| abstract
| - The Lakers and the Celtics have met a total of 12 times in the NBA Finals, with Boston winning the first eight meetings, and Los Angeles winning the next two. In the two most recent meetings of the two franchises, the Celtics won the championship in 2008 and the Lakers prevailed to win the championship in 2010. The first NBA Finals match-up between the two teams was in 1959 when the Boston Celtics swept the then Minneapolis Lakers for their first of 8 straight titles. However the rivalry truly originated in the 1960s, when the Celtics defeated the Lakers six times in eight years (1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1969) to claim the championship, and featured greats such as Bill Russell and Bob Cousy for Boston and Elgin Baylor and Jerry West for Los Angeles. In three of those NBA Finals ('62, '66, and '69), the series went to seven games, with the Celtics winning each time. The rivalry continued with renewed fervor in the 1980s when both teams were strong, and was personified as Larry Bird (Boston) vs. Magic Johnson (Los Angeles). During this period, this rivalry took on many dimensions, such as East Coast vs. West Coast, Working class grit vs. Hollywood glitz, old tradition vs. air-conditioned luxury, and some believe white vs. black (the Celtics teams of the 1980s were predominantly composed of Caucasian players, while those of Los Angeles were mostly African American). Additionally, prior to the 1980s, the NBA had been struggling financially, with low attendance and television ratings. The battles between the two teams contributed mightily to the success of the league. Coupled with the emergence of the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan in the following years, the NBA became a media juggernaut and one of the dominant sports leagues of the United States as well as the rest of the world. The effect the rivalry had on the league is remarkable, since the two teams only met in an 80's Finals three times (1984, 1985, and 1987) and only played each other twice each season. The rivalry has died down since Johnson and Bird's retirements and the rise of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty in the 1990s. Both teams suffered setbacks in the subsequent fifteen years, with the Lakers finally returning to prominence with three championships in the 2000s but then failing to advance in the playoffs after trading Shaquille O'Neal. The Celtics have only advanced past the conference semifinals twice since 1988. Since then, the Sacramento Kings replaced Boston as the team Lakers fans love to hate (see Lakers-Kings rivalry). One of the lasting effects on the Lakers-Celtics rivalry was the usage of the famous "Beat L.A.!!!" chant, sung by fans in opposing arenas whenever a Los Angeles-based team plays in their home venue. Celtics fans sang the slogan in the 1960s at Boston Garden, and again in the 1980s in the Johnson-Bird rivalry. Perhaps its most famous usage was during Game 7 the 1982 Eastern Conference Championships when the Boston fans urged the victorious Sixers to "Beat L.A.". It has kept on with every Los Angeles sports franchise since then. The two teams met again in the 2008 NBA Finals, and in the 2010 NBA Finals reviving the rivalry once again.
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