1959 | 1962 |
1963 |
Boston 4 Minneapolis 0 Lakers 115, Celtics 118 Lakers 108, Celtics 128 Celtics 122, Lakers 110 Celtics 118, Lakers 113 Composite Box Score |
Boston 4 Los Angeles 3 Lakers 108, Celtics 122 Lakers 129, Celtics 122 Celtics 115, Lakers 117 Celtics 115, Lakers 103 Lakers 126, Celtics 121 Celtics 119, Lakers 105 Lakers 107, Celtics 110 OT Composite Box Score |
Boston 4 Los Angeles 2 Lakers 106, Celtics 113 Lakers 114, Celtics 117 Celtics 99, Lakers 119 Celtics 108, Lakers 105 Lakers 126, Celtics 119 Celtics 112, Lakers 109 Composite Box Score |
1965 |
1966 | 1968 |
Boston 4 Los Angeles 1 Lakers 110, Celtics 142 Lakers 123, Celtics 129 Celtics 105, Lakers 126 Celtics 112, Lakers 99 Lakers 96, Celtics 129 Composite Box Score |
Boston 4 Los Angeles 3 Lakers 133, Celtics 129 OT Lakers 109, Celtics 129 Celtics 120, Lakers 106 Celtics 122, Lakers 117 Lakers 121, Celtics 117 Celtics 115, Lakers 123 Lakers 93, Celtics 95 Composite Box Score |
Boston 4 Los Angeles 2 Lakers 101, Celtics 107 Lakers 123, Celtics 113 Celtics 127, Lakers 119 Celtics 105, Lakers 118 Lakers 117, Celtics 120 OT Celtics 124, Lakers 109 Composite Box Score |
1969 |
1984 |
1985 |
Boston 4 Los Angeles 3 Celtics 118, Lakers 120 Celtics 112, Lakers 120 Lakers 112, Celtics 120 Lakers 88, Celtics 89 Celtics 104, Lakers 117 Lakers 90, Celtics 99 Celtics 108, Lakers 106 Composite Box Score |
Boston 4 Los Angeles 3 Lakers 115, Celtics 109 Lakers 121, Celtics 124 OT Celtics 104, Lakers 137 Celtics 129, Lakers 125 OT Lakers 103, Celtics 121 Celtics 108, Lakers 119 Lakers 102, Celtics 111 Composite Box Score |
Los Angeles 4 Boston 2 Lakers 114, Celtics 148 Lakers 109, Celtics 102 Celtics 111, Lakers 136 Celtics 107, Lakers 105 Celtics 111, Lakers 120 Lakers 111, Celtics 100 Composite Box Score |
1987 |
2008 |
2010 |
|
Los Angeles 4 Boston 2 Celtics 113, Lakers 126 Celtics 122, Lakers 141 Lakers 103, Celtics 109 Lakers 107, Celtics 106 Lakers 108, Celtics 123 Celtics 93, Lakers 106 Composite Box Score |
Boston 4 Los Angeles 2 Lakers 88, Celtics 98 Lakers 102, Celtics 108 Celtics 81, Lakers 87 Celtics 97, Lakers 91 Celtics 98, Lakers 103 Lakers 92, Celtics 131 Composite Box Score |
Los Angeles 4 Boston 3 Celtics 89, Lakers 102 Celtics 103, Lakers 94 Lakers 91, Celtics 84 Lakers 89, Celtics 96 Lakers 86, Celtics 92 Celtics 67, Lakers 89 Celtics 79, Lakers 83 Composite Box Score |
|
Finals Notes | ||
Lakers | Celtics | |
![]() |
|
![]() |
3 | Series Won |
9 |
31 | Games Won |
43 |
20-16 | Home Record | 27-11 |
8121 109.7 pg |
Points | 8242 111.4 pg |
1 | Game 7 Wins | 4 |
Near Finals Match-Ups (One Team Made Finals, Other Lost in Conference Finals) |
|||
1953 | Celtics lost to Knicks 3-1 | 1980 | Celtics lost to 76ers 4-1 |
1954 | Celtics lost to Nat'ls 2-0 | 1982 | Celtics lost to 76ers 4-3 |
1957 | Lakers lost to Hawks 3-0 | 1986 | Lakers lost to Rockets 4-1 |
1960 | Lakers lost to Hawks 4-3 | 1988 | Celtics lost to Pistons 4-2 |
1961 | Lakers lost to Hawks 4-3 | 2002 |
Celtics lost to Nets 4-2 |
1972 | Celtics lost to Knicks 4-1 | 2020 | Celtics lost to Heat 4-2 |
1973 | Celtics lost to Knicks 4-3 |
Regular Season Notes | |
2019-20 Season | |
Jan 20 - LA 107 @Bos 139 |
Feb 23 - Bos 112 @LA 114 |
Lakers | All-Time | Celtics |
131 | Wins |
161 |
37 | Lakers in Minneapolis |
54 |
94 | Lakers in Los Angeles |
107 |
77-53 | Home Record | 81-49 |
5 | Neutral Site Wins | 27 |
30,438 104.2 ppg |
Points | 31,068 106.4 ppg |
8 | Overtime Wins | 7 |
5 3 Times |
Longest Winning Streak | 18 11/6/1957-3/3/59 |
141 2/11/1968 |
Most Points Scored | 173 2/27/1959 |
Highest Scoring Game: 312 Points (Celtics 173-139, 2/27/59) |
||
Longest Game: 2 OT (Lakers 98-96, 3/11/51) |
Wins by Decade | |||
1948-59 | Celtics 46-36 | 1989-99 | Lakers 10-8 |
1959-69 | Celtics 57-31 | 1999-09 |
Lakers 13-7 |
1969-79 | Celtics 24-18 | 2009-19 | Lakers 11-9 |
1979-89 | Lakers 11-9 | 2019-29 |
Tied 1-1 |
Totals | Celtics 161-131 |
Season Series Records | |||
1948-59 | Lakers 5-4-2 | 1989-99 | Lakers 2-1-6 |
1959-69 | Celtics 8-2-0 | 1999-09 |
Lakers 5-2-3 |
1969-79 | Celtics 5-4-1 | 2009-19 | Lakers 2-1-7 |
1979-89 | Lakers 4-3-3 | 2019-29 |
Tied 0-0-1 |
Totals | Tied 24-24-23 |
Franchise Histories | |
(NBA Rank); Through 2019-20 | |
![]() |
![]() |
First Year : 1949 |
First Year : 1947 |
Wins : 3385 (2) | Wins : 3426 (1) |
Win Pct : .595 (2) | Win Pct : .591 (3) |
Playoff Appearances : 61 (1) |
Playoff Appearances : 57 (2) |
Playoff Series : 113-44 (1) |
Playoff Series : 85-40 (2) |
Finals Appearances : 32 (1) |
Finals Appearances : 21 (2) |
Championships : 17 (T1) |
Championships : 17 (T1) |
All-Stars : 140 (2) |
All-Stars : 146 (1) |
MVPs : 8 (2) |
MVPs : 10 (1) |
Hall of Famers : 27 (2) |
Hall of Famers : 36 (1) |
Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell ushered in a new era in the NBA. Before they arrived, basketball was dominantly a white, jump-shooting sport. Enter Russell, and especially Chamberlain, and a new level of athleticism. These two big men helped expand the popularity of the NBA nationwide. Wilt was so far ahead of his time, only Babe Ruth rivals his individual dominance of a sport. But it was Russell's Celtics who dominated the league, winning 11 titles in 13 years. This was a classic match-up of a singular, dominant force consistantly losing out to a team-oriented, defensive leader who, it should be said, was almost always surrounded by teammates with superior talent. Most of these battles were between Russell's Celtics and Chamberlain's Warriors and 76ers, but the finals chapter was written in the 1969 season when Wilt was traded to the Lakers and the two teams met in an epic NBA Finals. Irresistible offensive force versus immovable defensive object, always guarding each other, Wilt-Russell is the greatest head-to-head rivalry in all of team sports.
NBA box scores from this era generally only tracked field goals, free throws, and points. Additional head-to-head stats were taken from this ESPN article. |
Playoff Match Ups | ||||||||
1964 NBA Finals - Boston Celtics 4, San Francisco Warriors 1 | ||||||||
FG | FG% | FT | FT% | AST | REB | PTS | ||
Chamberlain |
62-120 |
.517 |
22-53 |
.415 |
2.4 |
27.6 |
29.2 |
|
Russell |
22-57 |
.386 |
12-25 |
.480 |
5.0 |
25.2 |
11.2 |
|
1969 NBA Finals - Boston Celtics 4, Los Angeles Lakers 3 | ||||||||
FG | FG% | FT | FT% | AST | REB | PTS | ||
Chamberlain |
29-58 |
.500 |
24-64 |
.375 |
3.0 |
25.0 |
11.7 |
|
Russell |
25-63 |
.397 |
14-24 |
.583 |
5.1 |
21.1 |
9.1 |
|
Chamberlain | Eastern Conference Finals | Russell | ||||||
FG | FT | FT% | PTS | FG | FT | FT% | PTS | |
74 |
35 |
30.5 |
1960 - Celtics 4, Warriors 2 |
54 |
16 |
20.7 |
||
88 |
59 |
33.6 |
1962 - Celtics 4, Warriors 3 |
59 |
36 |
22.0 |
||
81 |
49-84 |
.583 |
30.1 |
1965 - Celtics 4, 76ers 3 |
46 |
17-36 |
.472 |
15.6 |
56 |
28-68 |
.412 |
28.0 |
1966 - Celtics 4, 76ers 1 |
25 |
20-36 |
.560 |
14.0 |
40 |
28-54 |
.519 |
21.6 |
1967 - 76ers 4, Celtics 1 |
19 |
19-28 |
.680 |
11.4 |
58 |
39-92 |
.424 |
22.1 |
1968 - Celtics 4, 76ers 3 |
37 |
22-37 |
.590 |
13.7 |
Totals | ||||||||
Playoffs | Regular Season | |||||||
Series Won | Games Won | REB | PTS | Wins | REB | PTS | ||
Chamberlain |
1 |
20 |
28.0 |
25.7 |
37 |
28.2 |
30.0 |
|
Russell |
7 |
29 |
24.7 |
14.9 |
57 |
22.9 |
14.2 |
Giants of the Game: Russell and Chamberlain Part 2 |
Classic Confrontations: Rivalry for the Ages |
Season Comparisons | ||||||||||||
Wilt Chamberlain | Bill Russell | |||||||||||
AGE | PTS | REB | AST | REC | MVP | AGE | PTS | REB | AST | REC | MVP | |
1956-57 |
22 |
14.7 |
19.6 |
1.8 |
44-28 |
7th |
||||||
1957-58 |
23 |
16.6 |
22.7 |
2.9 |
49-23 |
1st |
||||||
1958-59 |
24 |
16.7 |
23.0 |
3.2 |
52-20 |
2nd |
||||||
23 |
37.6 |
27.0 |
2.3 |
49-26 |
1st/ROY |
1959-60 |
25 |
18.2 |
24.0 |
3.7 |
59-16 |
2nd |
24 |
38.4 |
27.2 |
1.9 |
46-33 |
4th |
1960-61 |
26 |
16.9 |
23.9 |
3.4 |
57-22 |
1st |
25 |
50.4 |
25.7 |
2.4 |
49-31 |
2nd |
1961-62 |
27 |
18.9 |
23.6 |
4.5 |
60-20 |
1st |
26 |
44.8 |
24.3 |
3.4 |
31-49 |
7th |
1962-63 |
28 |
16.8 |
23.6 |
4.5 |
58-22 |
1st |
27 |
36.9 |
22.3 |
5.0 |
48-32 |
2nd |
1963-64 |
29 |
15.0 |
24.7 |
4.7 |
59-21 |
3rd |
28 |
34.7 |
22.9 |
3.4 |
40-40 |
5th |
1964-65 |
30 |
14.1 |
24.1 |
5.3 |
62-18 |
1st |
29 |
33.5 |
24.6 |
5.2 |
55-25 |
1st |
1965-66 |
31 |
12.9 |
22.8 |
4.8 |
54-26 |
4th |
30 |
24.1 |
24.2 |
7.8 |
68-13 |
1st |
1966-67 |
32 |
13.3 |
21.0 |
5.8 |
60-21 |
3rd |
31 |
24.3 |
23.8 |
8.6 |
62-20 |
1st |
1967-68 |
33 |
12.5 |
18.6 |
4.6 |
54-28 |
- |
32 |
20.5 |
21.1 |
4.5 |
55-27 |
- |
1968-69 |
34 |
9.9 |
19.3 |
4.9 |
48-34 |
4th |
33 |
27.3 |
18.4 |
4.1 |
46-36 |
12 gms |
1969-70 |
||||||
34 |
20.7 |
18.2 |
4.3 |
48-34 |
- |
1970-71 |
||||||
35 |
14.8 |
19.2 |
4.0 |
69-13 |
3rd |
1971-72 |
||||||
36 |
13.2 |
18.6 |
4.5 |
60-22 |
4th |
1972-73 |
||||||
30.1 |
22.9 |
4.4 |
2-4 Finals |
4 MVPs |
Totals |
15.1 |
22.5 |
4.3 |
11-1 Finals |
5 MVPs |
1979 NCAA Championship | ||
Magic's Michigan State 75, Bird's Indiana State 64 - Magic MOP | ||
Magic | Bird | |
24 |
Points |
19 |
7 |
Rebounds |
13 |
5 |
Assists |
2 |
1 |
Steals |
5 |
0 |
Blocks |
1 |
8-15 |
Field Goals |
7-21 |
8-10 |
Free Throws |
5-8 |
1985 NBA Finals | ||
Lakers 4, Celtics 2 | ||
Magic | Bird | |
18.3 |
Points |
23.8 |
6.8 |
Rebounds |
8.8 |
14.0 |
Assists |
5.0 |
2.2 |
Steals |
1.8 |
0.0 |
Blocks |
0.7 |
41-83 |
Field Goals |
53-118 |
.494 |
Field Goal % |
.449 |
1-2 |
3-Pointers |
3-9 |
.500 |
3-Point % |
.333 |
27-31 |
Free Throws |
34-40 |
.871 |
Free Throw % |
.850 |
1984 NBA Finals | ||
Celtics 4, Lakers 3 - Bird Finals MVP | ||
Magic | Bird | |
18.0 |
Points |
27.4 |
7.7 |
Rebounds |
14.0 |
13.6 |
Assists |
3.6 |
2.0 |
Steals |
2.1 |
0.9 |
Blocks |
1.1 |
47-84 |
Field Goals |
62-128 |
.560 |
Field Goal % |
.484 |
0-1 |
3-Pointers |
4-6 |
.000 |
3-Point % |
.667 |
32-43 |
Free Throws |
64-76 |
.744 |
Free Throw % |
.842 |
1987 NBA Finals | ||
Lakers 4, Celtics 2 - Magic Finals MVP | ||
Magic | Bird | |
26.2 |
Points |
24.2 |
8.0 |
Rebounds |
10.0 |
13.0 |
Assists |
5.5 |
2.3 |
Steals |
1.2 |
0.3 |
Blocks |
1.2 |
66-122 |
Field Goals |
53-119 |
.541 |
Field Goal % |
.445 |
1-2 |
3-Pointers |
4-8 |
.500 |
3-Point % |
.500 |
24-25 |
Free Throws |
35-38 |
.960 |
Free Throw % |
.921 |
Totals | |||||||||||
NBA Finals Totals - Magic won 11-8 | |||||||||||
FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | BLK | STL | AST | REB | PTS | |
Magic | 154-289 | .533 | 2-5 | .400 | 83-99 | .838 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 13.5 | 7.5 | 20.7 |
Bird | 168-365 | .460 | 11-23 | .478 | 133-154 | .864 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 4.6 | 11.1 | 25.3 |
Regular Season Meetings - Magic won 10-7 | |||||||||||
FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | BLK | STL | AST | REB | PTS | |
Magic | 121-244 | .496 | 6-19 | .316 | 101-118 | .856 | 0.4 | 3.0 | 12.2 | 7.1 | 20.5 |
Bird | 158-316 | .500 | 9-19 | .474 | 66-81 | .815 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 6.5 | 11.6 | 23.0 |
HBO's "Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals" |
February 17, 1985 - Lakers 117, Celtics 111 One of the greatest duels between the two - and best I've found on YouTube. It was their first game after the epic 1984 Finals and both players brought their best. Magic: 37 Pts (10-16 FG, 17-19 FT), 13 Asts, 3 Rebs Bird: 33 Pts (14-22 FG, 4-5 FT), 15 Rebs, 3 Asts |
Season Comparisons | ||||||||||||
Magic Johnson | Larry Bird | |||||||||||
AGE | PTS | REB | AST | REC | MVP | AGE | PTS | REB | AST | REC | MVP | |
20 |
18.0 |
7.7 |
7.3 |
60-22 |
- |
1979-80 |
23 |
21.3 |
10.4 |
4.5 |
61-21 |
4th/ROY |
21 |
21.6 |
8.6 |
8.6 |
54-28 |
37 gms |
1980-81 |
24 |
21.2 |
10.9 |
5.5 |
62-20 |
2nd |
22 |
18.6 |
9.6 |
9.5 |
57-25 |
8th |
1981-82 |
25 |
22.9 |
10.9 |
5.8 |
63-19 |
2nd |
23 |
16.8 |
8.6 |
10.5 |
58-24 |
3rd |
1982-83 |
26 |
23.6 |
11.0 |
5.8 |
56-26 |
2nd |
24 |
17.6 |
7.3 |
13.1 |
54-28 |
3rd |
1983-84 |
27 |
24.2 |
10.1 |
6.6 |
62-20 |
1st |
25 |
18.3 |
6.2 |
12.6 |
62-20 |
2nd |
1984-85 |
28 |
28.7 |
10.5 |
6.6 |
63-19 |
1st |
26 |
18.8 |
5.9 |
12.6 |
62-20 |
3rd |
1985-86 |
29 |
25.8 |
9.8 |
6.8 |
67-15 |
1st |
27 |
23.9 |
6.3 |
12.2 |
65-17 |
1st |
1986-87 |
30 |
28.1 |
9.2 |
7.6 |
59-23 |
3rd |
28 |
19.6 |
6.2 |
11.9 |
62-20 |
3rd |
1987-88 |
31 |
29.9 |
9.3 |
6.1 |
57-25 |
2nd |
29 |
22.5 |
7.9 |
12.8 |
57-25 |
1st |
1988-89 |
32 |
19.3 |
6.2 |
4.8 |
42-40 |
6 gms |
30 |
22.3 |
6.6 |
11.5 |
63-19 |
1st |
1989-90 |
33 |
24.3 |
9.5 |
7.5 |
52-30 |
10th |
31 |
19.4 |
7.0 |
12.5 |
58-24 |
2nd |
1990-91 |
34 |
19.4 |
8.5 |
7.2 |
56-26 |
60 gms |
1991-92 |
35 |
20.2 |
9.6 |
6.8 |
51-31 |
45 gms |
||||||
36 |
14.6 |
5.7 |
6.9 |
53-29 |
32 gms |
1995-96 |
||||||
19.5 |
7.2 |
11.2 |
5-4 Finals |
3 MVPs |
Totals |
24.3 |
10.0 |
6.3 |
3-2 Finals |
3 MVPs |
Here are the top 20 players for each franchise based on total Win Shares - regular season plus playoffs. The game totals include playoffs as well. Then I list the Win Shares per 100 total games played. Lastly, the number of All-NBA selections. These are only for games played with the team. An asterisk (*) by the years played means the player spent their entire career with the franchise. Rankings current through the 2019-20 season. |
All-Time Lakers | ||||||
|
|
Player, Years | WS | G | /100 | NBA |
1 |
SG |
Kobe Bryant, 1997-16* |
201.0 |
1566 |
12.8 |
15 |
2 |
G |
Jerry West, 1961-74* |
189.3 |
1085 |
17.4 |
12 |
3 |
PG |
Magic Johnson, 1980-91, 96* |
188.4 |
1096 |
17.2 |
10 |
4 |
C |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1976-89 |
181.7 |
1273 |
14.3 |
10 |
5 |
C |
George Mikan, 1949-54, 56* |
125.7 |
509 |
24.7 |
6 |
6 |
C |
Shaquille O'Neal, 1997-04 |
120.1 |
636 |
18.9 |
8 |
7 |
SF |
Elgin Baylor, 1959-72* |
119.6 |
980 |
12.2 |
10 |
8 |
F |
James Worthy, 1983-94* |
96.0 |
1069 |
9.0 |
2 |
9 |
PF |
Vern Mikkelsen, 1950-59* |
92.6 |
784 |
11.8 |
4 |
10 |
SG |
Byron Scott, 1984-93, 97 |
77.1 |
996 |
7.7 |
0 |
11 |
C |
Wilt Chamberlain, 1969-73 |
75.7 |
419 |
18.1 |
1 |
12 |
PF |
Pau Gasol, 2008-14 |
72.0 |
522 |
13.8 |
3 |
13 |
PF |
A.C. Green, 1986-93, 00 |
71.9 |
861 |
8.4 |
0 |
14 |
SG |
Michael Cooper, 1979-90* |
64.0 |
1041 |
6.1 |
0 |
15 |
G |
Gail Goodrich, 1966-68, 71-76 |
62.4 |
760 |
8.2 |
1 |
16 |
F |
Lamar Odom, 2005-11 |
60.7 |
608 |
10.0 |
0 |
17 |
G |
Derek Fisher, 1997-04, 08-12 |
57.4 |
1108 |
5.2 |
0 |
18 |
F |
Jamaal Wilkes, 1978-85 |
54.9 |
648 |
8.5 |
0 |
19 |
PF |
Rudy LaRusso, 1960-67 |
50.2 |
659 |
7.6 |
0 |
20 |
PF |
Happy Hairston, 1970-75 |
48.3 |
445 |
10.9 |
0 |
SF |
LeBron James, 2019-Pres |
21.4 |
143 |
15.0 |
2 |
|
PF |
Anthony Davis, 2020-Pres |
15.6 |
83 |
18.8 |
1 |
All-Time Celtics | ||||||
|
|
Player, Years | WS | G | /100 | NBA |
1 |
C |
Bill Russell, 1957-69* |
191.3 |
1128 |
17.0 |
11 |
2 |
SF |
Larry Bird, 1980-92* |
170.6 |
1061 |
16.1 |
10 |
3 |
GF |
Paul Pierce, 1999-13 |
152.9 |
1238 |
12.4 |
4 |
4 |
GF |
John Havlicek, 1963-78* |
151.0 |
1442 |
10.5 |
11 |
5 |
C |
Robert Parish, 1981-94 |
137.2 |
1274 |
10.8 |
2 |
6 |
PF |
Kevin McHale, 1981-93* |
133.7 |
1140 |
11.7 |
1 |
7 |
SG |
Sam Jones, 1958-69* |
107.5 |
1025 |
10.5 |
3 |
8 |
PG |
Bob Cousy, 1951-63 |
100.1 |
1026 |
9.8 |
12 |
9 |
C |
Dave Cowens, 1971-80 |
93.1 |
815 |
11.4 |
3 |
10 |
SG |
Bill Sharman, 1952-61 |
90.2 |
758 |
11.9 |
7 |
11 |
F |
Don Nelson, 1966-76 |
80.6 |
1006 |
8.0 |
0 |
12 |
C |
Ed Macauley, 1951-56 |
78.5 |
442 |
17.8 |
4 |
13 |
SF |
Cedric Maxwell, 1978-85 |
74.9 |
695 |
10.8 |
0 |
14 |
PF |
Tom Heinsohn, 1957-65* |
69.1 |
758 |
9.1 |
4 |
15 |
F |
Tom Sanders, 1961-73* |
63.0 |
1046 |
6.0 |
0 |
16 |
PF |
Kevin Garnett, 2008-13 |
59.0 |
480 |
12.3 |
1 |
17 |
SG |
Frank Ramsey, 1955, 57-64* |
58.7 |
721 |
8.1 |
0 |
18 |
PG |
Jo Jo White, 1970-79 |
58.3 |
797 |
7.3 |
2 |
19 |
PG |
Rajon Rondo, 2007-15 |
55.6 |
619 |
9.0 |
1 |
20 |
SG |
Ray Allen, 2008-12 |
52.8 |
449 |
11.8 |
0 |
SF |
Jayson Tatum, 2018-Pres* |
23.4 |
270 |
8.7 |
1 |
|
SG |
Jaylen Brown, 2017-Pres* |
17.8 |
340 |
5.2 |
0 |
|
PG |
Kemba Walker, 2020-Pres |
7.8 |
73 |
10.7 |
0 |