jabbar scored 29 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished four assists, capping a wonderful series in which he averaged 25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.5 blocked shots.
Though he was 38 years old, anyone watching who didn’t know any better would’ve sworn he was 28. He won the Finals MVP award.
For the first time in their history, the Lakers could hold their heads victoriously over the Celtics, and there was real proof a dynasty was brewing in Southern California.
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