Celtics–Lakers rivalry

Boston Celtics – Los Angeles Lakers
History
First Meeting	November 9, 1948
Latest Meeting	February 10, 2011
Number of Regular Season Meetings	274
Regular Season Series	153–121 (.558) Boston[1]
Largest Margin of Victory	131–92 Boston (Game 6 2008 NBA Finals)
Post Season History
Post Season Meetings	43–31 (BOS)
1959 NBA Finals	Celtics won, 4–0
1962 NBA Finals	Celtics won, 4–3
1963 NBA Finals	Celtics won, 4–2
1965 NBA Finals	Celtics won, 4–1
1966 NBA Finals	Celtics won, 4–3
1968 NBA Finals	Celtics won, 4–2
1969 NBA Finals	Celtics won, 4–3
1984 NBA Finals	Celtics won, 4–3
1985 NBA Finals	Lakers won, 4–2
1987 NBA Finals	Lakers won, 4–2
2008 NBA Finals	Celtics won, 4–2
2010 NBA Finals	Lakers won, 4–3

The rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers involves the two most storied basketball franchises in National Basketball Association (NBA) history. The rivalry had been less intense since the retirements of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the early 1990s, but in 2008 it was renewed as the Celtics and Lakers met in the Finals for the first time since 1987, with the Celtics winning the series 4-2. The two teams faced off once again in the 2010 NBA Finals which the Lakers won in 7 games. The two teams have won the two highest numbers of championships, the Celtics 17, the Lakers 16; together, the two teams' 33 championships account for more than half of the 64 championships in NBA history.

Overview

Following the 2010 NBA Finals, the Lakers and Celtics have met a total of 12 times. To date, Boston has won nine and LA three (with the Celtics having won the first eight meetings).

Year	Winner	Series
1959	Boston Celtics	4–0
1962	Boston Celtics	4–3
1963	Boston Celtics	4–2
1965	Boston Celtics	4–1
1966	Boston Celtics	4–3
1968	Boston Celtics	4–2
1969	Boston Celtics	4–3
1984	Boston Celtics	4–3
1985	Los Angeles Lakers	4–2

2010 NBA Finals

This was the third straight year in which the L.A. Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals. These two teams last met in 2008, when the Celtics beat the Lakers 4–2. Paul Pierce was named series MVP in 2008. Much of both rosters have been kept intact, and the Celtics' veterans Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rasheed Wallace looked to add to their championship résumés, while Kobe Bryant and the Lakers looked to even the score against the Celtics. The Lakers were the defending champions, having beaten the Orlando Magic 4–1 in the 2009 NBA Finals.
This was the first NBA Finals to go the full seven games since 2005, and only the fourth since the NBA switched the Finals to a 2–3–2 format in 1985. The home team has won Game 7 ever since. This was the fifth Game 7 between the Lakers and Celtics. Boston had won all previous Game 7 match-ups between the two teams. However, for the first time in franchise history, the Lakers won Game 7 against the Celtics, with a final score of 83–79. Game 7 was the second most-watched game in NBA history, with 28.2 million viewers (No. 1 being Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals). Game 7 was watched by an average audience of 1.1 million viewers on TSN, making it the largest Canadian audience ever recorded for an NBA game. This was also the first time since 2002 that a team has won back-to-back championships; that team was also the Lakers.