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1983–84 Boston Celtics season

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1983–84 Boston Celtics season
NBA champions
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coachK. C. Jones
General managerRed Auerbach
OwnersDon Gaston
Alan N. Cohen
Paul Dupee
ArenaBoston Garden
Hartford Civic Center
Results
Record62–20 (.756)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Atlantic)
Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finishNBA Champions
(Defeated Lakers 4–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionSportsChannel New England, WBZ, WTXX
RadioWRKO, WTIC
< 1982–83 1984–85 >

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. HoopsHype would later rank this squad as the team with the 15th easiest route to the NBA Finals championship in 2024, primarily due to the record of the Washington Bullets in the first round.[1]

Offseason

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NBA draft

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

Roster

[edit]
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
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Regular season

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Season standings

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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

[edit]
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

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Regular season

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1983–84 game log
Total: 62–20 (Home: 33–8; Road: 29–12)
October: 1–1 (home: 0–0; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 October 28 @ Detroit L 121–127 McHale (25) McHale (15) Henderson (6) Pontiac Silverdome
17,117 		0–1
2 October 29 @ 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 Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
3 November 2 Milwaukee W 119–105 Bird (27) Parish (16) Bird (6) Boston Garden
14,890 		2–1
4 November 4 Indiana W 121–105 Parish (34) Bird, Maxwell (9) Johnson (9) Boston Garden
14,890 		3–1
5 November 5 @ Washington W 120–117 Bird (28) Bird (8) Bird (9) Capital Centre
16,250 		4–1
6 November 8 @ Indiana W 99–97 Bird (26) Parish (11) Bird (7) Market Square Arena
14,935 		5–1
7 November 9 San Diego W 129–122 Bird (25) Bird (11) Bird (9) Boston Garden
14,890 		6–1
8 November 11 Detroit W 126–118 Bird (39) McHale, Parish (12) Maxwell (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		7–1
9 November 12 @ Chicago W 116–101 Johnson (23) Parish (13) Maxwell (5) Chicago Stadium
11,942 		8–1
10 November 15 @ Denver W 140–124 Bird (28) Parish (13) Bird (10) McNichols Sports Arena
13,908 		9–1
11 November 16 @ Utah L 109–122 Parish (25) Parish (17) Bird (8) Salt Palace Acord Arena
12,743 		9–2
12 November 18 New York L 103–110 Johnson (18) McHale (13) Bird (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		9–3
13 November 19 @ Philadelphia L 91–92 Bird (18) Parish (11) Bird, Johnson (5) The Spectrum
17,921 		9–4
14 November 22 @ New York L 113–117 (2OT) McHale (25) Parish (13) Bird (11) Madison Square Garden
16,921 		9–5
15 November 25 Atlanta W 109–102 Johnson (25) Parish (11) Bird (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		10–5
16 November 27 Detroit W 114–99 McHale (29) Parish (13) Bird (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		11–5
17 November 30 San Antonio W 130–106 Bird (23) Bird (14) Bird (13) Boston Garden
14,890 		12–5
December: 12–3 (home: 5–2; road: 7–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
18 December 2 Portland W 115–106 Bird (41) Bird (14) Johnson (11) Boston Garden
14,890 		12–6
19 December 4 Philadelphia L 114–121 (OT) Bird (22) Parish (13) Bird (13) Boston Garden
14,890 		13–6
20 December 6 @ Chicago W 118–105 Bird (24) McHale (14) Johnson (8) Chicago Stadium
7,627 		14–6
21 December 7 @ Indiana W 100–95 Parish (21) Parish (17) Bird (5) Market Square Arena
13,725 		15–6
22 December 9 Denver
(at Hartford, Connecticut) 		W 119–90 McHale (21) Parish (7) Johnson (8) Hartford Civic Center
13,374 		16–6
23 December 10 @ Atlanta W 104–87 Parish (24) Parish (15) Maxwell (6) The Omni
9,917 		17–6
24 December 13 @ New York W 102–100 Johnson (26) Parish (11) Henderson (5) Madison Square Garden
14,839 		18–6
25 December 14 Cleveland W 110–108 Parish (30) Parish (16) Henderson (6) Boston Garden
14,890 		19–6
26 December 16 Washington L 93–100 Bird (30) Bird (10) Ainge (6) Boston Garden
14,890 		19–7
27 December 17 @ Detroit W 129–115 McHale (30) McHale (16) Bird (9) Pontiac Silverdome
24,318 		20–7
28 December 21 Atlanta W 107–96 Bird, Maxwell, Parish (18) Parish (9) Bird (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		21–7
29 December 23 New Jersey W 125–113 Bird (26) Parish (9) Bird (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		22–7
30 December 27 @ San Antonio W 115–100 Bird (38) Parish (12) Bird (8) HemisFair Arena
13,112 		23–7
31 December 29 @ Houston L 94–107 Parish (28) Parish (19) Bird (4) The Summit
16,016 		23–8
32 December 30
8:35 p.m. EST 		@ Dallas W 114–109 (OT) Bird (36) Parish (14) Johnson (6) Reunion Arena
17,007 		24–8
January: 11–1 (home: 6–0; road: 5–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
33 January 3 @ New Jersey W 105–103 Parish (27) Parish (19) Bird (5) Brendan Byrne Arena
13,478 		25–8
34 January 4 Washington W 113–104 Bird (23) Bird (9) Johnson (5) Boston Garden
14,890 		26–8
35 January 6 Cleveland W 115–97 Bird (19) Bird (7) Henderson (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		27–8
36 January 11 Golden State W 135–112 Parish (33) Parish (14) Henderson (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		28–8
37 January 13 @ Philadelphia W 105–104 Bird (29) Bird (19) Bird (8) The Spectrum
17,921 		29–8
38 January 15 @ Milwaukee L 87–106 Ainge (18) Parish (9) Parish (4) MECCA Arena
11,052 		29–9
39 January 17 @ Kansas City W 122–113 Bird (38) Parish (14) Bird (13) Kemper Arena
11,478 		30–9
40 January 20 Indiana
(at Hartford, Connecticut) 		W 132–125 Bird (27) Parish (13) Maxwell (9) Hartford Civic Center
13,134 		31–9
41 January 22 Milwaukee W 109–98 Parish (22) Parish (15) Maxwell, Johnson (5) Boston Garden
14,890 		32–9
42 January 24 @ Cleveland W 118–97 Bird (24) Parish (9) Ainge (5) Richfield Coliseum
5,830 		33–9
43 January 25 Philadelphia W 102–98 Parish (24) Parish (13) Bird (7) Boston Garden
14,890 		34–9
All-Star Break
44 January 31 @ Chicago W 106–83 Bird (28) Bird, Parish (12) Henderson, Buckner (5) Chicago Stadium
9,430 		35–9
February: 8–6 (home: 4–3; road: 4–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
45 February 1 Kansas City W 119–110 Bird (32) Parish (10) Bird (7) Boston Garden
14,890 		36–9
46 February 3 Indiana W 125–106 Bird (27) Bird (12) Bird (9) Boston Garden
14,890 		37–9
47 February 5 Detroit W 137–134 (OT) Parish (36) Bird (19) Ainge (7) Boston Garden
14,890 		38–9
48 February 6 @ New Jersey L 112–115 Bird (23) Bird (12) Henderson (7) Brendan Byrne Arena
14,808 		38–10
49 February 8
8:00 p.m. EST 		Los Angeles L 109–111 Bird (29) Bird, Parish (11) Bird (7) Boston Garden
14,890 		38–11
50 February 10 Houston W 114–101 McHale (30) Bird (14) Bird (12) Boston Garden
14,890 		39–11
51 February 12 Philadelphia L 91–109 Bird (25) Parish (13) Ainge (5) Boston Garden
14,890 		39–12
52 February 16 @ Golden State W 125–115 Parish (28) Parish (14) Bird (17) Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena
13,335 		40–12
53 February 17 @ Seattle W 111–100 Bird (30) Bird (13) Bird (13) Kingdome
19,468 		41–12
54 February 19 @ Portland W 107–101 Bird (34) Bird (18) Bird (9) Memorial Coliseum
12,666 		42–12
55 February 22 @ San Diego L 107–114 Bird (24) Maxwell (8) Henderson (8) San Diego Sports Arena
11,718 		42–13
56 February 24
10:30 p.m. EST 		@ Los Angeles L 108–116 McHale (26) Parish (12) Bird (5) The Forum
17,505 		42–14
57 February 26 @ Phoenix W 116–109 Bird (23) Bird (13) Buckner (5) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,660 		43–14
58 February 29 New York L 98–102 Bird (30) Parish (16) Bird (6) Boston Garden
14,890 		43–15
March: 13–4 (home: 7–2; road: 6–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
59 March 2 Chicago
(at Hartford, Connecticut) 		W 104–100 Bird (28) Bird (12) Johnson (7) Hartford Civic Center
14,529 		44–15
60 March 4 Seattle W 117–93 McHale (21) McHale (12) Bird (6) Boston Garden
14,890 		45–15
61 March 6 @ Washington W 108–85 Parish (26) McHale (12) Buckner (6) Capital Centre
11,216 		46–15
62 March 7 Utah W 117–106 Bird (26) Bird (14) Bird (9) Boston Garden
14,890 		47–15
63 March 9 @ Milwaukee W 129–128 (2OT) Bird (30) McHale (10) Bird (12) MECCA Arena
11,052 		48–15
64 March 11 Phoenix W 117–109 Parish (33) Parish (12) Bird (10) Boston Garden
14,890 		49–15
65 March 14 Washington L 99–103 Bird (27) Parish (9) Bird, Henderson (6) Boston Garden
14,890 		49–16
66 March 16 Milwaukee W 109–99 Bird (28) Bird (12) Bird, Johnson (5) Boston Garden
14,890 		50–16
67 March 17 @ Atlanta W 103–88 Parish (22) Parish (13) Parish (6) The Omni
12,172 		51–16
68 March 20 @ Indiana L 121–123 (OT) Bird (25) McHale (14) Bird (8) Market Square Arena
16,969 		51–17
69 March 22 @ New York W 108–100 Johnson, Bird, McHale (23) Bird (9) Bird (11) Madison Square Garden
19,591 		52–17
70 March 23 New Jersey L 97–101 Bird (33) Bird (13) Bird (4) Boston Garden
14,890 		52–18
71 March 25 @ Philadelphia L 114–119 (2OT) Bird (33) Bird (17) Bird, Johnson, Henderson (6) The Spectrum
17,921 		52–19
72 March 27 @ Washington W 106–93 Johnson (24) Parish (13) Bird (13) Capital Centre
11,355 		53–19
73 March 28
7:30 p.m. EST 		Dallas W 114–107 Bird (23) Bird,
McHale (9) 		Henderson (10) Boston Garden
14,890 		54–19
74 March 30 Atlanta W 105–96 Bird (19) Bird (11) Bird (7) Boston Garden
14,890 		55–19
75 March 31 @ New Jersey W 107–98 Parish (30) Parish (13) Buckner (6) Brendan Byrne Arena
17,034 		56–19
April: 6–1 (home: 4–0; road: 2–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
76 April 3 @ Cleveland W 98–86 Bird (29) Parish (15) Bird (6) Richfield Coliseum
7,094 		57–19
77 April 6 Cleveland W 113–94 Bird (33) Parish (14) Buckner (11) Boston Garden
14,890 		58–19
78 April 8 Chicago W 117–110 Bird (30) Bird, Parish (10) Bird (10) Boston Garden
14,890 		59–19
79 April 10 @ Milwaukee W 96–95 Parish (22) Parish (9) Johnson (8) MECCA Arena
10,795 		60–19
80 April 11 New York W 102–96 Bird (23) Bird (11) Bird, Johnson (6) Boston Garden
14,890 		61–19
81 April 13 @ Detroit L 120–128 (OT) McHale (32) Bird (20) Johnson (8) Pontiac Silverdome
30,091 		61–20
82 April 15 New Jersey W 118–111 Henderson, Johnson (18) Kite (10) Bird (7) Boston Garden
14,890 		62–20
1983–84 schedule

Playoffs

[edit]
Main articles: 1984 NBA playoffs and 1984 NBA Finals
1984 playoff game log
Total: 15–8 (home: 12–1; road: 3–7)
Eastern Conference 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
Eastern Conference Semifinals: 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
Eastern 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
1:00 p.m. EDT 		Los Angeles L 109–115 McHale (25) Bird (14) Bird (5) Boston Garden
14,890 		0–1
2 May 31
9:00 p.m. EDT 		Los Angeles W 124–121 (OT) Bird (27) Bird (13) Ainge,
Henderson (5) 		Boston Garden
14,890 		1–1
3 June 3
3:30 p.m. EDT 		@ Los Angeles L 104–137 Bird (30) Parish (12) Maxwell (5) The Forum
17,505 		1–2
4 June 6
9:00 p.m. EDT 		@ Los Angeles W 129–125 (OT) Bird (29) Bird (21) Johnson (14) The Forum
17,505 		2–2
5 June 8
9:00 p.m. EDT 		Los Angeles W 121–103 Bird (34) Bird (17) Henderson (9) Boston Garden
14,890 		3–2
6 June 10
3:30 p.m. EDT 		@ Los Angeles L 108–119 Bird (28) Bird (14) Bird (8) The Forum
17,505 		3–3
7 June 12
9:00 p.m. EDT 		Los Angeles W 111–102 Maxwell (24) Parish (16) Maxwell (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		4–3
1984 schedule

Player stats

[edit]

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

[edit]

Game One

[edit]

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

Game Two

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

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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

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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

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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

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  • 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

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  1. ^ "Ranking the easiest paths to an NBA title ever". June 18, 2024.
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