{"id":1565093,"date":"2023-05-16T10:42:38","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T14:42:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1565093"},"modified":"2023-05-16T10:42:39","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T14:42:39","slug":"who-was-better-the-1986-boston-celtics-or-the-1987-los-angeles-lakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/who-was-better-the-1986-boston-celtics-or-the-1987-los-angeles-lakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Was Better: The 1986 Boston Celtics or the 1987 Los Angeles Lakers?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Could we be on course<\/a> for another Boston Celtics<\/a> vs. Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> Finals matchup? Both are in the NBA's version of the Final Four as we make our way through the final rounds of the 2022-23 NBA season. Celtics vs. Lakers in the 2023 NBA Finals would surely stir up some memories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two iconic franchises are tied for the most NBA championships with 17. They haven't faced each other in the championship round since 2010, but their battles in the 1980s, led by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, were epic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers dominated the 1980s<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Who
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers guards Kevin McHale of the Boston Celtics during the 1985 NBA Basketball Finals at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. | Focus on Sport\/Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson didn't waste any time when they made their NBA debuts in the 1979-80 season. After an epic 1979 NCAA championship meeting<\/a> between the two stars, they carried their personal rivalry into the NBA, Bird heading east to the Celtics and Magic going west to LA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their first year in the league, Bird captured Rookie of the Year,<\/a> while Magic guided the Lakers to a championship. Bird took a 29-win team and turned it into a 61-win season in Boston. Johnson was named MVP of the 1980 NBA Finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In every year of the decade, either the Celtics or Lakers played in the NBA Finals. The Celtics and Lakers squared off against each other three times. In 1984, the Lakers outplayed the Celtics for much of the early part of the series, but the Celtics bounced back to win in seven games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lakers got revenge the following season when they met again. LA won in six games and became the first visiting team to celebrate a championship on Bostoin's home court. In 1987, they squared off again, with the Lakers outlasting the Celtics in six games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all, the Celtics captured three championships in the 1980s and went to the NBA Finals four straight times between 1984 and 1987. The Lakers won five titles during the 1980s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Were the '86 Celtics better than the '87 Lakers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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