Rematch in the ’85 Finals

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Date: 1984-85 season

Boston had little trouble with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers in the 1985 NBA Playoffs en route to their second straight NBA Finals showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics had won eight consecutive NBA Finals series against the Lakers at the time, and after a 34-point Game 1 win at Boston Garden, it appeared they would make it nine. Boston won a thrilling Game 4 by two points in Los Angeles, tying the series at 2-2 with two of the remaining games set to unfold at the Garden. But the Lakers won Game 5, and in Game 6 the unthinkable happened. Behind a Magic Johnson triple-double, the Lakers grabbed the victory and became the first and only visiting team to celebrate a championship on the parquet at Boston Garden.