After winning the 1984 NBA title, the Boston Celtics were hoping to repeat their success in 1985. They seemed well on their way towards that, especially after their lopsided 148-114 Game 1 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals that season.
However, one game does not hand you the championship. The Celtics needed to grind and stick to that mental edge they had in the 1984 Finals. Larry Bird admitted that it was something that was significantly absent in the 1985 Finals showdown.
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“This is a different team than last year,” Bird admitted via NYT. “We’re more laid-back and not as tough as we were. Maybe it’s because we’ve already won one championship, or maybe we’re getting old.”
Injured frontline worsened the Celtics’ predicament
Making matters worse for the Celtics was the fact that Bird along with Kevin McHale and Robert Parish were not 100% healthy. Larry dealt with a nagging elbow injury while McHale dealt with a fracture in his fibula. Parish, on the other hand, was bothered by an assortment of injuries, such as his ankle.
With the Celtics frontline struggling, that was the main reason why the rebounding edge went to the Lakers after Game 1. After dominating LA off the boards in Game 1, 48-35, it was a different story in Games 2 and 3.
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Bird did his part, averaging 8.3 rebounds in the first three games. However, McHale and Parish’s rebounding numbers flailed. Parish and Kevin averaged only 8.7 rebounds each in the first three games, way off their regular season averages of 10.6 and 9.0.
Making it worse was the fact that Lakers veteran center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar bounced back after a woeful 3-rebound performance in Game 1. KAJ averaged 15.5 rebounds in the next two games.
Bird had nightmarish 1985 Finals
“Larry Legend” did what he could in that series despite playing with a hurt elbow. His shooting average dipped in that series, norming about 44 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the three-point region.
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“I’ve been struggling of late, but maybe I’ll come out of it,” Bird said via UPI after their Game 3 loss.
Things didn’t get easier for him. The Lakers had a defensive plan for “The Hick of French Lick,” rotating defensive monsters Michael Cooper and James Worthy to contain the Celtics star.
Coop was known as one of the best defensive stoppers of the game at the time. Worthy seemed to be a lesser problem, although “Big Game James” turned to an advantage he had over Bird – agility.
“I tried to be a little quicker than I had been in the first two games. I just got the ball and made my move. If I have an advantage over Larry, it’s in my quickness,” Worthy exclaimed.
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With odds favoring the Lakers, the series ended in six games despite Boston’s valiant effort. LA was determined to get back at the Cs for the 1984 loss and would not be denied.
Bird and the Celtics were able to regroup after that 1985 debacle, bouncing back to win the 1986 crown at the expense of the Houston Rockets. A third and final showdown was set in 1987, the ice-breaker to determine who between the Celtics and the Lakers were the best in the 80s.
Los Angeles turned out to be the better team, as they won the 87′ title in six games. That would turn out to be the last Lakers vs. Celtics final in the Larry Bird era.
Bird retired in 1992 as injuries piled up, forcing the Celtics into a period of rebuilding. It took a while and Boston managed to get back on top of the league only in 2008 with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen leading the way.