1983–84 Boston Celtics season

1983–84 Boston Celtics season
NBA champions
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coach	K. C. Jones
General manager	Red Auerbach
Owners	Don Gaston Alan N. Cohen Paul Dupee
Arena	Boston Garden Hartford Civic Center
Results
Record	62–20 (.756)
Place	Division: 1st (Atlantic) Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finish	NBA Champions (Defeated Lakers 4–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	SportsChannel New England, WBZ, WTXX
Radio	WRKO, WTIC

The 1983–84 Boston Celtics were champions of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the 15th time in franchise history, led by regular season and finals MVP Larry Bird.

In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in the First Round in three games, defeated the New York Knicks in the Semi-finals in seven games, and defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in the Conference Finals in five games, advancing to the NBA Finals. In the Finals, the Celtics faced their long time rival, the Los Angeles Lakers, the first time the two teams faced off against each other since 1969 in which the Celtics won 4–3, and the first time the two teams met in the Finals in the 1980s. The Celtics would go on to defeat the Lakers in seven games, winning their fifteenth NBA championship, and extending their NBA Finals victories over the Lakers to 8.

Offseason

NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	21	Greg Kite	Center	United States	BYU

Roster

Boston Celtics roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From G 44 Ainge, Danny 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) BYU F 33 Bird, Larry 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Indiana State G 28 Buckner, Quinn 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Indiana F 30 Carr, M. L. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Guilford G 40 Clark, Carlos 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Mississippi G 43 Henderson, Gerald 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) VCU G 3 Johnson, Dennis 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Pepperdine C 50 Kite, Greg 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) BYU F 31 Maxwell, Cedric 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Charlotte F 32 McHale, Kevin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Minnesota C 00 Parish, Robert 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Centenary F 8 Wedman, Scott 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Colorado

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

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Boston Celtics	62	20	.756	–	33–8	29–12	13–11
x-Philadelphia 76ers	52	30	.634	10	32–9	20–21	15–9
x-New York Knicks	47	35	.573	15	29–12	18–23	12–12
x-New Jersey Nets	45	37	.549	17	29–12	16–25	12–12
x-Washington Bullets	35	47	.427	27	25–16	10–31	8–16

#	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

z – clinched division title

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

1983-84 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	KCK	LAL	MIL	NJN	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SAS	SDC	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	–	0–5	4–2	3–3	1–1	0–2	2–4	1–1	1–1	4–2	0–2	0–2	3–3	3–3	4–1	5–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–2
Boston	5–0	–	5–0	6–0	2–0	2–0	4–2	2–0	1–1	5–1	2–0	0–2	5–1	4–2	3–3	2–4	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–2
Chicago	2–4	0–5	–	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–5	2–0	0–2	3–3	1–1	0–2	2–4	2–4	2–4	2–3	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–4
Cleveland	3–3	0–6	4–2	–	1–1	0–2	1–5	1–1	1–1	2–4	0–2	0–2	1–5	2–3	1–5	2–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–1
Dallas	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	–	4–2	0–2	4–1	4–2	2–0	3–3	3–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–2	2–3	4–2	4–1	1–4	4–2	0–2
Denver	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–4	–	1–1	2–3	4–2	0–2	4–2	1–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–3	1–4	3–3	3–2	2–3	3–3	0–2
Detroit	4–2	2–4	5–1	5–1	2–0	1–1	–	1–1	1–1	4–2	1–1	1–1	3–2	1–4	4–2	3–3	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–3
Golden State	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–4	3–2	1–1	–	2–3	2–0	4–1	3–3	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–5	2–4	3–2	3–3	4–2	1–4	2–0
Houston	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–4	2–4	1–1	3–2	–	1–1	2–4	1–4	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–3	1–4	2–4	2–3	3–2	1–5	0–2
Indiana	2–4	1–5	3–3	4–2	0–2	2–0	2–4	0–2	1–1	–	0–2	1–1	1–5	1–5	2–4	0–5	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–4
Kansas City	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	3–3	2–4	1–1	1–4	4–2	2–0	–	0–5	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–3	2–3	5–1	3–2	1–4	3–3	2–0
Los Angeles	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–3	4–1	1–1	3–3	4–1	1–1	5–0	–	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–3	5–1	2–3	4–2	3–3	4–1	1–1
Milwaukee	3–3	1–5	4–2	5–1	2–0	1–1	2–3	2–0	1–1	5–1	2–0	0–2	–	4–2	4–1	2–4	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	5–1
New Jersey	3–3	2–4	4–2	3–2	1–1	1–1	4–1	1–1	2–0	5–1	0–2	1–1	2–4	–	3–3	3–3	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–2
New York	1–4	3–3	4–1	5–1	2–0	1–1	2–4	1–1	2–0	4–2	2–0	2–0	1–4	3–3	–	2–4	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	4–2
Philadelphia	1–5	4–2	3–2	4–2	1–1	1–1	3–3	1–1	2–0	5–0	2–0	1–1	4–2	3–3	4–2	–	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	4–2
Phoenix	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–3	3–2	0–2	5–1	3–2	1–1	3–2	3–3	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	–	2–4	5–0	4–2	2–4	1–4	2–0
Portland	2–0	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–2	4–1	1–1	4–2	4–1	1–1	3–2	1–5	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	4–2	–	4–1	4–2	4–2	1–4	1–1
San Antonio	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	2–4	3–3	1–1	2–3	4–2	2–0	1–5	3–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–5	1–4	–	4–1	2–3	4–2	1–1
San Diego	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–4	2–3	0–2	3–3	3–2	1–1	2–3	2–4	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–4	2–4	1–4	–	3–3	2–3	1–1
Seattle	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	4–1	3–2	1–1	2–4	2–3	1–1	4–1	3–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–2	2–4	3–2	3–3	–	1–4	1–1
Utah	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–4	3–3	1–1	4–1	5–1	1–1	3–3	1–4	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	4–1	4–1	2–4	3–2	4–1	–	1–1
Washington	2–4	2–4	4–2	1–4	2–0	2–0	3–3	0–2	2–0	4–1	0–2	1–1	1–5	2–4	2–4	2–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	—

Game log

Regular season

1983–84 game log: 62–20 (Home: 33–8; Road: 29–12)
October: 1–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 1–1) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 28, 1983 7:35 pm EDT @ Detroit L 121–127 McHale (25) McHale (10) Henderson (6) Pontiac Silverdome 17,117 0–1 2 October 29, 1983 8:05 pm EDT @ Cleveland W 108–89 McHale (22) Bird (13) Bird (7) Richfield Coliseum 8,194 1–1
November: 11–4 (Home: 7–1; Road: 4–3) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 3 November 2, 1983 Milwaukee W 119–105 Boston Garden 2–1 4 November 4, 1983 Indiana W 121–105 Boston Garden 3–1 5 November 5, 1983 @ Washington W 120–117 Capital Centre 4–1 6 November 8, 1983 @ Indiana W 99–97 Market Square Arena 5–1 7 November 9, 1983 San Diego W 129–122 Boston Garden 6–1 8 November 11, 1983 7:30 pm EST Detroit W 126–118 Bird (39) McHale, Parish (12) Maxwell (8) Boston Garden 14,890 7–1 9 November 12, 1983 @ Chicago W 116–101 Chicago Stadium 8–1 10 November 15, 1983 @ Denver W 140–124 McNichols Sports Arena 9–1 11 November 16, 1983 @ Utah L 109–122 Salt Palace 9–2 12 November 18, 1983 New York L 103–110 Boston Garden 9–3 13 November 19, 1983 @ Philadelphia L 91–92 The Spectrum 9–4 14 November 22, 1983 @ New York L 113–117 (2OT) Madison Square Garden 9–5 15 November 25, 1983 Atlanta W 109–102 Boston Garden 10–5 16 November 27, 1983 7:30 pm EST Detroit W 114–99 McHale (29) Parish (13) Bird (8) Boston Garden 14,890 11–5 17 November 30, 1983 San Antonio W 130–106 Boston Garden 12–5
December: 12–3 (Home: 5–2; Road: 7–1) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 18 December 2, 1983 Portland W 115–106 Boston Garden 12–6 19 December 4, 1983 Philadelphia L 114–121 (OT) Boston Garden 13–6 20 December 6, 1983 @ Chicago W 118–105 Chicago Stadium 14–6 21 December 7, 1983 @ Indiana W 100–95 Market Square Arena 15–6 22 December 9, 1983 Denver W 119–90 Boston Garden 16–6 23 December 10, 1983 @ Atlanta W 104–87 The Omni 17–6 24 December 13, 1983 @ New York W 102–100 Madison Square Garden 18–6 25 December 14, 1983 7:30 pm EST Cleveland W 110–108 Parish (30) Parish (16) Henderson (6) Boston Garden 14,890 19–6 26 December 16, 1983 Washington L 93–100 Boston Garden 19–7 27 December 17, 1983 7:35 pm EST @ Detroit W 129–115 McHale (30) McHale (16) Bird (9) Pontiac Silverdome<be>24,318 20–7 28 December 21, 1983 Atlanta W 107–96 Boston Garden 21–7 29 December 23, 1983 New Jersey W 125–113 Boston Garden 22–7 30 December 27, 1983 @ San Antonio W 115–100 HemisFair Arena 23–7 31 December 29, 1983 @ Houston L 94–107 The Summit 23–8 32 December 30, 1983 @ Dallas W 114–109 (OT) Reunion Arena 24–8
January: 11–1 (Home: 6–0; Road: 5–1) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 33 January 3, 1984 @ New Jersey W 105–103 Brendan Byrne Arena 25–8 34 January 4, 1984 Washington W 113–104 Boston Garden 26–8 35 January 6, 1984 7:30 pm EST Cleveland W 115–97 Bird (19) Bird (7) Henderson (8) Boston Garden 14,890 27–8 36 January 11, 1984 Golden State W 135–112 Boston Garden 28–8 37 January 13, 1984 @ Philadelphia W 105–104 The Spectrum 29–8 38 January 15, 1984 @ Milwaukee L 87–106 MECCA Arena 29–9 39 January 17, 1984 @ Kansas City W 122–113 Kemper Arena 30–9 40 January 20, 1984 Indiana W 132–125 Boston Garden 31–9 41 January 22, 1984 Milwaukee W 109–98 Boston Garden 32–9 42 January 24, 1984 7:35 pm EST @ Cleveland W 118–97 Bird (24) Parish (9) Ainge (5) Richfield Coliseum 5,830 33–9 43 January 25, 1984 Philadelphia W 102–98 Boston Garden 34–9 44 January 31, 1984 @ Chicago W 106–83 Chicago Stadium 35–9
February: 8–6 (Home: 4–3; Road: 4–3) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 45 February 1, 1984 Kansas City W 119–110 Boston Garden 36–9 46 February 3, 1984 Indiana W 125–106 Boston Garden 37–9 47 February 5, 1984 1:00 pm EST Detroit W 137–134 (OT) McHale (33) Bird (19) Ainge (7) Boston Garden 14,890 38–9 48 February 6, 1984 @ New Jersey L 112–115 Brendan Byrne Arena 38–10 49 February 8, 1984 Los Angeles L 109–111 Boston Garden 38–11 50 February 10, 1984 Houston W 114–101 Boston Garden 39–11 51 February 12, 1984 Philadelphia L 91–109 Boston Garden 39–12 52 February 16, 1984 @ Golden State W 125–115 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 40–12 53 February 17, 1984 @ Seattle W 111–100 Kingdome 41–12 54 February 19, 1984 @ Portland W 107–101 Memorial Coliseum 42–12 55 February 22, 1984 @ San Diego L 107–114 San Diego Sports Arena 42–13 56 February 24, 1984 @ Los Angeles L 108–116 The Forum 42–14 57 February 26, 1984 @ Phoenix W 116–109 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 43–14 58 February 29, 1984 New York L 98–102 Boston Garden 43–15
March: 13–4 (Home: 7–2; Road: 6–2) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 59 March 2, 1984 Chicago W 104–100 Boston Garden 44–15 60 March 4, 1984 Seattle W 117–93 Boston Garden 45–15 61 March 6, 1984 @ Washington W 108–86 Capital Centre 46–15 62 March 7, 1984 Utah W 117–106 Boston Garden 47–15 63 March 9, 1984 @ Milwaukee W 129–128 (2OT) MECCA Arena 48–15 64 March 11, 1984 Phoenix W 117–109 Boston Garden 49–15 65 March 14, 1984 Washington L 99–103 Boston Garden 49–16 66 March 16, 1984 Milwaukee W 109–99 Boston Garden 50–16 67 March 17, 1984 @ Atlanta W 103–88 The Omni 51–16 68 March 20, 1984 @ Indiana L 121–123 (OT) Market Square Arena 51–17 69 March 22, 1984 @ New York W 108–100 Madison Square Garden 52–17 70 March 23, 1984 New Jersey L 97–101 Boston Garden 52–18 71 March 25, 1984 @ Philadelphia L 114–119 (2OT) The Spectrum 52–19 72 March 27, 1984 @ Washington W 106–93 Capital Centre 53–19 73 March 28, 1984 Dallas W 114–107 Boston Garden 54–19 74 March 30, 1984 Atlanta W 105–96 Boston Garden 55–19 75 March 31, 1984 @ New Jersey W 107–98 Brendan Byrne Arena 56–19
April: 6–1 (Home: 4–0; Road: 2–1) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 76 April 3, 1984 7:35 pm EST @ Cleveland W 98–86 Bird (29) Parish (15) Bird (6) Richfield Coliseum 7,094 57–19 77 April 6, 1984 7:30 pm EST Cleveland W 113–94 Bird (33) Parish (14) Buckner (11) Boston Garden 14,890 58–19 78 April 8, 1984 Chicago W 117–110 Boston Garden 59–19 79 April 10, 1984 @ Milwaukee W 96–95 MECCA Arena 60–19 80 April 11, 1984 New York W 102–96 Boston Garden 61–19 81 April 13, 1984 7:35 pm EST @ Detroit L 120–128 (OT) McHale (32) Bird (20) Johnson (8) Pontiac Silverdome 30,091 61–20 82 April 15, 1984 New Jersey W 118–111 Boston Garden 62–20
1984 regular season schedule

Playoffs

1984 playoff game log
First round: 3–1 (home: 2–0; road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 17 Washington W 91–83 Larry Bird (23) Robert Parish (14) Larry Bird (12) Boston Garden 14,890 1–0 2 April 19 Washington W 88–85 Larry Bird (23) Larry Bird (12) Larry Bird (6) Boston Garden 14,890 2–0 3 April 21 @ Washington L 108–111 (OT) Larry Bird (27) Robert Parish (16) Bird, Johnson (6) Capital Centre 8,359 2–1 4 April 24 @ Washington W 99–96 Robert Parish (20) Robert Parish (12) Larry Bird (7) Capital Centre 13,853 3–1
Conference Semi-finals: 4–3 (home: 4–0; road: 0–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 29 New York W 110–92 Kevin McHale (25) Robert Parish (12) Larry Bird (12) Boston Garden 14,890 1–0 2 May 2 New York W 116–102 Larry Bird (37) Bird, Parish (11) Dennis Johnson (7) Boston Garden 14,890 2–0 3 May 4 @ New York L 92–100 Larry Bird (24) Larry Bird (11) Dennis Johnson (4) Madison Square Garden 19,591 2–1 4 May 6 @ New York L 113–118 Larry Bird (29) Larry Bird (11) Dennis Johnson (7) Madison Square Garden 15,840 2–2 5 May 9 New York W 121–99 Larry Bird (26) Robert Parish (10) Larry Bird (10) Boston Garden 14,890 3–2 6 May 11 @ New York L 104–106 Larry Bird (35) Larry Bird (11) Gerald Henderson (8) Madison Square Garden 19,591 3–3 7 May 13 New York W 121–104 Larry Bird (39) Larry Bird (12) Larry Bird (10) Boston Garden 14,890 4–3
Conference Finals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 15 Milwaukee W 119–96 Larry Bird (24) Kevin McHale (7) Gerald Henderson (7) Boston Garden 14,890 1–0 2 May 17 Milwaukee W 125–110 Larry Bird (32) Larry Bird (13) Larry Bird (7) Boston Garden 14,890 2–0 3 May 19 @ Milwaukee W 109–100 Larry Bird (28) Robert Parish (16) Larry Bird (6) MECCA Arena 11,052 3–0 4 May 21 @ Milwaukee L 113–122 Larry Bird (32) Larry Bird (10) Larry Bird (8) MECCA Arena 11,052 3–1 5 May 23 Milwaukee W 115–108 Larry Bird (21) Larry Bird (13) Bird, Maxwell (4) Boston Garden 14,890 4–1
NBA Finals: 4–3 (home: 3–1; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 27 Los Angeles L 109–115 Kevin McHale (25) Larry Bird (14) Larry Bird (5) Boston Garden 14,890 0–1 2 May 31 Los Angeles W 124–121 (OT) Larry Bird (27) Larry Bird (13) Ainge, Henderson (5) Boston Garden 14,890 1–1 3 June 3 @ Los Angeles L 104–137 Larry Bird (30) Robert Parish (12) Cedric Maxwell (5) The Forum 17,505 1–2 4 June 6 @ Los Angeles W 129–125 (OT) Larry Bird (29) Larry Bird (21) Dennis Johnson (14) The Forum 17,505 2–2 5 June 8 Los Angeles W 121–103 Larry Bird (34) Larry Bird (17) Gerald Henderson (9) Boston Garden 14,890 3–2 6 June 10 @ Los Angeles L 108–119 Larry Bird (28) Larry Bird (14) Larry Bird (8) The Forum 17,505 3–3 7 June 12 Los Angeles W 111–102 Cedric Maxwell (24) Robert Parish (16) Cedric Maxwell (8) Boston Garden 14,890 4–3
1984 schedule

Player stats

Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Scoring Average

Player	GP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	AVG
Larry Bird	79	796	520	144	69	1908	24.2
Robert Parish	80	857	139	55	116	1520	19.0
Kevin McHale	82	610	104	23	126	1511	18.4
Dennis Johnson	80	280	338	93	57	1053	13.2
Cedric Maxwell	80	461	205	63	24	955	11.9
Gerald Henderson	78	147	300	117	14	908	11.6
Danny Ainge	71	116	162	41	4	384	5.4
Scott Wedman	68	139	67	27	7	327	4.8
Quinn Buckner	79	137	214	84	3	324	4.1
M.L. Carr	60	75	49	17	4	185	3.1
Greg Kite	35	62	7	1	5	65	1.9
Carlos Clark	31	17	17	8	1	54	1.7

NBA Finals

Game One

The Lakers opened the series with a 115-109 victory at Boston Garden.

Game Two

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 and the Celtics eventually prevailed in overtime 124-121.

Game Three

In Game 3, the Lakers raced to an easy 137-104 victory as Magic Johnson dished out 21 assists. After the game, Larry Bird said his team played like "sissies" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates.

Game Four

In Game 4, the Lakers had a five-point lead with less than a minute to play, but made several execution errors as the Celtics tied the game and then came away with a 129-125 victory in overtime. The game was also marked by Celtic forward Kevin McHale's takedown of Laker forward Kurt Rambis on a breakaway layup which triggered the physical aspect of the rivalry. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would go after Larry Bird 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 Five

In Game 5, the Celtics took a 3-2 series lead as Larry Bird scored 34 points. The game was known as the "Heat Game", as it was played under 97-degree 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 oxygen tanks were provided to give air to exhausted players.

Game Six

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 Seven

In Game 7, the heat that was an issue in Game 5 was not so bad (indoor temperatures hovered around 91 degrees 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 from 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.

Award winners

• Larry Bird, NBA Free Throw Percentage Leader (88.8%)
• Larry Bird, NBA Most Valuable Player
• Larry Bird, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player
• Larry Bird, All-NBA First Team
• Kevin McHale, Sixth Man of the Year Award

References

• Celtics on Database Basketball
• Celtics on Basketball Reference