Considered one of the greatest rivalries in sports, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers dominated the NBA throughout the 1980s. Many point to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson for reviving the league and laying the foundation for the heights its reached in the decades since.
With Bird and Johnson among the Hall-of-Fame talent played for either team, there are countless memories and heartbreak between the Celtics and Lakers, particularly in NBA Finals history. That applies to separate dates on this day in Lakers history.
The first came when the Lakers defeated the Celtics in Game 6 of the 1985 NBA Finals.