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The 1984 NBA Finals, also known as Showdown '84, was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1983–84 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs.^[1] The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in a seven-game Finals, winning Game 7 111–102. Celtics forward Larry Bird averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). Bird was also named the league's regular season MVP for that year.

This series was the long-awaited 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 the Lakers won Game 1, a crucial steal in Game 2 led to a tie game and the Celtics were able to win in overtime to tie the series. The Lakers won Game 3 easily and almost won Game 4, but were again thwarted. Now tied 2-2, the Lakers and Celtics each held serve at their home court to send the series to Boston for Game 7. Game 5 was a classic, with Bird coming up with a huge game in one of the (literally) hottest games ever (97 °F (36 °C)) in the non-air conditioned Boston Garden. Game 7 was also contested in hot temperatures that hovered around 91 °F (33 °C). The score was close but the contest eventually went to the Celtics. Cedric Maxwell scored 24 points against the Los Angeles Lakers in the decisive Game 7 victory.

Los Angeles won all three games played on Sunday afternoons. Boston won the games played on Tuesday night, Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday night.

The Series schedule was an odd schedule, due entirely to the whims of television. Game One was played on a Sunday afternoon in Boston, about 36 hours after the Lakers had eliminated the Phoenix Suns in the Western Finals. The teams then had three plus days off, not playing until Thursday night. Then, after Game 3 on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, the teams had two plus days off, not playing again until Wednesday night. That in turn started a wearying back-and-forth across the country ... Wednesday night at LA, Friday night at Boston, Sunday afternoon at LA, and Tuesday night at Boston ... to end the series.

The following year, the Finals format switched to 2-3-2, where Games 1, 2, 6, and 7 were hosted by the team with the best record. The change in format came after Red Auerbach complained about the constant travelling during the finals. The 2-2-1-1-1 format would return for the 2014 NBA Finals.

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

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 backcourt defense.

In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated

Los Angeles Lakers

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

Regular season series

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

Series summary

Game 1

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

Game 2

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. Worthy was in the game because starting forward Jamaal Wilkes was out of the series with an injury. The Lakers then inbounded the ball and Magic Johnson inexplicably dribbled the clock out during regulation time. The Celtics eventually prevailed in overtime 124-121, thanks to Scott Wedman's game-winning shot from the baseline with 14 ticks left.

Game 3

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

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 4th quarter 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 foul 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 with less than a minute 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 takedown 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

In Game 5, the Celtics took a 3-2 series lead with a 121-103 victory, as Larry Bird scored 34 points. 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.^[2] 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

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

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

Boston Celtics

Los Angeles Lakers

Team rosters

Boston Celtics

1984 Boston Celtics Finals roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. DOB From G/F 7001440000000000000♠44 Ainge, Danny 7000193040000000000♠6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1959–03–17 BYU F 7001330000000000000♠33 Bird, Larry (C) 7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1956–12–07 Indiana State G 7001280000000000000♠28 Buckner, Quinn 7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1954–08–20 Indiana G/F 7001300000000000000♠30 Carr, M.L. 7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1951–01–09 Guilford G 7001400000000000000♠40 Clark, Carlos 7000193040000000000♠6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1960–08–10 Mississippi G 7001430000000000000♠43 Henderson, Gerald 7000187960000000000♠6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1956–01–16 Virginia Commonwealth G 7000300000000000000♠3 Johnson, Dennis 7000193040000000000♠6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 1954–09–18 Pepperdine C 7001500000000000000♠50 Kite, Greg 7000210820000000000♠6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1961–08–05 BYU F 7001310000000000000♠31 Maxwell, Cedric 7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1955–11–21 Charlotte F/C 7001320000000000000♠32 McHale, Kevin 7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1957–12–19 Minnesota C 5000000000000000000♠00 Parish, Robert 7000213360000000000♠7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1953–08–30 Centenary G/F 7000800000000000000♠8 Wedman, Scott 7000200659999999999♠6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1952–07–29 Colorado	Head coach K.C. Jones (San Francisco) Assistant coach(es) Jimmy Rodgers (Ohio State) Chris Ford (Villanova) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Los Angeles Lakers

1984 Los Angeles Lakers Finals roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. DOB From C 7001330000000000000♠33 Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem 7000218440000000000♠7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1947–04–16 UCLA G 7001210000000000000♠21 Cooper, Michael 7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1956–04–15 New Mexico F 5000000000000000000♠0 Garrett, Calvin 7000200659999999999♠6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1956–07–11 Oral Roberts G 7001320000000000000♠32 Johnson, Magic 7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1959–08–14 Michigan State G 7001150000000000000♠15 Jordan, Eddie 7000185420000000000♠6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1955–01–29 Rutgers F 7001250000000000000♠25 Kupchak, Mitch 7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1954–05–24 North Carolina C 7001110000000000000♠11 McAdoo, Bob 7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1951–09–25 North Carolina F 7001400000000000000♠40 McGee, Mike 7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1959–07–29 Michigan C 7001410000000000000♠41 Nater, Swen 7000210820000000000♠6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1950–01–14 UCLA F 7001310000000000000♠31 Rambis, Kurt 7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 213 lb (97 kg) 1958–02–25 Santa Clara G 7000400000000000000♠4 Scott, Byron 7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1961–03–28 Arizona State F 7001350000000000000♠35 Spriggs, Larry 7000200659999999999♠6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1959–09–08 Howard F 7001520000000000000♠52 Wilkes, Jamaal 7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1953–05–02 UCLA F 7001420000000000000♠42 Worthy, James 7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1961–02–27 North Carolina	Head coach Pat Riley (Kentucky) Assistant coach(es) Bill Bertka (Kent State) Dave Wohl (Pennsylvania) Legend (C) Team captain (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. During that year Lesley Visser, Stockton's wife, became the first woman to cover the NBA Finals for CBS. She reported on the Celtics' sideline while Pat O'Brien reported on the Lakers' sideline.

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."^[3] Both teams would make it back to the Finals in 1985. The Lakers were much-improved heading into the Finals, winning 62 games, but had to cede home-court advantage due to the Celtics' 63-win season. The series started using the 2-3-2 format that was in effect until the NBA went back to a 2-2-1-1-1 format for the 2014 NBA Finals, with Games 1, 2, 6, and 7 held on the home court of the team with the better record. The Lakers finally exorcised its ghosts, beating the Celtics in six games, and more appropriately, won the title on the parquet floor of the Boston Garden. The Lakers' win marked the only time a visiting team won the title at the Garden.

See also

• 1984 NBA Playoffs

References

External links

• NBA History


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