The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have one of the oldest and fiercest rivalries in the NBA.
From the epic seven-game series that pitted Bill Russell against Wilt Chamberlain, to the brilliant individual rivalry (and friendship) between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and even the rebirth of the rivalry at the tail end of the 2000s, these two teams comprise one of the headlined grudge matches in professional sports.
Of course, no rivalry is devoid of tension and heated moments. Tempers tend to boil over when emotions run high, and the Celtics and Lakers' rivalry has had plenty of “savagery” throughout the years.
as ClutchPoints relives the rivalry in Episode 3 of The Final Ring: Kobe & The Lakers’ 2010 Title, here are some of their craziest moments.
Celtics dominate the 1960s
The Celtics teams of the 1960s were downright dynastic. Led by the likes of Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and Sam Jones, the Celtics won nine of the ten championships during the decade, including seven straight between 1960 and 1966.
Oftentimes, Boston had success at the expense of the Lakers. They beat them in back-to-back NBA Finals in 1962 and 1963, again quelled any hopes of a championship in 1965 and 1966, then closed out the decade by beating the Lakers in consecutive years for the third time in 1968 and 1969.
Los Angeles had some spectacular teams in the 60s, with stars like Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Gail Goodrich. Yet they simply could not get over the Celtics hump.
The final piece to the puzzle was seemingly added when the Lakers acquired Chamberlain in the summer of 1969. Sure enough, the Lakers made it back to the NBA Finals, even taking a 3-2 lead over the Celtics. But Boston won each of the next two games, including a two-point victory in Game 7 despite another sensational scoring performance from West.
Russell would retire that year (effectively ending the Celtics dynasty), and the Lakers would finally get back to the mountaintop in 1972. But the Celtics dominated the 1960s.
Bird and Kareem go at it
Larry Bird and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were polar opposites on the basketball court.
Bird would dazzle with his creativity and audacity, and he was regarded as one of the greatest trash talkers in league history. “Cap,” on the other hand, had more of an elegance to his game. There was something beautiful about the way in which he set up the unstoppable skyhook, a move he used to soar to the top of the NBA scoring charts.
Kareem was also an intellectual, one who practiced patience and was far more reserved in nature. But once again, the rivalry brought the feistiness even out of Abdul-Jabbar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1e7CTQ7V4A
While they had their skirmishes on the floor, Bird and Abdul-Jabbar had a tremendous sense of mutual respect. Kareem even called Bird the best player he ever played against.
Kevin McHale decks Kurt Rambis
Before Kurt Rambis became this strange sort of shadow executive for the Lakers, he was a productive bench player for the franchise in the 1980s.
The mustachioed Rambis was extremely identifiable, due mostly in part to the goggles he wore on the court. Not that Celtics legend Kevin McHale cared whatsoever.
Los Angeles held a 2-1 series lead over the Celtics in the 1984 NBA Finals, but one play in Game 4 would alter the complexion of the series.
Abdul-Jabbar grabbed a rebound and fired an outlet to fellow Hall of Famer James Worthy, who then fed the ball across to Rambis.
McHale–who was trailing the play–came over and totally clotheslined Rambis, leading to a wild scramble that spilled into the stands:
The Celtics would go on to win Game 4 to even the series, then took two of the next three to win the NBA title.
For his part, McHale–much like Bird–would always dig deep and do whatever it took to win, even if that meant sacrificing Rambis.
Celtics humble Lakers in Game 6 of 2008 Finals
The 2008 season lined up perfectly, as far as the rivalry was concerned.
Boston stunned the entire NBA by trading for both Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in the summer of 2007, pairing the All-Stars with Paul Pierce to form an incomparable trio. In fact, this was the real precedent for players joining forces to win a ring, as has become so common in the modern era.
In any case, the Celtics stampeded through the league en route to the NBA Finals. Los Angeles' road was far tougher.
The Lakers were 29-16 on Feb. 1 when they made a deal that would change the course of the franchise. General manager Mitch Kupchak traded Kwame Brown and a number of other players plus a pair of first-round draft picks to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for star big man Pau Gasol.
From there, the Lakers would go 28-9, as Gasol gave Kobe Bryant the second star he had been lacking since the departure of Shaquille O'Neal.
The two teams would eventually meet in the NBA Finals, with the Celtics taking three of the first four games. However, the Lakers won Game 5 to send the series back to Boston, and a win there would set up a Game 7 back at the Staples Center in L.A.
Instead, the Celtics destroyed the Lakers by 39 points, setting up a raucous celebration punctuated by Kevin Garnett's famous “Anything is possible!” exclamation.
Ron Artest buries the Celtics in 2010
The ending to the 2008 Finals left a sour taste in Kobe's mouth.
He and the Lakers would coast to the NBA title in 2009 thanks in part to an injury-riddled season from the Celtics that saw Garnett miss the playoffs.
But the Celtics were healthy again in 2010, setting up for an epic rematch. Indeed, it proved to be one of the greatest NBA Finals of the modern era, going the full seven games and featuring the normal heroes (like Kobe and Ray Allen) as well as some unsung stars.
One of those unsung stars was Ron Artest, the mercurial forward whose career is known as much for the brashness and antics as the excellent play. But Artest showed his mettle when it mattered most.
The Lakers led the Celtics by just three points in the final minute a hotly-contested Game 7 when Artest decided to launch a triple over Pierce. He buried it, giving the Lakers a six-point lead and essentially clinching their second consecutive title.
Bryant led the Lakers in scoring in every single game of the series, but it was Artest who ultimately put the dagger in the Celtics.
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