On June 10, 1984, the Los Angeles Lakers looked to redeem themselves against the rival Boston Celtics in a win-or-go-home Game 6 of the NBA Finals at The Forum.
With homecourt advantage on their side, the Lakers traded nearly shot-for-shot with the Celtics in the first quarter. Boston, however, found themselves with a slim four-point lead going into the second.
After another tightly-contested period, the Celtics entered halftime with a six-point advantage over the Lakers. Much of the same took place in the third quarter, setting up for a dramatic comeback in the final 12 minutes of play.
Los Angeles clicked on all cylinders and outscored Boston by 15 points in the final quarter, en route to a pivotal 119-108 victory.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar propelled the team’s offensive attack with a game-high 30 points and 10 rebounds in 42 minutes on the floor. He converted 14 of his 26 field goal attempts and additionally dished out five assists in the contest.
Magic Johnson stuffed the stat sheet with a double-double of his own, recording 21 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in 41 minutes.
Michael Cooper (23) and James Worthy (20) also reached the 20-point plateau for the Lakers and combined to sink 18-of-33 shots from the field.
Larry Bird was efficient for the Celtics, scoring a team-high 28 points on 8-of-11 shooting while making all but one of his 13 free throw attempts.
Gerald Henderson tallied 22 points, but he wasn’t quite as effective from the floor. He knocked down just eight of his 20 shots on the night.
While the Lakers forced a winner-take-all Game 7, they ultimately fell short in the deciding contest as the Celtics went on to capture their 15th NBA championship in franchise history.
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