1985 NBA Finals

1985 NBA Finals

Cedric Maxwell, #31 of the Boston Celtics vs Magic Johnson, #32 of the Los Angeles Lakers, in the 1985 NBA Finals
Team Coach Wins Los Angeles Lakers Pat Riley 4 Boston Celtics K. C. Jones 2
Dates	May 27–June 9
MVP	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Los Angeles Lakers)
Hall of Famers	Celtics: Larry Bird (1998) Dennis Johnson (2010) Kevin McHale (1999) Robert Parish (2003) Lakers: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1995) Magic Johnson (2002) Bob McAdoo (2000) Jamaal Wilkes (2012) James Worthy (2003) Coaches: K.C. Jones (1989, player) Pat Riley (2008) Officials: Darell Garretson (2016) Earl Strom (1995)
Eastern Finals	Celtics defeated 76ers, 4–1
Western Finals	Lakers defeated Nuggets, 4–1

The 1985 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1984–85 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It featured the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference playoff champion Boston Celtics against the Western Conference playoff champion Los Angeles Lakers.

The Celtics were looking to repeat as NBA champions for the first time since the 1968–69 season. The Celtics had home court advantage for the second year in a row as they finished the regular season with a 63–19 record while the Lakers compiled a 62–20 record. The Lakers looked to bounce back from the previous year's painful loss to the Celtics in the championship series, and were still seeking to beat Boston for the first time ever in NBA Finals history. Also for the first time since 1955, the Finals went to a 2–3–2 format with Games 1 and 2 in Boston while the next three games were in Los Angeles. The final two games of the series would be played in Boston, if required. This change of format came after David Stern had a conversation with Celtics legend Red Auerbach in 1984, who didn't like the frequent traveling between games. The 2–3–2 format would be used until the 2013 NBA Finals, after which the 2–2–1–1–1 format returned the following year.

The Los Angeles Lakers with the help of Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson defeated the Celtics four games to two to defeat the Celtics for the first time in Laker history in the NBA Finals.

It would mark the last time the NBA World Championship Series branding would be in use as the NBA Finals branding would replace it the next season.

The video documentary Return to Glory recaps the 1985 NBA Playoff action.

Background

Los Angeles Lakers

Main article: 1984–85 Los Angeles Lakers season

After losing to the Celtics in the previous year's finals, the Lakers entered the 1984–85 NBA season with a mission. Once again using the effective Showtime offense, they ran away with the Western Conference-leading 62 wins. The team as a whole underwent a slight evolution, as James Worthy supplanted Jamaal Wilkes as the starting small forward, while Byron Scott began to earn more minutes as the backup to both Magic Johnson and Michael Cooper.

In the playoffs, the Lakers eliminated the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets, going 11–2 in the three playoff rounds.

Boston Celtics

Main article: 1984–85 Boston Celtics season

The Celtics repeated with the NBA's best record by winning 63 games. For the second straight season, Larry Bird won the MVP award, while Kevin McHale won Sixth Man Award for the second year running, despite making the transition from bench cog to starter late in the season with Cedric Maxwell nursing a knee injury. Danny Ainge also emerged as the team's starting shooting guard, after the Celtics traded Gerald Henderson to the Seattle SuperSonics in the offseason.

The Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers, finishing with an 11–4 record heading into the finals. By that point, Boston's classic starting five under head coach K. C. Jones was solidified, featuring Bird, McHale and Robert Parish in the frontcourt, and Ainge and Dennis Johnson in the backcourt.

Road to the Finals

Main article: 1985 NBA Playoffs

Los Angeles Lakers (Western Conference champion)		Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference champion)
# Western Conference Team W L PCT GB 1 c-Los Angeles Lakers 62 20 .756 – 2 y-Denver Nuggets 52 30 .634 10 3 x-Houston Rockets 48 34 .585 14 4 x-Dallas Mavericks 44 38 .537 18 5 x-Portland Trail Blazers 42 40 .512 20 6 x-Utah Jazz 41 41 .500 21 7 x-San Antonio Spurs 41 41 .500 21 8 x-Phoenix Suns 36 46 .439 26 9 Seattle SuperSonics 31 51 .378 31 10 Los Angeles Clippers 31 51 .378 31 11 Kansas City Kings 31 51 .378 31 12 Golden State Warriors 22 60 .268 40 1st seed in the West, 2nd best league record	Regular season		# Eastern Conference Team W L PCT GB 1 z-Boston Celtics 63 19 .768 – 2 y-Milwaukee Bucks 59 23 .720 4 3 x-Philadelphia 76ers 58 24 .707 5 4 x-Detroit Pistons 46 36 .561 17 5 x-New Jersey Nets 42 40 .512 21 6 x-Washington Bullets 40 42 .488 23 7 x-Chicago Bulls 38 44 .463 25 8 x-Cleveland Cavaliers 36 46 .439 27 9 Atlanta Hawks 34 48 .415 29 10 New York Knicks 24 58 .293 39 11 Indiana Pacers 22 60 .268 41 1st seed in the East, best league record
Defeated the (8) Phoenix Suns, 3–0	First Round		Defeated the (8) Cleveland Cavaliers, 3–1
Defeated the (5) Portland Trail Blazers, 4–1	Conference Semifinals		Defeated the (4) Detroit Pistons, 4–2
Defeated the (2) Denver Nuggets, 4–1	Conference Finals		Defeated the (3) Philadelphia 76ers, 4–1

Regular season series

Both teams split the two meetings, each won by the home team:

January 16, 1985

Los Angeles Lakers 102, Boston Celtics 104

Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

February 17, 1985

Boston Celtics 111, Los Angeles Lakers 117

The Forum, Los Angeles, California

Series summary

Game	Date	Away Team	Result	Home Team
Game 1	Monday, May 27	Los Angeles Lakers	114–148 (0–1)	Boston Celtics
Game 2	Thursday, May 30	Los Angeles Lakers	109–102 (1–1)	Boston Celtics
Game 3	Sunday, June 2	Boston Celtics	111–136 (1–2)	Los Angeles Lakers
Game 4	Wednesday, June 5	Boston Celtics	107–105 (2–2)	Los Angeles Lakers
Game 5	Friday, June 7	Boston Celtics	111–120 (2–3)	Los Angeles Lakers
Game 6	Sunday, June 9	Los Angeles Lakers	111–100 (4–2)	Boston Celtics

Game 1

CBS

May 27 3:30 p.m. EDT

report

Los Angeles Lakers 114, Boston Celtics 148
Scoring by quarter: 24–38, 25–41, 30–29, 35–40
Pts: James Worthy 20 Rebs: Kurt Rambis 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 12		Pts: McHale, Wedman 26 each Rebs: Kevin McHale 9 Asts: Dennis Johnson 10
Boston leads the series, 1–0

Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890 Referees: No. 10 Darell Garretson No. 20 Jess Kersey

The Celtics defeated the Lakers 148–114. It was dubbed the "Memorial Day Massacre" and a profound embarrassment for the Lakers team. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had only 12 points and 3 rebounds, while Magic Johnson pulled down only one rebound. Danny Ainge of the Celtics started hot, scoring 15 points in the first quarter. Scott Wedman made all 11 shots he took from the field. Afterwards, Abdul-Jabbar apologized to his teammates for his terrible performance.

The 34-point differential set a new record for a Finals game between the Celtics and Lakers in their rivalry. This record would stand until the 2008 NBA Finals, when the Celtics defeated the Lakers, 131-92.

Game 2

CBS

May 30 9 p.m. EDT

report

Los Angeles Lakers 109, Boston Celtics 102
Scoring by quarter: 31–26, 33–20, 23–29, 22–27
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 30 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 17 Asts: Magic Johnson 13		Pts: Larry Bird 30 Rebs: Larry Bird 12 Asts: Dennis Johnson 8
Series tied, 1–1

Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890 Referees: No. 11 Jake O'Donnell No. 9 John Vanak

The Lakers recovered from the Game 1 loss behind Abdul-Jabbar's 30 points, 17 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 8 assists. Lakers swingman Michael Cooper finished with 22 points on an 8 for 9 shooting performance, including several clutch outside jumpers down the stretch. The series was evened at 1–1.

Game 3

CBS

June 2 12:30 p.m. PDT

report

Boston Celtics 111, Los Angeles Lakers 136
Scoring by quarter: 29–25, 30–40, 26–35, 26–36
Pts: Kevin McHale 31 Rebs: Kevin McHale 10 Asts: Danny Ainge 10		Pts: James Worthy 29 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14 Asts: Magic Johnson 16
Los Angeles leads the series, 2–1

The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: No. 25 Hugh Evans No. 12 Earl Strom

The Celtics held a 48–38 lead in the second quarter before the Lakers rallied and led, 65–59, at halftime. The Lakers pulled away in the second half and won the game 136–111. Abdul-Jabbar scored his 4,456th career point and became the league's all-time leading playoff scorer, which had previously been held by Lakers guard Jerry West. Larry Bird's shooting slump from game 2 continued. He shot a combined 17 of 42 from the field in games two and three. James Worthy led the Lakers with 29 points.

Game 4

CBS

June 5 6 p.m. PDT

report

Boston Celtics 107, Los Angeles Lakers 105
Scoring by quarter: 28–32, 31–26, 23–26, 25–21
Pts: Kevin McHale 28 Rebs: Kevin McHale 12 Asts: Dennis Johnson 12		Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 21 Rebs: Magic Johnson 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 12
Series tied, 2–2

The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: No. 4 Ed T. Rush No. 9 John Vanak

The Celtics tied the series in the fourth game with a 107–105 win with a buzzer-beating jumper by Dennis Johnson, who scored 27 points. Kevin McHale led all players with 28 points to go along with 12 rebounds for the Celtics.

Game 5

CBS

June 7 6 p.m. PDT

report

Boston Celtics 111, Los Angeles Lakers 120
Scoring by quarter: 31–35, 20–29, 30–31, 30–25
Pts: Robert Parish 26 Rebs: Kevin McHale 10 Asts: Dennis Johnson 17		Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 36 Rebs: Kurt Rambis 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 17
Los Angeles leads the series, 3–2

The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: No. 10 Darell Garretson No. 11 Jake O'Donnell

In this game, the Lakers stomped out the Celtics by jumping out to a 64–51 lead and stretched it to 89–72 before the Celtics cut the deficit to 4 points, late in the 4th quarter. The Celtics would cut the lead to 4 points several times, but the Lakers answered each time. Magic Johnson made three shots, Kareem added four more shots, and Cooper hit 2 outside jumpers, and the Lakers came away with a 120–111 victory to take a 3–2 series lead.

Game 6

CBS

June 9 1 p.m. EDT

report

Los Angeles Lakers 111, Boston Celtics 100
Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 27–29, 27–18, 29–27
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 29 Rebs: Johnson, Rambis 10 each Asts: Magic Johnson 14		Pts: Kevin McHale 32 Rebs: Kevin McHale 16 Asts: Danny Ainge 11
Los Angeles wins the series, 4–2

Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890 Referees: No. 25 Hugh Evans No. 12 Earl Strom

In the series clincher, the game was tied at halftime. The Lakers would hold the Celtics to just 18 third quarter points to pull away. Abdul-Jabbar scored 29 points and James Worthy scored 28 of his own, as Los Angeles became the first team to clinch a title at the Boston Garden. Magic Johnson dished out a game-high 14 assists. Celtics' forward Kevin McHale scored 32 points and grabbed 16 rebounds--both game-highs--before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Larry Bird's dismal shooting continued as he hit just 12 of 29 shots.

The 38-year-old Abdul-Jabbar was named MVP of the series, his second Finals MVP award and first since 1971 (back when he was known as Lew Alcindor), averaging 25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.5 blocks in the six games. Worthy averaged 23.7 points for the Lakers, while Magic Johnson scored 18.3 points per game to go along with 14.0 assists and 6.8 rebounds. Los Angeles shot 51.2% as a team for the series.

McHale led Boston in scoring (26.0) and rebounding (10.7) while shooting 59.8% from the floor. Bird averaged 23.8 points and 8.8 rebounds on just 44.9% shooting. Celtics' guard Dennis Johnson led both teams in minutes played (247). Boston shot 47.6% from the floor while out-rebounding Los Angeles 259-256.

It was the first time (and so far only) in NBA Finals history where the other team clinched the championship against the Celtics in Boston. It was also only the Celtics' second Finals series defeat, having previously lost to the St. Louis Hawks in 1958.

Player statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	6	6	35.5	.604	.000	.769	9.0	5.2	1.0	1.5	25.7
Michael Cooper	6	0	25.5	.588	.286	.905	2.0	3.7	1.2	0.3	10.2
Magic Johnson	6	6	39.2	.494	.500	.871	6.8	14.0	2.2	0.0	18.3
Mitch Kupchak	6	0	14.5	.550	.000	.643	3.3	0.7	0.2	0.2	5.2
Ronnie Lester	2	0	3.0	.000	.000	1.000	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	1.0
Bob McAdoo	6	0	19.5	.379	.000	.714	3.0	0.8	0.0	0.5	8.2
Mike McGee	4	0	6.5	.500	.600	.667	1.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	4.8
Chuck Nevitt	1	0	2.0	.000	.000	.500	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	1.0
Kurt Rambis	6	6	22.0	.500	.000	.538	8.5	0.8	1.3	0.5	7.5
Byron Scott	6	6	34.7	.395	.286	.556	3.7	2.2	2.5	0.2	11.2
Larry Spriggs	4	0	6.8	.600	.000	.500	1.8	1.5	0.3	0.3	3.5
James Worthy	6	6	39.0	.564	.000	.700	4.5	3.2	0.5	0.5	23.7

Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Danny Ainge	6	6	33.8	.414	.400	.750	3.0	7.0	2.0	0.0	11.0
Larry Bird	6	6	40.2	.449	.333	.850	8.8	5.0	1.8	0.7	23.8
Quinn Buckner	4	0	7.8	.545	.000	.000	1.5	2.0	0.3	0.0	3.0
M. L. Carr	3	0	2.7	.375	1.000	.000	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.3
Carlos Clark	2	0	3.5	.500	.000	1.000	0.5	1.5	0.5	0.0	2.0
Dennis Johnson	6	6	41.2	.382	.000	.857	4.3	9.5	1.7	0.7	16.0
Greg Kite	5	0	8.8	.444	.000	.500	2.0	0.6	0.2	0.0	1.8
Cedric Maxwell	5	0	10.8	.500	.000	.700	1.0	0.2	0.4	0.0	2.6
Kevin McHale	6	6	40.0	.598	.000	.727	10.7	1.3	0.3	1.8	26.0
Robert Parish	6	6	37.2	.481	.000	.771	9.0	2.0	1.0	1.8	17.2
Scott Wedman	6	0	17.5	.611	.636	.556	3.3	1.7	0.8	0.0	9.3
Ray Williams	4	0	9.3	.500	.000	.000	0.3	2.8	0.3	0.0	3.5

Television coverage

The Finals were telecast by CBS in the United States, with its coverage anchored by Brent Musburger. Dick Stockton did play-by-play with Tom Heinsohn as color analyst, working their second Finals together. Pat O'Brien worked sideline duties for both teams.

Celebration

The Lakers were invited to a reception at the White House with President Ronald Reagan, where Kareem Abdul-Jabbar presented the President with a jersey. The following Tuesday would be declared "Laker Day" by Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley with a parade beginning at 9th and Broadway.

Team rosters

Los Angeles Lakers

1984–85 Los Angeles Lakers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY-MM-DD) From C 33 Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1947–04–16 UCLA SG 21 Cooper, Michael 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1956–04–15 New Mexico PG 32 Johnson, Magic 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1959–08–14 Michigan State C 1 Jones, Earl 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1961–01–13 University of the District of Columbia PF 25 Kupchak, Mitch 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1954–05–24 North Carolina PG 12 Lester, Ronnie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1959–01–01 Iowa C 11 McAdoo, Bob 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1951–09–25 North Carolina SF 40 McGee, Mike 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1959–07–29 Michigan C 43 Nevitt, Chuck 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m) 217 lb (98 kg) 1959–06–13 North Carolina State PF 31 Rambis, Kurt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 213 lb (97 kg) 1958–02–25 Santa Clara SG 4 Scott, Byron 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1961–03–28 Arizona State PF 35 Spriggs, Larry 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1959–09–08 Howard SF 52 Wilkes, Jamaal 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1953–05–02 UCLA SF 42 Worthy, James 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1961–02–27 North Carolina

Head coach Pat Riley Assistant coach(es) Bill Bertka Dave Wohl Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Boston Celtics

1984–85 Boston Celtics roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY-MM-DD) From G/F 44 Ainge, Danny 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1959–03–17 BYU F 33 Bird, Larry (C) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1956–12–07 Indiana State G 28 Buckner, Quinn 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1954–08–20 Indiana G 34 Carlisle, Rick 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1959–10–27 Virginia G/F 30 Carr, M.L. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1951–01–09 Guilford G 40 Clark, Carlos 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1960–08–10 Mississippi G 3 Johnson, Dennis 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1954–09–18 Pepperdine C 50 Kite, Greg 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1961–08–05 BYU F 31 Maxwell, Cedric 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1955–11–21 Charlotte F/C 32 McHale, Kevin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1957–12–19 Minnesota C 00 Parish, Robert 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1953–08–30 Centenary College of Louisiana G/F 8 Wedman, Scott 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1952–07–29 Colorado G 20 Williams, Ray 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1954–10–14 Minnesota

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

See also

• 1985 NBA Playoffs

External links

• NBA History
• 1985 NBA Finals at Basketball Reference
• "Return to Glory" – Documentary on the 1985 NBA Playoffs on YouTube