Now THIS is truly great basketball, by the two greatest franchises of all time. None of this current day, shooting 40-50 three pointers by one team. This was truly intellectual basketball at it's finest. Either of these teams would absolutely dominate the league in this era. My dream match-up of all time would be the 1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers, vs. the 1985-86 Boston Celtics. I think it would be the 86 Celtics in 7. The difference is a healthy Bill Walton and Scott Wedman as back-ups to the original Big 3, Bird, McHale and Parish. With those 5 guys patrolling the frontline, it's almost not even fair. The other difference is the best home court advantage of all time. These 86 Celtics were a total of 50-1 at home, and that includes those three bogus "home" games per year, in the Hartford Civic Center. I simply can not comprehend how the present day Boston Celtics are so very good, but lose so many inexcusable home games, many times to just flat out bad teams.
John Madden in football is also legend. Basketball has a high pace so it is more challenging to call the game and chick hearn was awesome at it. One could say he is the Magic Johnson of broadcasting g o a t for entertainment. MJ might be better but Larry and Magic more entertaining and IQ skilled
@@hart63 Different roles, though. Madden was a commentator, while Chick Hearn was a play by play announcer. As a diehard Boston Celtics fan, I fully admit that Chick Hearn is the greatest announcer ever. I didn't even like Johnny Most, I much preferred the TV telecast with Mike Gorman on play by play, and Heinson as commentator. Vin Scully is the best baseball announcer ever. Bob Costas is great at it too. In football, my favorite was in the 80s and 90s, MNF. Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf and Frank Gifford. Summerall and Madden are right there too. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are terrible. They will put you to sleep.
very late reply, but you are so right! Lakers felt they gifted BOS the 84 title, and couldn't wait to get at the Celtics again... this was the next game they played after G7 of the 84 finals... and McHale wins it on a last second shot... that REALLY pissed them off... they ended up beating the Celtics in LA in Feb of 85, setting the stage for a finals rematch. In the 85 finals, BOS beat LA in game one, 148-114 ("Boston Masacre"). Lakers went on to win 4 of the next five to beat BOS for the first time in NBA finals history after losing their first 8 finals meetings. Kareem led the way in game 2 (after a terrible game 1) with 30 pts 17 reb, and ended up winning finals MVP in 85 (fourteen years after winning finals MVP with the Bucks in '71)
Yeah, the current broadcast team with Stu Lantz sounds like a pair of WWF announcers. Stu has been a total puppet since Chick’s death because Chick pushed Stu to share his once teachable knowledge of the game. It’s a total joke and there is no difference with the radio side of John Ireland & Mychal Thompson. Thompson has been a Jay Johnstone wannabe comedian for 37 years!!
The greatest shock of this game, is that Magic didn't hit a lucky three point shot, from beyond half court to win the game. The Celtics were ALWAYS the better team than the Lakers, all through the 80s, but played in the MUCH tougher Eastern Conference with the 76ers, Bucks, Pistons, Hawks, Nets, and Bulls. The Lakers would have been lucky to make 3 Finals during that decade, the Celtics made 5. And if the Celtics played in the West, in the 80s, Bird and company, would have won 9 Conference Titles, and 7 NBA Championships. So sorry if the truth hurts, Laker fans, but it's absolutely true and you damn well know it.
The Lakers were the better team. Boston beat them one year 1984 because LA gave it to them. Once they corrected their mistakes Celtics got dispatched in 6 games twice. East Coast Media Bias aside the difference in the conferences wasn't as drastic as you claim. LA won that first title by dethrowning the World Champs Seattle Sonics in 1980. Celtics lost two out of 3 series to Philly who lost two out of 3 to The Lakers. Your excuse doesn't hold water.
@@teofemo7000 No they weren't. Get real. The Celtics went through literal wars in the East to get to the Finals. The west was like the CBA. And that's NO disrespect to the Lakers, they truly were greatness. But the Boston Celtics were even greater, and I think most true NBA fans know it. Boston, was just too beat up, by the time The NBA Finals got there, to put up a legit fight. It's sooo sad LA snoozed against Houston in 1986 and got rolled up, because that's the year we all realize the Boston Celtics would've destroyed the hotdog, Lakers. Even if all 7 games were in that obnoxious, liberal infested cesspool "The Forum". BLEHHHH.
Im a c s fan and your argument makes no sense they cruised into 85 finals and lost 87 they re not even there unless bird stole the ball. You think the bucks would sweep the lakers in 83 too ? Please
The Lakers/Celtics debate wages on 40 years later, and this particular counter argument isn't mentioned enough. A lot of Bird and the Celtics best post season moments didn't involve the Lakers and it was an absolute war just to get to the championship. As a Blazer fan, I know very well how weak the Lakers Western opponents were in comparison, as we were perennial runner up in division for most the decade and we were always a tier or two lower in talent. Even the two times they lost to the Rockets, they were still the better team on paper. That doesn't mean the Celtics were better, but they definitely had the harder row to hoe.
These refs always favored the Celtics. McAdoo gets offensive rebound and scores and they call BS offensive foul. Parish throws out his foreman which should have been offensive foul and no call. Magic scores near end of game and that should have been continuation. Ref says foul before the shot. Complete BS. I remember DJ pushing off too fighting for a loose ball. No call. So many like this. This is why we all know Lakers greater than Celtics. Because Lakers had to beat these cheap thugs and the refs. 😂
For anyone that might believe this check the last 8 minutes of game 4 of the 1985 Finals. Larry Bird puts on a display of skill, will and guts. Every phase of the game he owned it, every possession. It was the greatest performance by one player I ever saw as far as $ time is concerned.
