Schedule and 2008 Results
Regular Season Records: Boston 66-16, L.A. Lakers 57-25
Game 1 on Thursday, 05 June: L.A. Lakers lose at Boston, 98-pts-88
Game 2 on Sunday, 08 June: L.A. Lakers lose at Boston, 108-pts-102
Game 3 on Tuesday, 10 June: Boston loses at L.A. Lakers, 87-pts-81
Game 4 on Thursday, 12 June: Boston wins at L.A. Lakers, 97-pts-91
Game 5 on Sunday, 15 June: Boston loses at L.A. Lakers, 103-pts-98
Game 6 on Tuesday, 17 June: L.A. Lakers lose at Boston, 131-pts-92

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 6: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1052 in Massachusetts for the duration, the Boston Celtics hosted and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 131-pts-92 for a 4-games-2 series 1052 win and the 2008 NBA championship. The 39-point margin of victory for Boston is the largest NBA Finals-winning game victory margin ever, surpassing the previous mark of 33 points set by the Boston Celtics in their 129-pts-96 win against the Los Angeles Lakers in series 171 (1965 NBA Finals) Game 5. With the series 1052 victory, the Boston Celtics improve their best-of-7 NBA series record to 55-18 overall and 17-3 in the NBA Finals. With the series 1052 loss, the Los Angeles Lakers see their best-of-7 NBA series record fall to 58-28 overall and 9-14 in the NBA Finals. The victorious Boston Celtics posted a WWLWLW win order in series 1052: Series 1052 thus becomes the seventh NBA Finals series, the 18th NBA series (all rounds), and the 34th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow this win order to completion of a best-of-7 playoff series.

After Game 5: The Los Angeles Lakers hosted and defeated the Boston Celtics 103-pts-98 to narrow the Boston MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1052 series lead to 3-games-2. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Boston Celtics have a sterling 30-0 series record and a 16-14 Game 6 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 3-7 series record and a 6-4 Game 6 record. In the NBA Finals, teams such as Boston with a win order of WWLWL through five games have a perfect 6-0 record in Game 6, irrespective of site. The last team to hold a 3-games-2 lead in the NBA Finals but lose the series was the New York Knickerbockers, in series 672 to the Houston Rockets in 1994.

After Game 4: Surmounting the largest end-of-first-quarter deficit ever in a best-of-7 NBA playoff game (all rounds; home or road) for a victory, the Boston Celtics visited and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 97-pts-91 to take a 3-games-1 MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1052 (2008 NBA Finals) lead. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1, the Boston Celtics have a 22-0 series record and a 15-7 Game 5 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 1-14 series record (with an eleven-series losing streak) and a 4-11 Game 5 record. The sole series in which the Los Angeles Lakers trailed 3-games-1 but prevailed was series 227, in which they defeated the Phoenix Suns in the 1970 NBA Quarterfinals. Series 1052 Game 4 marks the first game in best-of-7 NBA history in which a team had trailed by 21 or more points at the end of the first quarter and still won the game. The 21-point deficit suffered by Boston at the end of first quarter was the largest such deficit ever in a best-of-7 NBA Finals game, breaking the old record of 20 points, set in series 230 (1970 NBA Finals) Game 6, in which the New York Knickerbockers trailed the Los Angeles Lakers 36-pts-16 at the end of the first quarter (and lost 135-pts-113). The 21-point end-of-first-quarter deficit is the largest such deficit ever surmounted for a best-of-7 NBA game victory; the previous largest was twenty points (by the Los Angeles Lakers, in series 544 [1989 NBA Quarterfinals] Game 4 at Seattle against the Supersonics; by the Lakers, in series 868 [2002 NBA Semifinals] Game 4 in Los Angeles against the Sacramento Kings). The eighteen-point halftime deficit surmounted by the Boston Celtics for the win is the largest halftime deficit surmounted for a best-of-7 NBA playoff game win (all rounds) since series 867 [2002 NBA Semifinals] Game 3, in which the Boston Celtics trailed the New Jersey Nets by twenty halftime points but rallied in Boston for a 94-pts-90 win.

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1052 in southern California for Games 3-5, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted and defeated the Boston Celtics 87-pts-81 to narrow the Boston series 1052 lead to 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the Boston Celtics have a 36-3 series record with an active four-series winning streak and a 16-23 Game 4 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 6-17 series record and an 8-15 Game 4 record. Teams leading an NBA Finals series 2-games-1 had been on a 17-series winning streak until the last such series, in which the trailing Miami Heat rallied to defeat the Dallas Mavericks in 2006 NBA Finals.

After Game 2: Though outpointed 25-pts-41 in the fourth quarter, the Boston Celtics held on to host and defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 108-pts-102 to take a 2-games-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1052, the 2008 NBA Finals. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the Boston Celtics have a 30-0 series record and a 10-20 Game 3 record with a six-Game 3 losing streak. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 2-14 series record and an 11-5 Game 3 record. Only thrice before have NBA teams lost Games 1-2 on the road in a best-of-7 NBA Finals series and prevailed: in series 986 (the 2006 NBA Finals), the Miami Heat did so against the Dallas Mavericks; in series 335 (the 1977 NBA Finals), the Portland Trailblazers did so against the Philadelphia 76ers; in series 215 (the 1969 NBA Finals), the Boston Celtics did so against the Los Angeles Lakers. So it is that the 1969 Boston Celtics set a favorable precedent for the 2008 Los Angeles Lakers as those Lakers battle the 2008 Celtics.

After Game 1: The Boston Celtics hosted and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 98-pts-88 to take a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1052, the 2008 NBA Finals. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff series, teams winning Game 1 at home by 10 points have a 9-4 series record. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Boston Celtics have a 47-5 series record and a 30-22 Game 2 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 9-20 series record and a 13-16 Game 2 record. In best-of-7 NBA Finals series, the Lakers have lost Game 1 but won the Finals in 1953 (while still in Minneapolis), 1972, 1985, 1988, and 2001; in 1985, their Game 1 loss was on the road (in Boston).

Pre-series assessment: In the 2007-08 regular season, Boston finished nine games ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers. From 1947 through the 2008 NBA Semifinals, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by nine regular-season games, they have posted a 16-1 (.941) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1052 is the 86th best-of-7 NBA playoff series for the Los Angeles Lakers (excluding the eight best-of-7 NBA playoff series by the Minneapolis Lakers), and the 73rd for the Boston Celtics. Los Angeles and Boston each have played more best-of-7 NBA playoff series than any other NBA teams: Tied for third with (only) 40 best-of-7 NBA playoff series each are the Detroit Pistons, New York Knickerbockers, and Philadelphia 76ers. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 58-27 series record, a 9-13 Finals series record, and a 56-29 Game 1 record, while the Boston Celtics have a 54-18 series record, a 16-3 Finals record, and a 52-20 Game 1 record. Series 1052 is the tenth best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, with Boston having won eight of the ten, but with Los Angeles having won the last two (series 455 - the 1985 NBA Finals; series 497 - the 1987 NBA Finals). Boston also defeated the Minneapolis Lakers in series 129 - the 1959 NBA Finals. Of the three NBA Finals series losses sustained by the Boston Celtics, two (1985, 1987) were at the hands of the Lakers; the third occurred fifty years ago, against the St. Louis Hawks in the 1958 NBA Finals. The Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals pairing is the most common NBA Finals pairing in NBA history.