1984 NBA Finals

1984 NBA Finals

Team Coach Wins Boston Celtics K.C. Jones 4 Los Angeles Lakers Pat Riley 3
Dates	May 27–June 12
MVP	Larry Bird (Boston Celtics)
Hall of Famers	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: Darell Garretson (2016) Hugh Evans (2022) Earl Strom (1995)
Eastern finals	Celtics defeated Bucks, 4–1
Western finals	Lakers defeated Suns, 4–2

The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1983–84 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. Celtics forward Larry Bird averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP).

This series was a rematch of the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics after their rivalry was revived in 1979 with the Magic Johnson–Larry Bird pair entering the league. After alternating wins with the Lakers, the Celtics won Game 7 and the series with a score of 111–102.

This was the last NBA Finals to use the 2–2–1–1–1 format until 2014. The following year, the NBA Finals format was changed to 2–3–2 after Red Auerbach complained about the constant travelling during the Finals. Although the 2–2–1–1–1 format remained intact for the remainder of the playoff rounds, the 2–3–2 format would be used until 2013.

Background

The seeds of the 1984 Finals were first sown five years earlier, during the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. In the final game of the tournament, Larry Bird and his erstwhile unbeaten Indiana State Sycamores lost to Magic Johnson and his Michigan State Spartans by the score of 75–64. After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 1979–80 season with high expectations. Bird, who was selected 6th in the 1978 NBA draft but committed back to Indiana State for his senior season, was named Rookie of the Year after leading the Celtics to a 32-game turnaround from the previous year, going from 29 to 61 wins. The expected Celtics–Lakers finals, however, never happened. The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Celtics in the conference finals before losing to the Lakers in the 1980 NBA Finals, with Johnson earning Finals MVP honors for his Game 6 performance. Since then Bird won a championship in 1981, then Magic led the Lakers to the finals in 1982 and 1983, winning in the former.

Boston Celtics

Main article: 1983–84 Boston Celtics season

In the 1983–84 season, the Celtics won 62 games to lead the league. The Celtics were led by Bird, who won his first MVP award, and was complemented by 1981 Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell, first-time all-star and Sixth Man Award winner Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Gerald Henderson and Danny Ainge. Boston's most crucial addition was Dennis Johnson, whom they acquired from the Phoenix Suns in the offseason in hopes of addressing their porous back-court defense.

In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in four, the New York Knicks in seven, and the Milwaukee Bucks in five.

Los Angeles Lakers

Main article: 1983–84 Los Angeles Lakers season

The Lakers were coming off a four-game sweep by the Philadelphia 76ers in the previous year's finals. Before the season began, the Lakers traded long-time guard Norm Nixon to the San Diego Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to Byron Scott. The trade signaled a transition period, as some of the key players from the first two championships gave way to younger talent. Despite the changes, it did not stop the Lakers from finishing with the best record (54–28) in the Western Conference, powered by their one-two punch of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson.

During the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Kansas City Kings in three, the Dallas Mavericks in five, and the Phoenix Suns in six. However, the Lakers suffered a key injury when their 3rd leading scorer, Jamaal Wilkes (17 PPG) was ruled out of the finals. This cost the Lakers valuable depth, as James Worthy, a key contributor off the bench, would now have to start in Wilkes' place.

Road to the Finals

Main article: 1984 NBA Playoffs

Los Angeles Lakers (Western Conference champion)		Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference champion)
# Western Conference Team W L PCT GB 1 c-Los Angeles Lakers 54 28 .659 – 2 y-Utah Jazz 45 37 .549 9 3 x-Portland Trail Blazers 48 34 .585 6 4 x-Dallas Mavericks 43 39 .524 11 5 x-Seattle SuperSonics 42 40 .512 12 6 x-Phoenix Suns 41 41 .500 13 7 x-Denver Nuggets 38 44 .463 16 8 x-Kansas City Kings 38 44 .463 16 9 San Antonio Spurs 37 45 .451 17 10 Golden State Warriors 37 45 .451 17 11 San Diego Clippers 30 52 .366 24 12 Houston Rockets 29 53 .354 25 1st seed in the West, 2nd best league record	Regular season		# Eastern Conference Team W L PCT GB 1 z-Boston Celtics 62 20 .756 – 2 y-Milwaukee Bucks 50 32 .610 12 3 x-Philadelphia 76ers 52 30 .634 10 4 x-Detroit Pistons 49 33 .598 13 5 x-New York Knicks 47 35 .573 15 6 x-New Jersey Nets 45 37 .549 17 7 x-Atlanta Hawks 40 42 .488 22 8 x-Washington Bullets 35 47 .427 27 9 Cleveland Cavaliers 28 54 .341 34 10 Chicago Bulls 27 55 .329 35 11 Indiana Pacers 26 56 .317 36 1st seed in the East, best league record
Defeated the (8) Kansas City Kings, 3–0	First Round		Defeated the (8) Washington Bullets, 3–1
Defeated the (4) Dallas Mavericks, 4–1	Conference Semifinals		Defeated the (5) New York Knicks, 4–3
Defeated the (6) Phoenix Suns, 4–2	Conference Finals		Defeated the (2) Milwaukee Bucks, 4–1

Regular season series

The Los Angeles Lakers won both games in the regular season series:

February 8, 1984

Los Angeles Lakers 111, Boston Celtics 109

Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

February 24, 1984

Boston Celtics 108, Los Angeles Lakers 116

The Forum, Los Angeles, California

Series summary

Game	Date	Road team	Result	Home team
Game 1	May 27	Los Angeles Lakers	115–109 (1–0)	Boston Celtics
Game 2	May 31	Los Angeles Lakers	121–124 (OT) (1–1)	Boston Celtics
Game 3	June 3	Boston Celtics	104–137 (1–2)	Los Angeles Lakers
Game 4	June 6	Boston Celtics	129–125 (OT) (2–2)	Los Angeles Lakers
Game 5	June 8	Los Angeles Lakers	103–121 (2–3)	Boston Celtics
Game 6	June 10	Boston Celtics	108–119 (3–3)	Los Angeles Lakers
Game 7	June 12	Los Angeles Lakers	102–111 (3–4)	Boston Celtics

Game 1

CBS

May 27

Los Angeles Lakers 115, Boston Celtics 109
Scoring by quarter: 34–22, 31–30, 27–36, 23–21
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 8 Asts: Magic Johnson 10		Pts: Kevin McHale 25 Rebs: Larry Bird 14 Asts: Larry Bird 5
Los Angeles leads the series, 1–0

Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890 Referees: No. 25 Hugh Evans No. 8 John Vanak

Led by Magic Johnson, the Lakers fast break offense scored 52 points en route to a 115–109 victory at Boston Garden to open the series.

Game 2

CBS

May 31

Los Angeles Lakers 121, Boston Celtics 124 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 26–36, 33–25, 28–29, 26–23, Overtime: 8–11
Pts: James Worthy 29 Rebs: Magic Johnson 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 10		Pts: Larry Bird 27 Rebs: Larry Bird 13 Asts: Ainge, Henderson 5 each
Series tied, 1–1

Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890 Referees: No. 14 Jack Madden No. 11 Jake O'Donnell

In Game 2, the Lakers led 113–111 with 18 seconds left when Gerald Henderson stole a James Worthy pass to score a game tying layup. The Lakers then inbounded the ball and Magic Johnson inexplicably dribbled the clock out during regulation time. With the Celtics down by one near the end of overtime, Scott Wedman hit a shot from the baseline with 14 seconds remaining to put Boston ahead. The Lakers' chance to win on the ensuing possession was thwarted by a Robert Parish steal, followed by Larry Bird sinking a pair of free throws to secure the 124–121 victory for the Celtics.

Game 3

CBS

June 3

Boston Celtics 104, Los Angeles Lakers 137
Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 20–28, 33–47, 25–33
Pts: Larry Bird 30 Rebs: Robert Parish 12 Asts: Cedric Maxwell 5		Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 24 Rebs: Magic Johnson 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 21
Los Angeles lead the series, 2–1

The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: No. 22 Paul Mihalak No. 12 Earl Strom

In Game 3, the Lakers raced to an easy 137–104 victory as Magic Johnson dished out 21 assists, an NBA Finals record. After the game, Larry Bird said his team played like "sissies" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates. It was Boston's worst playoff defeat in franchise history to that date.

Game 4

CBS

June 6

Boston Celtics 129, Los Angeles Lakers 125 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 32–33, 26–35, 30–22, 25–23, Overtime: 16–12
Pts: Larry Bird 29 Rebs: Larry Bird 21 Asts: Dennis Johnson 14		Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32 Rebs: Magic Johnson 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 17
Series tied, 2–2

The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: No. 10 Darell Garretson No. 20 Jess Kersey

In Game 4, the Lakers had a five-point game lead with less than a minute to play, but made several execution errors, including Magic Johnson's bad pass to Robert Parish late in the fourth quarter, and missing two crucial free throws in OT as the Celtics tied the game and then came away with a 129–125 victory in overtime. Johnson was called "Tragic Johnson" by Celtics fans due to the two crucial errors he committed in Game 4 (the Parish steal, followed by two botched free throws in OT). The Lakers took an early lead in overtime, but a controversial foul call on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with 16 seconds remaining in regulation, had been his 6th foul, and he was out of the game. The Laker momentum was stalled, and Larry Bird came up with a crucial jumper over Magic Johnson with 16 seconds remaining in overtime, then M.L. Carr stole James Worthy's inbounds pass followed by a dunk to seal the win. The game was also marked by Celtic forward Kevin McHale's clothesline take-down of Laker forward Kurt Rambis on a breakaway layup which triggered the physical aspect of the rivalry. Larry Bird would go after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar later on in the third quarter, and 1981 Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell further antagonized the Lakers by following a missed James Worthy free throw by crossing the lane with his hands around his own neck, symbolizing that Worthy was "choking" under pressure. Also, Bird pushed Michael Cooper to the baseline following the inbound play during the second quarter.

Game 4 of the 1984 Finals marked the last Finals game to go into overtime until Game 2 of the 1990 NBA Finals.

Game 5

CBS

June 8

Los Angeles Lakers 103, Boston Celtics 121
Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 27–29, 24–33, 26–33
Pts: James Worthy 22 Rebs: Kurt Rambis 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 13		Pts: Larry Bird 34 Rebs: Larry Bird 17 Asts: Gerald Henderson 9
Boston leads the series, 3–2

Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890 Referees: No. 25 Hugh Evans No. 12 Earl Strom No. 9 John Vanak (alternate, replaced Evans)

In Game 5, the Celtics took a 3–2 series lead with a 121–103 victory, as Larry Bird scored 34 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. The game was known as the "Heat Game", as it was played under 97 °F (36 °C) heat, and without any air conditioning, at Boston Garden. The Celtics did not warm up with their sweat pants on because of extreme heat, and an oxygen tank was provided to give air to an aging Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Referee Hugh Evans became dehydrated and fainted at one point in the first half. He worked the first half, but was replaced by John Vanak for the second half. It was also the last time that a team with home court advantage in the NBA finals played Game 5 on its own floor until 2014. The next year, the NBA Finals switched to the 2-3-2 format with Game 5 going to the team without home-court advantage, which continued through 2013.

Game 6

CBS

June 10

Boston Celtics 108, Los Angeles Lakers 119
Scoring by quarter: 33–29, 32–30, 22–24, 21–36
Pts: Larry Bird 28 Rebs: Larry Bird 14 Asts: Larry Bird 8		Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 30 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 10
Series tied, 3–3

The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: No. 14 Jack Madden No. 11 Jake O'Donnell

In Game 6, the Lakers evened the series with a 119–108 victory. In the game the Lakers answered the Celtics' rough tactics when Laker forward James Worthy shoved Cedric Maxwell into a basket support. After the game a Laker fan threw a beer at Celtics guard M.L. Carr as he left the floor, causing him to label the series "all-out-war."

Game 7

CBS

June 12

Los Angeles Lakers 102, Boston Celtics 111
Scoring by quarter: 30–30, 22–28, 26–33, 24–20
Pts: James Worthy 21 Rebs: Kurt Rambis 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 15		Pts: Cedric Maxwell 24 Rebs: Robert Parish 16 Asts: Cedric Maxwell 8
Boston wins the series, 4–3

Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890 Referees: No. 10 Darell Garretson No. 12 Earl Strom

In Game 7, the heat that was an issue in Game 5 was not as bad (indoor temperatures hovered around 91 °F (33 °C) during the game, due to additional fans being brought in to try to cool the air). The Celtics were led by Cedric Maxwell who had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as they came away with a 111–102 victory. In the game, the Lakers rallied to cut a 14-point-deficit to three with one minute remaining when Cedric Maxwell knocked the ball away from Magic Johnson. Dennis Johnson responded by sinking two free throws to seal the victory. Larry Bird was named MVP of the series.

The series was the eighth time in NBA history that the Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA finals, with Boston winning each time, and the first championship that the Celtics claimed at home since 1966.

Player statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Danny Ainge	7	0	14.0	.432	.250	.500	1.1	2.1	0.7	0.0	6.0
Larry Bird	7	7	43.6	.484	.667	.842	14.0	3.6	2.1	1.1	27.4
Quinn Buckner	7	0	8.0	.333	.000	.500	0.9	0.6	0.1	0.0	2.0
M. L. Carr	4	0	7.0	.364	.000	.833	0.8	0.5	0.5	0.0	3.3
Carlos Clark	3	0	3.7	.400	.000	.000	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.3	1.3
Gerald Henderson	7	7	25.6	.468	.000	.667	2.6	4.0	1.4	0.0	12.3
Dennis Johnson	7	7	36.4	.395	.500	.865	3.0	4.7	1.6	0.3	17.6
Greg Kite	4	0	3.3	.250	.000	.000	0.3	0.5	0.0	0.3	0.5
Cedric Maxwell	7	7	34.6	.458	.000	.855	5.6	3.3	1.1	0.3	13.0
Kevin McHale	7	0	30.6	.452	.000	.778	5.9	1.1	0.3	1.1	13.4
Robert Parish	7	7	36.6	.440	.000	.588	11.4	1.3	1.6	1.6	15.4
Scott Wedman	4	0	18.3	.459	.500	.000	5.3	2.5	0.0	0.0	9.3

Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	7	7	38.9	.481	.000	.679	8.1	4.4	1.7	2.1	26.6
Michael Cooper	7	7	37.4	.468	.500	.773	3.6	5.3	1.1	0.7	13.4
Magic Johnson	7	7	42.1	.560	.000	.744	7.7	13.6	2.0	0.9	18.0
Mitch Kupchak	3	0	4.0	.500	.000	.750	2.3	2.7	0.7	0.0	0.3
Bob McAdoo	6	0	24.3	.459	.000	.655	5.5	0.7	0.3	1.3	12.5
Mike McGee	3	0	14.0	.375	.000	.714	2.7	0.0	0.7	0.3	7.7
Swen Nater	7	0	8.6	.421	.000	.857	3.1	0.0	0.0	0.1	4.0
Kurt Rambis	7	7	22.3	.629	.000	.545	6.4	0.6	0.3	0.3	7.1
Byron Scott	7	0	15.0	.474	.200	.714	1.1	0.7	1.0	0.0	6.0
Larry Spriggs	2	0	3.5	.667	.000	.000	1.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	2.0
Jamaal Wilkes	7	0	14.1	.448	.000	.750	1.9	0.4	0.3	0.0	4.6
James Worthy	7	7	39.1	.638	.000	.656	4.4	2.3	1.4	0.3	22.1

Team rosters

Boston Celtics

1983–84 Boston Celtics roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From G/F 44 Ainge, Danny 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1959–03–17 BYU F 33 Bird, Larry 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1956–12–07 Indiana State G 28 Buckner, Quinn 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1954–08–20 Indiana G/F 30 Carr, M.L. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1951–01–09 Guilford G 40 Clark, Carlos 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1960–08–10 Mississippi G 43 Henderson, Gerald 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1956–01–16 VCU G 3 Johnson, Dennis 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 1954–09–18 Pepperdine C 50 Kite, Greg 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1961–08–05 BYU F 31 Maxwell, Cedric 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1955–11–21 Charlotte F/C 32 McHale, Kevin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1957–12–19 Minnesota C 00 Parish, Robert 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1953–08–30 Centenary G/F 8 Wedman, Scott 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1952–07–29 Colorado

Head coach K.C. Jones Assistant coach(es) Jimmy Rodgers Chris Ford Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Los Angeles Lakers

1983–84 Los Angeles Lakers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From C 33 Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1947–04–16 UCLA G 21 Cooper, Michael 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1956–04–15 New Mexico F 0 Garrett, Calvin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1956–07–11 Oral Roberts G 32 Johnson, Magic 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1959–08–14 Michigan State G 15 Jordan, Eddie 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1955–01–29 Rutgers F 25 Kupchak, Mitch 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1954–05–24 North Carolina C 11 McAdoo, Bob 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1951–09–25 North Carolina F 40 McGee, Mike 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1959–07–29 Michigan C 41 Nater, Swen 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1950–01–14 UCLA F 31 Rambis, Kurt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 213 lb (97 kg) 1958–02–25 Santa Clara G 4 Scott, Byron 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1961–03–28 Arizona State F 35 Spriggs, Larry 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1959–09–08 Howard F 52 Wilkes, Jamaal 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1953–05–02 UCLA F 42 Worthy, James 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1961–02–27 North Carolina

Head coach Pat Riley Assistant coach(es) Bill Bertka Dave Wohl Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Television coverage

The 1984 championship series scored high TV ratings. All the playoff action was documented on the 1984 NBA Season documentary Pride and Passion, narrated by Dick Stockton. Stockton, the play-by-play announcer for the series, was joined by Tom Heinsohn, and the duo would call the next four NBA Finals until 1987.

Aftermath

Reflecting back on the series, Magic Johnson said ". . . (the Lakers) learned a valuable lesson. Only the strong survive. . . talent just don't get it. That's the first time the (80's) Lakers ever encountered that, someone stronger minded." The teams met again in the 1985 finals, which the Lakers won 4–2.

In 1986, they failed to meet in a third straight NBA Finals (it was later accomplished 31 years later by the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors), as the Lakers were eliminated in the Conference Finals by the Houston Rockets. The Lakers and the Celtics met again in 1987 where the Lakers won in six games.

See also

• 1984 NBA Playoffs

External links

• NBA History
• Boston Globe story about Game 5 (published 7 June 2009)