Seems like old times for Celtics, Lakers

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The NBA has what it wanted - a Finals matchup between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, the league’s two most storied franchises.

When the series begins Thursday in Boston, it will feel like old times as the teams will be meeting to decide the NBA championship for the 11th time.

That matches the New York Yankees and Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers for the most finals matchups in any of the four major sports in North America.

The Celtics and Lakers have combined to win 30 of the NBA’s 61 titles. Boston’s 16 championships rank third among all teams in North America, trailing only the Yankees (26) and Montreal Canadiens (24).

While Boston and Los Angeles are meeting in the Finals for the first time since 1987, they squared off in six finals in the 1960s, with Boston winning all six. Lakers great Jerry West was 0-6 against the Celtics in the playoffs.

PA SportsTicker takes a look at the most memorable series between the bitter rivals (the Celtics lead, 8-2):

1962 - CELTICS IN SEVEN

Boston’s dynasty is in full bloom, as the Celtics rally from a 3-2 series deficit to win a Game Seven overtime thriller, 110-107, at Boston Garden.

It is the fourth of Boston’s record eight straight championships and also the first of its three Game Seven victories over the Lakers.

Tommy Heinsohn, Bill Russell, Sam Jones and Bob Cousy lead the way for the Celtics, who also survived a seven-game series against Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference finals.

1966 - CELTICS IN SEVEN

In the season after “Havlicek Stole the Ball,” the Celtics send Red Auerbach out as a winner, surviving a Lakers comeback in the Finals.

Trailing 3-1 in the series, Los Angeles wins Games Five and Six. But the Celtics hold on for a 95-93 victory in Game Seven at Boston Garden, capturing their eighth straight crown and ninth in 10 years.

Auerbach lights up one final victory cigar before retiring as Celtics coach to concentrate on his general manager duties. He turns the reigns over to Russell, who becomes a player-coach and also the NBA’s first African-American mentor.

1969 - CELTICS IN SEVEN

Now referred to as the NBA’s “old men,” the aging Celtics struggle to a 48-34 regular-season record, their worst mark in more than a decade.

Los Angeles owner Jack Kent Cooke is so sure this is the year the Lakers finally beat the Celtics that he orders 5,000 balloons placed in the rafters prior to Game Seven of the Finals at the Forum.

But the Lakers never got to release those balloons, as the Celtics once again spoiled the party with a 108-106 victory. Boston completes one of the most successful runs in American sports history, celebrating its 11th title in 13 years.

Russell announces his retirement and the Celtics begin a rebuilding phase. They would go five years before winning another title.

1984 - CELTICS IN SEVEN

After a 15-year hiatus, the old rivals meet again in the first of three Finals matchups between the Celtics’ Larry Bird and the Lakers’ Magic Johnson, who won two of the three.

The cast of characters were different but the result is the same as the Celtics improve to 8-0 against the Lakers in the finals.

With the NBA Finals extending in June, temperatures reach close to triple digits in the ancient Boston Garden, which has no air conditioning.

The Celtics thrive in the sauna-like conditions, rolling to a 111-102 Game Seven triumph for their 15th title.

1985 - LAKERS IN SIX

“Showtime” proves too powerful, as Pat Riley’s Lakers end more than two decades of frustration against their arch-nemesis.

The series didn’t begin that way, as Boston crushes the Lakers, 148-114, in Game One, a contest that would become known as the “Memorial Day Massacre.”

But led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy, the Lakers rebound to win four of the next five games and closed out the series with a 111-100 Game Six win at Boston.

1987 - LAKERS IN SIX

This series always will be remembered for Johnson’s game-winning sky hook with two seconds remaining in Game Four at Boston Garden. Johnson’s shot over the trio of Bird, Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale crushed the Celtics’ spirits.

The Lakers won Game Four, 107-106, to take a 3-1 lead in the series. While the Celtics stayed alive with a 123-108 win in Game Five, Los Angeles easily wrapped up the series with a 106-93 victory at home in Game Six.

It was the Lakers’ fourth of five titles during the 1980s.

Seems like old times for Celtics, Lakers - NBA - Yahoo! Sports