The 30 greatest NBA team rivalries in league history

1. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Across 12 NBA Finals matchups that have stretched from the late 1950s to this decade, the rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics isn’t just the best the NBA has to offer. Even when matched up against those from other sports, it stands as arguably the greatest among them all.

There isn’t a single era that best encapsulates what the Celtics and Lakers mean to each other. It’s a rivalry that’s been rekindled at various points throughout the NBA’s existence, changing the characters, sure, but the motives behind those who don the jerseys never change.

The origins began way back in the late 1950s and through most of the 1960s. The Celtics, led by the likes of Bill Russell and John Havlicek, plowed through the entirety of the league on their way to nine titles in 10 seasons. Not even the great duo of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor for Los Angeles could slow them down, falling victim to Boston in seven of those series.

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird will always be synonymous with each other for their back and forth battles as members of the league’s two iconic franchises. Having begun their careers at the same time, the two legends would intertwine with eight of the 10 championships in the 1980s.

Rarely does the NBA get the picture-perfect matchup on the games biggest stage with its two premier players. That would occur three times in four years. The battles were well worth the wait of a regular season with none finishing in less than six games and a 2-1 edge in favor of Los Angeles.

The Lakers housed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar along with James Worthy, while Boston trotted out Kevin McHale alongside Robert Parish. Bird and Johnson stole the show on a nightly basis, but it was a battle of two superteams more than anything that produced nerve-shaking theatrics every time these bitter rivals clashed.

More from All-Time Lists

• The 6 greatest NBA players to never make an All-Star Team
• Who is poised to be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024?
• 5 NBA players who could join the exclusive 50/40/90 club in 2023–24
• The 50 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by win shares
• Ranking the 20 greatest rookie seasons in NBA history

Los Angeles and Boston wouldn’t meet again until 2008, where Kobe Bryant set out to slay the new Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. He was unsuccessful then but came back in 2010 to finish the job in what was a draining seven-game series.

There is no single image with which to remember this rivalry. Some of the elder statesmen on earth may invoke memories of Russell’s interior dominance and some will never forget Johnson’s beautiful sky-hook over the outstretched arms of Parish and McHale.

A younger generation may vividly recall Boston’s 39-point thrashing to win the 2008 title or the joy on Bryant’s face as he sprinted down the court with the clock ticking down on his fifth championship.

It’s open to interpretation, and that’s the beauty of this historic rivalry. No matter which era you come from and the images that come to mind, the Celtics and the Lakers always lived up to the hype. They had some of the game’s best players on a stage that only served to accentuate their talents, creating lasting moments forever woven into the fabric of the NBA’s rich history.