On this day: Celtics defeat Lakers 123-108 in Game 5 of the ’87 Finals; Bill Duffy passes
Celtics #Celtics
On this day in Boston Celtics history, in Game 5 of the 1987 NBA Finals, five Celtics players scored 20 points or more (tying an NBA record at the time) as the Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-108.
Point guard Dennis Johnson led all Celtics with 25 points and 11 assists, legendary forward Larry Bird added 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists, and Hall of Fame big man Kevin McHale 22 points and 14 boards. Shooting guard (and former team president) Danny Ainge had 21 points and 6 assists, while center luminary Robert Parish had 21 points and 7 rebounds.
Buy Celtics Tickets
Boston would improve their series record to two wins to Los Angeles’ three, a series the Celtics would eventually lose in six games.
“Magic’s just a great basketball player,” Bird would say to the media of his rival and friend Earvin “Magic” Johnson after the series, whose transcendent play was too much for Boston to contain. “Unbelievable. I don’t know what to say.”
From a hyper-competitive opponent like Larry Legend, it said quite a lot.