9. 1985 NBA Finals Game 6: Lakers vs. Boston Celtics
Heading into the 1985 NBA Finals, it was difficult to have any type of faith or confidence in the Los Angeles Lakers. They were going up against the vaunted Boston Celtics, who were the defending NBA Champions.
Despite all the history stacked up against the Lakers, this was a team that was trying to break through in the Western Conference as the next dominant dynasty and had already won two titles themselves in the early-80s. It would be a worthy clash that would go on to set the stage for the rest of the decade.
And Game 6 was the time for the Lakers to make some history.
In what was a close affair in the first half, the Lakers pulled away in the third quarter to cruise to a 111-100 championship-clinching victory. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 29 points and James Worthy scored 28 to help the Lakers become the first team ever to clinch a title on the Celtics’ home floor (Boston Garden).
But the moment that the Lakers finally beat the Celtics in that 1985 NBA Finals is a time in franchise history that will live forever. And it doesn’t happen without that game-clinching Game 6.