Great rivalry. The pain of losing to Boston in the finals year after year was indescribable. I’m 71 years old. Lakers did win many championships. But I will never get over losing to Boston in 1984.
One of the greatest Finals ever, basketball at its best, talent and physicality. Lakers were really stacked, Bird was unbelievable though, willed the Celtics to the title, he was leading them in almost everything, doing it all.
Lakers could have won. But in game 2 Magic johnson dribbled out the clock with score tied. And in game 4 he threw a terrible pass and the celtics went on to win game 4. If this does not happen and game 3 the lakers still win. So if magic johnson did not choke. The Lakers could have swept the Celtics.
Sure the Lakers were stacked, but so were the Celtics. Greatest front line in NBA history (Bird, McHale, Parish) isn't stacked?? Then one of the greatest defensive and clutch players ever in Dennis Johnson. Cedric Maxwell ate the Lakers up in Game 7. Sharpshooters in Danny Ainge and Scott Wedman. The Celtics had BY FAR the league's best record at 62-20, so they were stacked, as well.
@@Mike1122. They never had ac in the building to begin with, so how can they turn it down? Also they didn't get lucky, they out muscled them and out rebounded, took better shots, played smarter.
This was it! The hottest dang summer in memory. My brother and I were heavily involved in team basketball with a private school out of Virginia. We simply couldn’t get enough basketball! This series was so incredible and no matter how hot it was or whether it was raining or windy or whatever ~ we would watch Larry vs Magic and then go outside and try our best to copy those incredible moves we saw the greats do!!! I love basketball and this was the very best era of NBA basketball.... EVER
People can say whatever they want about M.L. Carr, but I loved the guy then and I love him today. He might not have been the most talented on the court, but every team needs a guy like him.
ML was cool! He's probably the happiest former player ever. He laughs and smiles about it all. All the rest were crying about sour grapes! Grow up, your all rich!
Vampire! I also don't understand how else the roughest guy with the sharpest elbows in the NBA, a hockey-type enforcer in a basketball uniform, has become best known as a victim of McHale's clothesline. How was that engineered? Vampire hypnosis?
I'm 27, the youngest of 8 & only girl. By the time i was old enough 2 hoop my dad was to tired 2 show me how 2 play so he threw dvd's of this Celtics season & DvD's of Larry Bird. I dove out of bounds into chairs & bleachers, etc even if the ball was going 2 b my teams possession. Bird's my GOAT & i love him so much that i named my current dog after him. I'd give anything to have Bird take Ainge's job. Ainge has no loyalty & ruined the team--Red wud be DISGUSTED with how he's doing things!🍀🍀🍀🍀
Those were the days! I looked forward to the Celtics and Lakers. It was as if they came into your living room or family room and personally entertained you. Those were the days!!!
@00:54 Larry truly gave everything he had in him to the game. He played with a broken back. I have a broken back & the fact he played so phenomenal with such pain boggles my mind. While on the dream team Bird played every practice while Stockton & Clyde Drexler didn't even show up on some days to practice because they "didn't feel well" . Thus another reason why Bird=GOAT
I miss real basketball with the physicality and the larger-than-life players of the 80s. Larry is one of the greatest ever, especially in clutch situations.
they may be bigger, maybe faster, but they're soft. They lose to internationals, they can't take the heat that Larry would bring. The Mental isn't there like it used to be.@@tonysopranooo1
Brother Dee Bird & Magic made the NBA what it is today before they came if your old enough NBA wasn't big at all maybe in some places NY, Boston, LA, Big markets city's and yes Boston is a big market media city... LeBron could never play then people forget how tough the NBA was then, with hand checking holding grabbing shirts hard fouls wow back then if you drove the lane good luck lol even MJ said players today would find it hard to play in the '80s and part of the '90s ... We Boston would play Deathmatches against Philly Andrew Tony the Boston strangler Dr J, Bobby Jones, Mosses Malone those were so intense games wow ... Miss it to Brother Dee !!
80's and 90's and even the 2000's were great. But after 2010, things went south for the NBA. But honestly, all sports are beginning to suck.. I blame the liberals.
@@areyoufeelingitnowmrkrabs8805 I did, was kind of young to really understand and remember it all, being 7-8 yrs old in 1984, I can remember bits and pieces of stuff, but as time goes on, alot of things fade.
@montemccarty6512 Yes but he had more help in 86. They came within 1 basket (game 3) of sweeping the Rockets. In 84, Boston got behind, but LB was bound & determined to win that serious!! Was a rebounding machine, having almost as many boards as the top 2 Lakers!! 21 in one game!
Huge Bird fan. @11:30 but don't worry cornbread, we know what you did in '81 and game 7 '84. We know what you did and no matter how many times I watch highlights its still as exciting as the first time watching these games. Cedric Maxwell played to win.
One of my favorite C's championships. Kareem wrote a book a few years later and was still super bitter about the loss. This was DJ's first year in Boston, and his defense in the later games of this series was critical. I notice Riles takes a shot at M.L. Carr -when Riley as a player was just as much of a journeyman scrub as M.L.
" If i need someone to make a shot to save my life, I'll take Michael Jordan. If I need someone to make a shot to save my life, I'll take Larry Bird."....Pat Riley
J Wunder Bird had some really good team-mates but they all got old and he didn’t have the leading scorer in NBA history on his team. Hats off to Magic. He had better teammates longer. But 3 mvps and 3 championships are good enough 👍👍👍 No young player today is likely to pull that off. Even a young guy like luka 20 would sign up right now for that. Trae, Giannis Embiid, Booker, Zion, any of them in a heartbeat. All of them if they were smart.
Tragic choked in this series. Remember, in those days it was difficult for the eastern teams. Boston had to battle a tough Philly team, the Bucks were loaded and the Pistons were getting started. The western conference was not as deep or talented. When Boston finally made the championship round they were exhausted. On a side note, the 86 Boston team was the greatest NBA team to every play. When Bill Walton is your "back up" center, you know you're loaded. Ainge, DJ, Parish, McHale, Bird,,, that's when the NBA was fun to watch, now it sucks!
Was with you until you said modern NBA sucks. Have fun living in caves and hunting mammoths. Send me a postcard when you figure out to make that fire stuff.
NBA been sucking since Jordan dominated the game. He just monopolized it and it was no contest. The NBA were more than happy to let him demolish second rate competition as doing so means more revenue for them 🤦🏻♂️
Warren,by the way are u a Celtics fan?My Lakers gave 2 games away to Boston,even Bird knew Lakers was the better team.After game 4 when Celtics was gifted a win,it was their championship.In 1985 you knew what happened game 6 in Boston?Kareem kicked ass in Boston,won MVP.In 1987 Magic beat Boston with the junior skyhook.We was better team,and in 2010 Lakers won in 7 back to back
@@mrtruthhurts2307 I believe he was the Finals MVP of the 81 Celtics team. After that, as the lineup changed into one of the best teams ever, he was asked to play defense and rebound more. He shut down the top big men in the game and if needed he could still give you 20 points. An unselfish player who could do it all.
Worthy will always be remembered because he made a critical error in game 2 but he was absolutely dominant in game 2 prior to that also in Game 1 and 3 he was incredible. I really felt that as a pro that series was his coming out party. Remember he was out the entire playoffs in his rookie year in 83. When I saw how he played in the 84 Boston series I knew he was going to be an incredible player. He was too much for any of the Celtic big men to defend. He outquicked them and soared over them for some incredibly beautiful dunks.
Man the glory years i was not watching basketball then but the respect at 45 years old i have for these teams will never leave i am a fan of legends and i cant get it out of my blood
Greatest basketball rivalry, if not sports rivalry, in American sports history. Hands-down, no question. #CelticsVsLakers, Bird vs. Magic, Abdul-Jabbar vs. Parish, the Great Western Forum vs. the Boston Garden. Everything about that matchup of cities, of personalities, of social politics, of the '80s...it was all summed up with this mammoth rivalry that spanned the entire decade. I feel so lucky I was an '80s kid and got the chance to experience that era in sports.
“Heart over muscles” now that’s a dam quote!!!! I’ll keep that in my mind always. That’s what the players had back then. And it ain’t muscles. I’d pick heart anyday. Great times for me also.....🙏🏼
Really, compared to all those rivalries across the globe, are you serious? Some soccer rivalries are so deep it’s war, American sports don’t have rivalries like that.
I remember watching this as an 8 yr old kid with my dad. Larry Legend. There will never be a finals game this good, ever again. The best decade of Basketball. Say what you want about the 90s and the Dream Team, and Jordan's domination. For me, the 80's had Magic and Bird front and center and you just can't top that.
The Los Angeles Lakers did not give the Boston Celtics the respect they deserved in that series, the Lakers were not the better team, the Celtics showed them how to win a title as a team, saying "we thought we were the better team" and "we gave them a couple of games" shows disrespect to Boston and it hurts so bad for them because the Celtics beat them for their 15th world championship!
As a California girl, I always rooted for my home teams in every sport EXCEPT when it came to the Boston Celtics, and Larry Bird. Go Celtics! Irish Pride!
That's the big misnomer, the celtics were loaded ! McHale ,one of the greatest unstoppable at times forces, Parrish a great defender and rebounder hof, Dennis freaking Johnson, maybe the most underrated player of the 80s magic said he was his toughest defender and he led a team to a title before Boston, Danny Ainge another underrated above average and alot of other teams would be the go to guy because he shoot lights out at times ,not to mention Maxwelll who would be replaced with Bill Walton this was far from just Larry
@kobischpiek8520 I don't care that Johnson was a 1 time Allstars, what did his peers say about him? Nothing but praise and McH ale was 6th man of the year for being just a bench player, that just tells ya how great the team was that he wasn't starting
This was a fabulous series, the Celtics-Lakers. I am a huge Celtics fan, Celtics were physical. McHale taking Rambis down, turned the whole series around. Celtics 9-3 all time in the NBA Finals, but I will admit, LA did get revenge in 1985 and 1987. But Bird against Magic, what a rivalry. Great era, and a fabulous time for the NBA in the decade of the 1980's. I am so happy, I got a chance to see the Celtics-Lakers rivalry from 2008 and 2010. Celtics won in Six Games in 2008, and LA got revenge in 2010, 7 games. Rivalry is not big anymore, goes all the way back to the 1960's. Great's from both teams.
Yes,I think McHale took that no more lay-ups person. He probably deserved punch in the face for that. And I was a bigger McHale fan than I was Bird fan. I played power forward. Man he had the best foorwork.
@@christopherkingsbury130 well like you said he average 5 fouls... THOSE 5 FOULS WAS WHAT HE CAME IN FOR. To defend the bigs of the opposing teams for just a couple of mins rest for whoever he came in for. Thats coaching... Thats being part of a system. Now go out and teach what you just learn kid. 😎
Nick Foles you are right bird over came them the Lakers was loaded even the bench Boston starting 5 was great but the bench not so much it is really amazing
Magic vs Bird. Peyton vs Brady. The 2 greatest sports rivalries I've ever seen. Whenever they faced each other, the world stopped because you just HAD to watch.
The zenith of NBA basketball was the Celtics/Lakers in the 1980s. Two GREAT teams/franchises with HOFers galore, and the intensity of these battles were just a privilege to watch. If Len Bias had not passed away, we may have been able to enjoy that rivalry into the late 80s and early 90s...before the Jordan era dawned.
This series was epic. I forgot that Cedric Maxwell was such a big game player. Eventually the Lakers matured to the point of being able to beat the Celts.
***** Very true. He was sort of the forgotten Celtic hero. He got overshadowed by the vintage era of Bird-McHale-Parrish that came a couple years later when the Celtics were at their peak with Bird. However, Cornbread was clutch.
+mikem987 He gets overlooked because Parish, McHale, and Bird are considered the best front line ever. And in 86, when they added Walton, they were even better. However, Max was a huge huge part of who they were in the first half of the 80s dynasty. Lot of people forget how good he really was. In many ways he kind of gets forgotten. It's ridiculous how long it took them to retire his number. However, he was one hell of a player.
decades later this loss still haunts lakers players. todays players are over a loss second they leave the court. it was a different breed of men back then not soft like todays players
Bird also won that rookie of the Year unamoiusly. Deservingly so. Turned a 20 win team to a 60 win team. Still the greatest single season turnaround of all time.
Nothing was as loud as the Garden. Fortunate to have seen Orr and Bird there many times. One of the Orr games was from the balcony; the whole thing was rocking.
The Golden era of the NBA began with the 1984 Finals with Bird & Magic, then the Best draft class ever with Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkely. then from 1984-1998 NBA's glory days.
Idris Shahid also, in 1984 (+- 1 year), Hulk Hogan became World Champ, just a year later Mike Tyson made his debut, essentially in 84 Michael Jackson's Thriller revolutionized everything, Cartoons such as Transformers, GI Joe, He-Man came on. It truly was the best time for pop culture, sports, and entertainment.
+Idris Shahid The Golden era of the NBA was orchestrated and started in 1980 to save the NBA from dying. It ended in 1990 with the championship of the Pistons who brought the 1970's style of play back into the game which the NBA thought destroyed the fan base in many cities in the 1970's.
Bonita Boggan I disagree with that cause to me 1984 was really the start of it cause the greatest player ever (in Michael Jordan) came and took the leagues to another level so the Bulls dynasty that ended in 1998 was the golden era not the bad boys. Look up Bob costas and watch what he said after the 1998 Finals
There have been multiple books written about the NBA during the 1970's,1980's and 1990's. The professional journalists who covered the stories are certainly more knowledgeable than you. I based my opinion on my experience and the knowledge of others who are in a position to make legitimate statements about said subject. I am entitled to my own opinion which I obtain by knowledge and experience.
If you think about it: The Celts may not have won that series if not for the antics and cheer leading of M L Carr. He revved up the team when they were down and he backed Bird when the team wasn't pulling their own wait!
Easily the greatest finals of all time, so many Hall of Famer's on the court, so much passion, drama. Could you even imagine the snowflakes in today's NBA playing either one these teams?
What's amazing is that we actually tend to forget all the times that Magic, Bird, and Worthy came up small in big playoffs/ Finals games at different points in their careers. They all had big moments, and small moments. With time, the small moments tend to fade from our memory and we just think two great and evenly matched teams, so you win some, you lose some, but in fact, all these 1980s Hall of Famers in the Lakers/ Celtics rivalry had some choke moments.
hbk you speak the truth. I had the pleasure of watching Bird’s career as a youngster - what a gift. One of the greatest sportsman ever. Anyone who says otherwise simply doesn’t recognize or understand the truth.
Another thing about the height... There so many pictures of him looking at least 2 inches taller than Magic. Yet they were both listed at 6ft 9. I think it's more of a 6ft 8 to 6ft 10 difference.
I think Jabbar is just under 7'2", he appears to be a half inch taller than Wilt Chamberlain in pictures where they're together. Although it's hard to tell sometimes with differences in posture.
@hbk Bird had a motor that was uncommon for any era. It's not that today's players don't hustle like that, no one else in Bird's time got after it like Larry.
2010 was exciting for all basketball fans. Kendrick Perkins injury helped the Lakers finally beat Boston again. Kobe and Pau Gasoline finally got their championship together. Nothing better than having the Lakers and Boston in the finals. Basketball at its best.
Magic Kept saying that LA was better team in '84... But they lost in 7... blah blah blah, in my book Boston was superior team and should of won in 6...
Greg had Lakers not loss to Houston in 1986 Western conference finals, Boston would've had hard time beating Lakers in finals.even healthy 1987 Lakers beats Celtics.ln 1984 my L.A. Lakers should've swept Celtics.even Larry Bird admit the 84 Lakers was better team, Celtics was tougher, physical and meaner
@@seanfelder3286 Sean, I disagree. In 86 Boston beat LA both times they met during the regular season and Celtics won the game in LA without McHale. 1986 Was Boston's year, everything was clicking and that team was healthy and had great passing. Celtics would have beaten LA in the Finals, even if LA had made it past Houston.
A great narrative by Hal Douglas, and yes, the 1980's and 90's were the Golden Age of American Basketball and Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon was part of this wonderful era.
If Len Bias would have been alive the Celtics win easily in 87. They almost won anyway. That was the year the injuries started piling up and this group would never challenge for a championship again.
FavreianVengeance Cornbread said to the team get on my back I’ll take you to a Championship and Cornbread kept his word ... But that’s what men back then and kept their word !!!
at 2:48 there is footage of Chuck Nevitt on the bench cheering. Nevitt was on the lakers roster in '85 but was (supposedly) not on their roster in '84. So there's some footage of the wrong year mixed in here.
In regular season, Celtics were 62-20 and had #1 seed. Lakers went 54-28. How did the Lakers think they were surely better before the Finals started? They did not have home court advantage in the series. And if they really were better and knew it, then they would have had the poise (which they did in future years) to hold on and win Games 2 and 4, instead of blown them. Lakers could have swept the series, but Boston simply had superior mental toughness that year.
Great series for sure and styles makes fights so the run and gun Lakers vs the slow it down half court stop and pop Celtics make for a contrast in styles for the ages.
Coatesville Red Raiders they instituted the clear path rule. Recall the Celtics got physical with the lakers on the fast break in 1984 finals and the nba stopped that with this rule. The offensive player couldn’t be taken out ( physical foul ) without it resulting in 2 free throws and possession of the ball. So they slanted the advantage to the lakers .
Great rivalry. The pain of losing to Boston in the finals year after year was indescribable. I’m 71 years old. Lakers did win many championships. But I will never get over losing to Boston in 1984.
Yep...go Celtics
Lakers should have swept Celtics in 1984 finals.thry made critical mistakes in game 2 and of course game 4.
@Steve Jobs I thought you died 😂
@@Mrd9960 Well, his opinions smell like a rotting corpse.
@@joecushley7167 Thank you. I was ready to comment, but didn't want to feed a troll. Ironically, the real Steve Jobs was one of those "LA liberals".
One of the greatest Finals ever, basketball at its best, talent and physicality. Lakers were really stacked, Bird was unbelievable though, willed the Celtics to the title, he was leading them in almost everything, doing it all.
he has mchale and parris dont forget em
Lakers could have won. But in game 2 Magic johnson dribbled out the clock with score tied. And in game 4 he threw a terrible pass and the celtics went on to win game 4. If this does not happen and game 3 the lakers still win. So if magic johnson did not choke. The Lakers could have swept the Celtics.
Clorox Bleach we literally just saw that
Sure the Lakers were stacked, but so were the Celtics. Greatest front line in NBA history (Bird, McHale, Parish) isn't stacked?? Then one of the greatest defensive and clutch players ever in Dennis Johnson. Cedric Maxwell ate the Lakers up in Game 7. Sharpshooters in Danny Ainge and Scott Wedman. The Celtics had BY FAR the league's best record at 62-20, so they were stacked, as well.
Clorox Bleach It don’t matter the Lakers was the better team every year except 1986 . Bird was the difference in this finals
"I thought we'd sweep em in four. But it's went a little bit longer and now we'll just have to do it in seven." - Larry Bird
FavreianVengeance it’s the bad quality we had back then. Now it’s all HD.
He was lucky they weren't swept in 4 😂
@@mister8800
Yeah right
The Lakers gave away game 2 and 4 and game 7 Boston turned off the AC to slow the Lakers down. Talk about lucky.
@@Mike1122. They never had ac in the building to begin with, so how can they turn it down? Also they didn't get lucky, they out muscled them and out rebounded, took better shots, played smarter.
Bird knocking Cooper into the stands with his butt is hilarious. 😂😂😂
His most hilarious move 😆🤣😂💕I've replayed it 50 times at least lol
@@Instrument_of_Peace He was frustrated by the fact that the Celtics were slow and unathletic and everyone knew it.
@@dwightlove3704 whhhhaaaaaaaaahhhhh, whhhhaaaaaaaaahhhhh, whhhhaaaaaaaaahhhhh whhhhaaaaaaaaahhhhh, yo chump, Celtics 4, LA Faker's 3 🤣🤣🤣🤣
No, he was frustrated by the lack of heart up to that point. He made that clear.@@dwightlove3704
The 1984 NBA Finals might be the best ever. Two great teams with the two best players and two great Head Coaches.
So glad I grew up in a time to witness this greatness.
This was it! The hottest dang summer in memory. My brother and I were heavily involved in team basketball with a private school out of Virginia. We simply couldn’t get enough basketball!
This series was so incredible and no matter how hot it was or whether it was raining or windy or whatever ~ we would watch Larry vs Magic and then go outside and try our best to copy those incredible moves we saw the greats do!!! I love basketball and this was the very best era of NBA basketball.... EVER
People can say whatever they want about M.L. Carr, but I loved the guy then and I love him today. He might not have been the most talented on the court, but every team needs a guy like him.
I agree w/ that. Teams need guys like him.
ML was cool! He's probably the happiest former player ever. He laughs and smiles about it all. All the rest were crying about sour grapes! Grow up, your all rich!
Yet Bird left & doesn't work for the Celtics because of Carr...
Say what? Explain that to me, I've never heard that.
Chris, you better believe it. Annoying, sure. But he was a decent player and he gave his all whenever called upon. And he DID inspire his teammates.
Kurt Rambis looked younger when they shot these interviews than he did in 1984.
I've got to hand it to him, he's aged better than pretty much all of the players int he series.
Cameron Kessler Musta been those Clark Kent Glasses!🤓
Maybe the mustache and/or glasses made him look older
He looked real good going after mchale, and falling backwards into the photographers. He probably wanted one of them to pork him.
Vampire! I also don't understand how else the roughest guy with the sharpest elbows in the NBA, a hockey-type enforcer in a basketball uniform, has become best known as a victim of McHale's clothesline. How was that engineered? Vampire hypnosis?
Living in Chicago seeing Jordan playing I was just amazed at how good he was but damn...Larry Bird was an incredible talent
Jordan is nothing against Bird
@@yackfou2412 😂
@@yackfou2412 yea bird is a lot better than Jordan, people are brain washed bc bird is white
@@Snatchystashy he’s right tbh
@@rafikz77 Jordan and Bird number one tied. They're both goats.
Bird: you wanna win it? gimme the ball and get the hell outa the way.....
I'm 27, the youngest of 8 & only girl. By the time i was old enough 2 hoop my dad was to tired 2 show me how 2 play so he threw dvd's of this Celtics season & DvD's of Larry Bird. I dove out of bounds into chairs & bleachers, etc even if the ball was going 2 b my teams possession. Bird's my GOAT & i love him so much that i named my current dog after him. I'd give anything to have Bird take Ainge's job. Ainge has no loyalty & ruined the team--Red wud be DISGUSTED with how he's doing things!🍀🍀🍀🍀
Gotta be a Celtic fan (Lakers fan here) but you are right those were the days !!!!!!
@@dskap201 Bird did say he felt lucky that Magic ended up on him for that play. He thought Cooper would have made it tougher than Magic did.
Some guys said it was MJ who said that..hahaha
@@RicardoAGuitar Cooper was '87 NBA Defensive Player Of The Yr.
Pat Riley was the coolest looking coach in NBA history!
Hated the lakers but love Pat Riley and rooted for him when he coached the heat!
Ole Slick
He looked like a goofy hick when he played at U Of KY.
@@beavercleaver7848 he looked like a high school principal
@@2life21 Kc Jones was a good looking dude also
The greatest NBA finals series of all time in my opinion.
absolutely
I agree. I was a Lakers fan but that series was owesome.
Agreed!
bigpolitical829 without question
It is CERTAINLY right near the top with any of em.
Those were the days! I looked forward to the Celtics and Lakers. It was as if they came into your living room or family room and personally entertained you. Those were the days!!!
@00:54 Larry truly gave everything he had in him to the game. He played with a broken back. I have a broken back & the fact he played so phenomenal with such pain boggles my mind. While on the dream team Bird played every practice while Stockton & Clyde Drexler didn't even show up on some days to practice because they "didn't feel well" . Thus another reason why Bird=GOAT
Lizzie Ruffell Larry has a big cock
@@AlexA-de7is - and you wonder why you're alone! LMAO
To be fair, Bird knew he was going to retire. Other guys on the 92 team had next season to think about.
Yup, and McHale played with a broken foot. What a team
NBA will never be the same! Those were great teams, players and rivalries 👌🏼
Warriors through and through! When it was a war and not just a basketball game. Thanks for the memories and classic moments.
I miss real basketball with the physicality and the larger-than-life players of the 80s. Larry is one of the greatest ever, especially in clutch situations.
way bigger and better athletes today than ever before... look at bird and kareem, they were physically built like a girl lol
@@tonysopranooo1 Wow you're an idiot if you think that!
thats old school muscle, like bruce lee@@tonysopranooo1
they may be bigger, maybe faster, but they're soft. They lose to internationals, they can't take the heat that Larry would bring. The Mental isn't there like it used to be.@@tonysopranooo1
When basketball was basketball greatest era ever Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson I miss the 1980's
Brother Dee Bird & Magic made the NBA what it is today before they came if your old enough NBA wasn't big at all maybe in some places NY, Boston, LA, Big markets city's and yes Boston is a big market media city... LeBron could never play then people forget how tough the NBA was then, with hand checking holding grabbing shirts hard fouls wow back then if you drove the lane good luck lol even MJ said players today would find it hard to play in the '80s and part of the '90s ... We Boston would play Deathmatches against Philly Andrew Tony the Boston strangler Dr J, Bobby Jones, Mosses Malone those were so intense games wow ... Miss it to Brother Dee !!
@@mikeyrebs8259 Those Sixer teams.........The NBA was war in those days!
@@johannesswillery7855 true they we're loaded
80's and 90's and even the 2000's were great. But after 2010, things went south for the NBA. But honestly, all sports are beginning to suck.. I blame the liberals.
@@greyk610 The NFL has become as boring as NBA and MLB.
Larry Bird is hilarious, " Today, u see Magic, slappin high fives, guys shootin layups all day, seem like somebody would put a stop to them."
@@robertebarberiii
Why not?
robertebarberiii because we live in a soft era. All the tough guys are gone.
Well almost.
Magic was a little cheesy.
larrywize 5 because that same foul today would be an ejection and a suspension.
Real ballers back then.
Larry bird one of the greatest team sport players I ever saw. Incredible
I've been saying the same thing as a soccer player. He was one, if the, best team players ever in any sport.
Peak of the Bird/Magic rivalry and 1980s basketball in general.
Want to see Rambis clothes line
0:22
IMO, this was on of the Best Finals EVER! Was definitely the Best Finals that Bird ever played. He was AWESOME!!
I wish I lived in this era!!!
@@areyoufeelingitnowmrkrabs8805 I did, was kind of young to really understand and remember it all, being 7-8 yrs old in 1984, I can remember bits and pieces of stuff, but as time goes on, alot of things fade.
He was even better in 86
86 against the Rockets wasnt too shabby.
@montemccarty6512 Yes but he had more help in 86. They came within 1 basket (game 3) of sweeping the Rockets. In 84, Boston got behind, but LB was bound & determined to win that serious!! Was a rebounding machine, having almost as many boards as the top 2 Lakers!! 21 in one game!
Huge Bird fan. @11:30 but don't worry cornbread, we know what you did in '81 and game 7 '84. We know what you did and no matter how many times I watch highlights its still as exciting as the first time watching these games. Cedric Maxwell played to win.
jjs777fzr the tough heart of the Celtics
Loved cornbread
Cant believe how much NBA changed.
It was great and now it sucks every imaginable dick.
One of my favorite C's championships. Kareem wrote a book a few years later and was still super bitter about the loss. This was DJ's first year in Boston, and his defense in the later games of this series was critical. I notice Riles takes a shot at M.L. Carr -when Riley as a player was just as much of a journeyman scrub as M.L.
magic is the coolest guy ever
bird is the clutchest player ever
" If i need someone to make a shot to save my life, I'll take Michael Jordan. If I need someone to make a shot to save my life, I'll take Larry Bird."....Pat Riley
David Mullens win a game ...MJ
Save my life... Larry
Magic got the last laugh, winning 5 championships to Larry's 3.
J Wunder Bird had some really good team-mates but they all got old and he didn’t have the leading scorer in NBA history on his team. Hats off to Magic. He had better teammates longer.
But 3 mvps and 3 championships are good enough 👍👍👍
No young player today is likely to pull that off. Even a young guy like luka 20 would sign up right now for that. Trae, Giannis Embiid, Booker, Zion, any of them in a heartbeat. All of them if they were smart.
Then why did Bird lose to Magic so much?
Tragic choked in this series. Remember, in those days it was difficult for the eastern teams. Boston had to battle a tough Philly team, the Bucks were loaded and the Pistons were getting started. The western conference was not as deep or talented. When Boston finally made the championship round they were exhausted. On a side note, the 86 Boston team was the greatest NBA team to every play. When Bill Walton is your "back up" center, you know you're loaded. Ainge, DJ, Parish, McHale, Bird,,, that's when the NBA was fun to watch, now it sucks!
Was with you until you said modern NBA sucks. Have fun living in caves and hunting mammoths. Send me a postcard when you figure out to make that fire stuff.
Max Durk W
NBA been sucking since Jordan dominated the game. He just monopolized it and it was no contest. The NBA were more than happy to let him demolish second rate competition as doing so means more revenue for them 🤦🏻♂️
Warren,by the way are u a Celtics fan?My Lakers gave 2 games away to Boston,even Bird knew Lakers was the better team.After game 4 when Celtics was gifted a win,it was their championship.In 1985 you knew what happened game 6 in Boston?Kareem kicked ass in Boston,won MVP.In 1987 Magic beat Boston with the junior skyhook.We was better team,and in 2010 Lakers won in 7 back to back
The east was just stacked top to bottom from the 80s till 1998
Cornbread doesn't get enough credit the dude was a hell of a player.
Exactly!
Yes he was
@@mrtruthhurts2307 I believe he was the Finals MVP of the 81 Celtics team. After that, as the lineup changed into one of the best teams ever, he was asked to play defense and rebound more. He shut down the top big men in the game and if needed he could still give you 20 points. An unselfish player who could do it all.
He's gotten plenty of credit it's such dumb logic when folks get on TH-cam saying a player doesn't get credit
Memories for all of us during that great era of basketball.... Thanks 'leprechauns and Lakers!😍
Worthy will always be remembered because he made a critical error in game 2 but he was absolutely dominant in game 2 prior to that also in Game 1 and 3 he was incredible. I really felt that as a pro that series was his coming out party. Remember he was out the entire playoffs in his rookie year in 83. When I saw how he played in the 84 Boston series I knew he was going to be an incredible player. He was too much for any of the Celtic big men to defend. He outquicked them and soared over them for some incredibly beautiful dunks.
Man the glory years i was not watching basketball then but the respect at 45 years old i have for these teams will never leave i am a fan of legends and i cant get it out of my blood
The 80s was the best era of basketball. Today’s players are spoiled babies
Couldn’t have said it better
100% agree
Keep crying oldhead 😹😹😹😹👎
@@gvnt7004 who’s crying millennial man bun guy
Lebron would average 100 in the 80's lol
I have so many great memories of this series so nice to see them again
Greatest finals of all time. Period.
Thanks for posting this, I remember watching this when I was 7 years old .
Dick Stockton, Tommy Heinson taught me all I know about round all, especially Celtics & strategy. Much appreciated guys!
Greatest basketball rivalry, if not sports rivalry, in American sports history. Hands-down, no question. #CelticsVsLakers, Bird vs. Magic, Abdul-Jabbar vs. Parish, the Great Western Forum vs. the Boston Garden. Everything about that matchup of cities, of personalities, of social politics, of the '80s...it was all summed up with this mammoth rivalry that spanned the entire decade. I feel so lucky I was an '80s kid and got the chance to experience that era in sports.
i love u larry bird. ur my hero and to me ur incomparable. heart over muscles
“Heart over muscles” now that’s a dam quote!!!! I’ll keep that in my mind always. That’s what the players had back then. And it ain’t muscles. I’d pick heart anyday. Great times for me also.....🙏🏼
The Celtics, my team then, now and always! The 1984 NBA Championship series was the greatest I ever saw. CELTICS BABY!!!!!!!
Maxwell, great interview, go M.L. Celtics ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I wish these Celtic teammates could live forever😇
The greatest rivalry in sport's history.
It's an argument ..the Red Sox vs the Yankees.
Will Rogan nah it's not like this.
From 1949 to 2010, crazy shit.
Cowboys vs Redskins but it is a rivalry
Really, compared to all those rivalries across the globe, are you serious? Some soccer rivalries are so deep it’s war, American sports don’t have rivalries like that.
I remember watching this as an 8 yr old kid with my dad. Larry Legend. There will never be a finals game this good, ever again.
The best decade of Basketball. Say what you want about the 90s and the Dream Team, and Jordan's domination. For me, the 80's had Magic and Bird front and center and you just can't top that.
The Los Angeles Lakers did not give the Boston Celtics the respect they deserved in that series, the Lakers were not the better team, the Celtics showed them how to win a title as a team, saying "we thought we were the better team" and "we gave them a couple of games" shows disrespect to Boston and it hurts so bad for them because the Celtics beat them for their 15th world championship!
As a California girl, I always rooted for my home teams in every sport EXCEPT when it came to the Boston Celtics, and Larry Bird. Go Celtics! Irish Pride!
@Greg Pettis Some good pubs in San Fran.
As a California guy, fuck you bitch
Greg Pettis
There’s Irish EVERYWHERE!!
@@stesoteric8129 Stay classy you ass ugly piece of shit lol.
@@stesoteric8129
Wow, yer a first class DOUCHE bud.
Best finals ever.. It was amazing. Bird, Magic.. Nothing like the first time.
This is what u call nba rivalry, u don’t see that kind of passion in today’s game!
My kind of hero! @LarryBird #33! Best of all time!
The Lakers were the Super Team, The Celtics had Larry Bird !!
Celtics had 4 hall of famers and Cedrick Maxwell finals mvp and danny ainge, that was a super team too
@@slipnorris5882 dennis Johnson was a 1 time all star with the celtics and Kevin McHale was a bench player that year
That's the big misnomer, the celtics were loaded ! McHale ,one of the greatest unstoppable at times forces, Parrish a great defender and rebounder hof, Dennis freaking Johnson, maybe the most underrated player of the 80s magic said he was his toughest defender and he led a team to a title before Boston, Danny Ainge another underrated above average and alot of other teams would be the go to guy because he shoot lights out at times ,not to mention Maxwelll who would be replaced with Bill Walton this was far from just Larry
@kobischpiek8520 I don't care that Johnson was a 1 time Allstars, what did his peers say about him? Nothing but praise and McH ale was 6th man of the year for being just a bench player, that just tells ya how great the team was that he wasn't starting
This was such a great rivalry. Love these documentaries
This was a fabulous series, the Celtics-Lakers. I am a huge Celtics fan, Celtics were physical. McHale taking Rambis down, turned the whole series around. Celtics 9-3 all time in the NBA Finals, but I will admit, LA did get revenge in 1985 and 1987. But Bird against Magic, what a rivalry. Great era, and a fabulous time for the NBA in the decade of the 1980's. I am so happy, I got a chance to see the Celtics-Lakers rivalry from 2008 and 2010. Celtics won in Six Games in 2008, and LA got revenge in 2010, 7 games. Rivalry is not big anymore, goes all the way back to the 1960's. Great's from both teams.
Yes,I think McHale took that no more lay-ups person. He probably deserved punch in the face for that. And I was a bigger McHale fan than I was Bird fan. I played power forward. Man he had the best foorwork.
Don't laugh but Greg Kite who played less then 8:00 a game was a big part of the Celtics teams in the 80s.
bigbadbruins1 Kite averaged 5 fouls a game and only averaged 2 minutes a game😄😄😄usually had the game locked up by the time he played
@@christopherkingsbury130 well like you said he average 5 fouls... THOSE 5 FOULS WAS WHAT HE CAME IN FOR. To defend the bigs of the opposing teams for just a couple of mins rest for whoever he came in for. Thats coaching... Thats being part of a system.
Now go out and teach what you just learn kid. 😎
ha..haha..hahaha..
greg kite..hahahahahahaha..
Crowds + Beat LA = goosebumps :-D
can't believe how much NBA has forever changed, the rivalries, the Mr Clutch, like Bird, Jordan, and Magic, and now it's how much so and so is making,
"Back into Bird, the fallaway is good!"
fun series, great competition with great players on both sides ...
Wow amazing Larry bird beat Kareem and magic in the 84 finals
Nick Foles you are right bird over came them the Lakers was loaded even the bench Boston starting 5 was great but the bench not so much it is really amazing
Lets not say larry bird. He couldnt have done that without a solid teammates.
JohnRobert Postrado you’d be dumb to think Larry bird wasn’t the entire Celtics
@@kingsavage3458 UHM. HE WASNT.
Larry Bird's stats for that finals series: 27.4 PPG on 48.4 FG% (66.7% 3-Point and 84.2% Free-Throw), 14.0 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.1 SPG, 1.1 BPG. Simply Insane!
This is a classic series.
Greatest finals ever and this put the nba on the map 🗺 no doubt
Magic vs Bird. Peyton vs Brady. The 2 greatest sports rivalries I've ever seen. Whenever they faced each other, the world stopped because you just HAD to watch.
fantastic series. Now, the NBA sucks.
Corrupt then, corrupt now! R.I.P. Kings '02
Greek Freak.
It sure does.
The zenith of NBA basketball was the Celtics/Lakers in the 1980s. Two GREAT teams/franchises with HOFers galore, and the intensity of these battles were just a privilege to watch. If Len Bias had not passed away, we may have been able to enjoy that rivalry into the late 80s and early 90s...before the Jordan era dawned.
This series was epic. I forgot that Cedric Maxwell was such a big game player. Eventually the Lakers matured to the point of being able to beat the Celts.
***** Very true. He was sort of the forgotten Celtic hero. He got overshadowed by the vintage era of Bird-McHale-Parrish that came a couple years later when the Celtics were at their peak with Bird. However, Cornbread was clutch.
+mikem987 He gets overlooked because Parish, McHale, and Bird are considered the best front line ever. And in 86, when they added Walton, they were even better. However, Max was a huge huge part of who they were in the first half of the 80s dynasty. Lot of people forget how good he really was.
In many ways he kind of gets forgotten. It's ridiculous how long it took them to retire his number. However, he was one hell of a player.
Matured? The Celtics were beat up in 87.
@@mikem591 he was finals MVP in 81
I can't help myself. I love watching tapes from this series.
Incredible performance of the Celtics
decades later this loss still haunts lakers players. todays players are over a loss second they leave the court. it was a different breed of men back then not soft like todays players
Those were the times!
They made each other better those two saved the nba
Larry also beat out Magic for the 79-80 season, Rookie of the Year award . So was a small moral victory for the 78-79 Final four loss!
Magic won FMVP that year lol
Bird & Indiana St. Lost in the Finals vs. Magic & Michigan St. NOT Final 4...
Bird also won that rookie of the Year unamoiusly. Deservingly so. Turned a 20 win team to a 60 win team. Still the greatest single season turnaround of all time.
Nothing was as loud as the Garden. Fortunate to have seen Orr and Bird there many times. One of the Orr games was from the balcony; the whole thing was rocking.
The Golden era of the NBA began with the 1984 Finals with Bird & Magic, then the Best draft class ever with Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkely. then from 1984-1998 NBA's glory days.
Idris Shahid also, in 1984 (+- 1 year), Hulk Hogan became World Champ, just a year later Mike Tyson made his debut, essentially in 84 Michael Jackson's Thriller revolutionized everything, Cartoons such as Transformers, GI Joe, He-Man came on.
It truly was the best time for pop culture, sports, and entertainment.
+Idris Shahid The Golden era of the NBA was orchestrated and started in 1980 to save the NBA from dying. It ended in 1990 with the championship of the Pistons who brought the 1970's style of play back into the game which the NBA thought destroyed the fan base in many cities in the 1970's.
Bonita Boggan I disagree with that cause to me 1984 was really the start of it cause the greatest player ever (in Michael Jordan) came and took the leagues to another level so the Bulls dynasty that ended in 1998 was the golden era not the bad boys. Look up Bob costas and watch what he said after the 1998 Finals
There have been multiple books written about the NBA during the 1970's,1980's and 1990's. The professional journalists who covered the stories are certainly more knowledgeable than you. I based my opinion on my experience and the knowledge of others who are in a position to make legitimate statements about said subject. I am entitled to my own opinion which I obtain by knowledge and experience.
at1212 b Oh yeah without a doubt, I was born in 76, so I grew up in the 80s, great memories!
Both of these teams would eat the modern day Golden State Warriors alive. Not even close.
I don't know about that.
So true
Euro American *Press X to Doubt*
If you think about it: The Celts may not have won that series if not for the antics and cheer leading of M L Carr. He revved up the team when they were down and he backed Bird when the team wasn't pulling their own wait!
Loved the NBA in the 80’s and 90’s. Not since MJ retired.
This was fantastic
Easily the greatest finals of all time, so many Hall of Famer's on the court, so much passion, drama.
Could you even imagine the snowflakes in today's NBA playing either one these teams?
They would be flopping, crying, and hiding in their safe spaces.
What's amazing is that we actually tend to forget all the times that Magic, Bird, and Worthy came up small in big playoffs/ Finals games at different points in their careers. They all had big moments, and small moments. With time, the small moments tend to fade from our memory and we just think two great and evenly matched teams, so you win some, you lose some, but in fact, all these 1980s Hall of Famers in the Lakers/ Celtics rivalry had some choke moments.
Great moments in basketball history
Why does Kurt Rambis look like he is talking about his father? he looked 57 in the league and only looks 40 now. legends never die lol.
Just imagine, imagine if Maxwell didn't get that knee injury AND Boston somehow, still got Walton a couple of years later! Wow.
Woooo. I got scared imagining this
Walton was never a Celtics team member, spent more time on the bench than on the floor.
@@flyaway7636 he was a key member of the 85-86 club. Well deserved 6th man of the year. He anchored the 2nd unit on both ends.
Magic has the great big smile that he hides behind. Reminds me of OJ.
7:27 Forgot how big Larry Bird was..If Jabbar is 7'2", Bird is all of 6'10".
Yep correct. The basketball cards always listed him a 6’9” but I always thought he was closer to 6’10”
hbk you speak the truth. I had the pleasure of watching Bird’s career as a youngster - what a gift. One of the greatest sportsman ever. Anyone who says otherwise simply doesn’t recognize or understand the truth.
Another thing about the height... There so many pictures of him looking at least 2 inches taller than Magic. Yet they were both listed at 6ft 9. I think it's more of a 6ft 8 to 6ft 10 difference.
I think Jabbar is just under 7'2", he appears to be a half inch taller than Wilt Chamberlain in pictures where they're together. Although it's hard to tell sometimes with differences in posture.
@hbk Bird had a motor that was uncommon for any era. It's not that today's players don't hustle like that, no one else in Bird's time got after it like Larry.
2010 was exciting for all basketball fans. Kendrick Perkins injury helped the Lakers finally beat Boston again. Kobe and Pau Gasoline finally got their championship together. Nothing better than having the Lakers and Boston in the finals. Basketball at its best.
Magic Kept saying that LA was better team in '84... But they lost in 7... blah blah blah, in my book Boston was superior team and should of won in 6...
Cleveland,where were you in 1985,1987 when LA Lakers kicked ass and put Celtics in their place?Hellllo?
And Boston had the better regular season record
Greg had Lakers not loss to Houston in 1986 Western conference finals, Boston would've had hard time beating Lakers in finals.even healthy 1987 Lakers beats Celtics.ln 1984 my L.A. Lakers should've swept Celtics.even Larry Bird admit the 84 Lakers was better team, Celtics was tougher, physical and meaner
@@seanfelder3286 Sean, I disagree. In 86 Boston beat LA both times they met during the regular season and Celtics won the game in LA without McHale. 1986 Was Boston's year, everything was clicking and that team was healthy and had great passing. Celtics would have beaten LA in the Finals, even if LA had made it past Houston.
@@seanfelder3286 That was later.
If this was the greatest final in NBA history, then 1974's Celtic/Bucks final is definitely in second place! I love that series!
A great narrative by Hal Douglas, and yes, the 1980's and 90's were the Golden Age of American Basketball and Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon was part of this wonderful era.
The 1984 NBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES saved the NBA and the ratings were fantastic on cbs
Just love it, always.
Always wish bird would of won in 85 and 87.
And Celts Lakers face each other In 86.
If Len Bias would have been alive the Celtics win easily in 87. They almost won anyway. That was the year the injuries started piling up and this group would never challenge for a championship again.
Larry said to the paper... "We're playin' like a bunch of women..."
Imagine saying that in 2020 🤣🤣
Remember watching this with my late father. Was shown on UK Television
Best Finals All Time
To me, the greatest Finals in NBA History. .
Yeah Cornbread keep reminding us. How come you never tell us how you mailed it in after that?
Such a beautiful time❤TX
I love that Cornbread is talking a ton of sh** like 20 years after the fact.
FavreianVengeance Cornbread said to the team get on my back I’ll take you to a Championship and Cornbread kept his word ... But that’s what men back then and kept their word !!!
He was great, a big part of the '81 and '84 championships. Basket counts and a foul several times a game.
Nothing like the two most storied franchises in NBA history in the finals.
In his prime Larry could beat anyone flat out!!! #GOAT
at 2:48 there is footage of Chuck Nevitt on the bench cheering. Nevitt was on the lakers roster in '85 but was (supposedly) not on their roster in '84. So there's some footage of the wrong year mixed in here.
I love how Magic says more than once that LA was the better team lol Sour grapes much?
In regular season, Celtics were 62-20 and had #1 seed. Lakers went 54-28. How did the Lakers think they were surely better before the Finals started? They did not have home court advantage in the series. And if they really were better and knew it, then they would have had the poise (which they did in future years) to hold on and win Games 2 and 4, instead of blown them. Lakers could have swept the series, but Boston simply had superior mental toughness that year.
@@Milordvega Thanks for sharing
Great series for sure and styles makes fights so the run and gun Lakers vs the slow it down half court stop and pop Celtics make for a contrast in styles for the ages.
The Celtics were just plain tougher.
William Elliott Speed of the Lakers overcame toughness of the Celtics.
THAT year
Then the nba changed some things to favor the lakers
Coatesville Red Raiders they instituted the clear path rule.
Recall the Celtics got physical with the lakers on the fast break in 1984 finals and the nba stopped that with this rule. The offensive player couldn’t be taken out ( physical foul ) without it resulting in 2 free throws and possession of the ball. So they slanted the advantage to the lakers .
Coatesville Red Raiders it hurt Boston of course. The league felt the lakers style was where they wanted to go imo