1983–84 Boston Celtics season

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, primarily due to the record of the Washington Bullets in the first round.

Offseason

NBA draft

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

Roster

Boston Celtics roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Name	Height	Weight	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

K. C. Jones

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division v t e	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 v t e
#	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

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

Regular season

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

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

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

Game One

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

Game Two

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1983–84 NBA season

Eastern

Atlantic	Boston New Jersey New York Philadelphia Washington
Central	Atlanta Chicago Cleveland Detroit Indiana Milwaukee

Western

Midwest	Dallas Denver Houston Kansas City San Antonio Utah
Pacific	Golden State Los Angeles Phoenix Portland San Diego Seattle

v t e Boston Celtics 1983–84 NBA champions
00 Parish 3 Johnson 8 Wedman 28 Buckner 30 Carr 31 Maxwell 32 McHale 33 Bird (Finals MVP) 40 Clark 43 Henderson 44 Ainge 50 Kite
Head coach: Jones
Assistant coaches: Ford Rodgers
Regular season Playoffs

v t e NBA champions
1940s	1947: Philadelphia Warriors 1948: Baltimore Bullets 1949: Minneapolis Lakers
1950s	1950: Minneapolis Lakers 1951: Rochester Royals 1952: Minneapolis Lakers 1953: Minneapolis Lakers 1954: Minneapolis Lakers 1955: Syracuse Nationals 1956: Philadelphia Warriors 1957: Boston Celtics 1958: St. Louis Hawks 1959: Boston Celtics
1960s	1960: Boston Celtics 1961: Boston Celtics 1962: Boston Celtics 1963: Boston Celtics 1964: Boston Celtics 1965: Boston Celtics 1966: Boston Celtics 1967: Philadelphia 76ers 1968: Boston Celtics 1969: Boston Celtics
1970s	1970: New York Knicks 1971: Milwaukee Bucks 1972: Los Angeles Lakers 1973: New York Knicks 1974: Boston Celtics 1975: Golden State Warriors 1976: Boston Celtics 1977: Portland Trail Blazers 1978: Washington Bullets 1979: Seattle SuperSonics
1980s	1980: Los Angeles Lakers 1981: Boston Celtics 1982: Los Angeles Lakers 1983: Philadelphia 76ers 1984: Boston Celtics 1985: Los Angeles Lakers 1986: Boston Celtics 1987: Los Angeles Lakers 1988: Los Angeles Lakers 1989: Detroit Pistons
1990s	1990: Detroit Pistons 1991: Chicago Bulls 1992: Chicago Bulls 1993: Chicago Bulls 1994: Houston Rockets 1995: Houston Rockets 1996: Chicago Bulls 1997: Chicago Bulls 1998: Chicago Bulls 1999: San Antonio Spurs
2000s	2000: Los Angeles Lakers 2001: Los Angeles Lakers 2002: Los Angeles Lakers 2003: San Antonio Spurs 2004: Detroit Pistons 2005: San Antonio Spurs 2006: Miami Heat 2007: San Antonio Spurs 2008: Boston Celtics 2009: Los Angeles Lakers
2010s	2010: Los Angeles Lakers 2011: Dallas Mavericks 2012: Miami Heat 2013: Miami Heat 2014: San Antonio Spurs 2015: Golden State Warriors 2016: Cleveland Cavaliers 2017: Golden State Warriors 2018: Golden State Warriors 2019: Toronto Raptors
2020s	2020: Los Angeles Lakers 2021: Milwaukee Bucks 2022: Golden State Warriors 2023: Denver Nuggets 2024: Boston Celtics

v t e Boston Celtics
Founded in 1946 Based in Boston, Massachusetts
Franchise	History All-time roster Draft history Accomplishments and records Head coaches Seasons Current season
Arenas	Boston Arena Boston Garden Hartford Civic Center TD Garden
Personnel	Owner(s) Boston Basketball Partners President Rich Gotham General manager Brad Stevens Head coach Joe Mazzulla
G League affiliate	Maine Celtics
Retired numbers	00 1 2 3 5 6 10 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 31 32 33 34 35 LOSCY MIC
NBA championships	1957 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1968 1969 1974 1976 1981 1984 1986 2008 2024
Rivalries	Detroit Pistons Los Angeles Lakers Miami Heat New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers
Culture and lore	Broadcasters Radio network Celtic Pride Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs Mike Gorman Johnny Most "Havlicek stole the ball" 1961 Boston Celtics boycott Auerbach Center North Station The Sports Museum of New England Reebok Pro Summer League Newhart Uncut Gems Extended Family Starting 5 Jaylen Brown & Jayson Tatum
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