Schedule and 2009-10 Results
Regular Season Records: L.A. Lakers 57-25, Boston 50-32
Game 1 on Thursday, 03 June: Boston loses at L.A. Lakers, 102-pts-89
Game 2 on Sunday, 06 June: Boston wins at L.A. Lakers, 103-pts-94
Game 3 on Tuesday, 08 June: L.A. Lakers win at Boston, 91-pts-84
Game 4 on Thursday, 10 June: L.A. Lakers lose at Boston, 96-pts-89
Game 5 on Sunday, 13 June: L.A. Lakers lose at Boston, 92-pts-86
Game 6 on Tuesday, 15 June: Boston loses at L.A. Lakers, 89-pts-67
Game 7 on Thursday, 17 June: Boston loses at L.A. Lakers, 83-pts-79

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 7: Trailing by nine points after the first quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers rallied past the visiting Boston Celtics 83-pts-79 for a 4-games-3 MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1118 victory and the 2010 NBA championship. With the series 1118 victory, the Los Angeles Lakers improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 66-28 (with an active eight-series winning streak) overall and 11-14 in the Finals. With the series 1118 loss, the Boston Celtics see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 59-20 overall and 17-4 in the Finals. The last Los Angeles Lakers best-of-7 NBA playoff series loss occurred in series 1052, in which the Lakers fell to the Boston Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals. The series 1118 win order posted by the victorious Los Angeles Lakers was WLWLLWW: Series 1118 thus becomes the second NBA Finals, the fourth NBA series (all rounds), and the thirteenth MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow such a win order to completion. Series 1118 Game 7 becomes the first Boston Celtics best-of-7 NBA Finals Game 7 loss; their best-of-7 NBA Finals Game 7 record is now 7-1. The Lakers' nine-point deficit after the first quarter of series 1118 Game 7 was the largest surmounted by an NBA Finals Game 7 winner since series 105 Game 7, in which the victorious Syracuse Nationals trailed the visiting Fort Wayne Pistons by ten points after one quarter but rallied for a 92-pts-91 victory in Game 7 of the 1955 NBA Finals.

After Game 6: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1118 back in California for the duration, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted and defeated the Boston Celtics 89-pts-67 to tie the 2010 NBA Finals at 3-games-all. In Game 7 of best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 12-7 record overall and a 1-5 record in the Finals (the sole win broke a five-Game 7 losing streak, and occurred against the Detroit Pistons in the 1988 NBA Finals). In Game 7 of best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Boston Celtics have a 20-6 record overall and a perfect 7-0 record in the Finals. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff series from 1947 through the 2010 Semifinals, home teams in Game 7 irrespective of win order and site order have an 84-21 (.800) record overall and a 13-3 (.813) record in the Finals. Of those three NBA Finals losses, the first was sustained by the Los Angeles Lakers in series 215 ... to the Boston Celtics in the 1969 NBA Finals.

After Game 5: The Boston Celtics hosted and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 92-pts-86 for a 3-games-2 lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1118. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Boston Celtics have a 34-1 series record with an active two-series winning streak, and a 19-16 Game 6 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 3-8 series record and a 6-5 Game 6 record. In the history of best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the last team to lead 3-games-2 with Games 1-2 on the road and Games 3-5 at home was the Cleveland Indians in series 1020 (in the 2007 MLB Semifinals): Cleveland would lose Games 6 and 7 and the series on the road to the Boston Red Sox; so it is that the 2007 Boston Red Sox offer a favorable precedent for the 2010 Los Angeles Lakers against the 2010 Boston Celtics. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff series, only once before has a team lost Game 1 and won Game 2 on the road, and lost Game 3 but won Games 4-5 at home (as Boston has in series 1118): In series 672, the New York Knickerbockers did so in the 1994 NBA Finals - those 1994 Knicks would then lose Games 6 and 7 and the 1994 NBA championship on the road to the Houston Rockets.

After Game 4: The Boston Celtics hosted and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 96-pts-89 to tie MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1118 at 2-games-all. When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 21-7 series record with an active six-series winning streak and a 22-6 Game 5 record with an active six-Game 5 winning streak, while the Boston Celtics have a 28-9 series record and a 26-11 Game 5 record with an active six-Game 5 winning streak. One of these lengthy Game 5 winning streaks will thus come to an end in the next series 1118 game. In the history of best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL Finals-round playoff series, teams (such as Los Angeles) which win Game 1 and lose Game 2 at home and win Game 3 and lose Game 4 on the road have an active twelve-series winning streak; the last loss in this context occurred in series 116, when the New York Yankees lost to the Milwaukee Braves in the 1957 MLB Finals. In the history of best-of-7 NBA Finals-round playoff series, teams (such as Los Angeles) which win Game 1 and lose Game 2 at home and win Game 3 and lose Game 4 on the road have a 10-0 series record and a 9-1 Game 5 record.

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1118 in Massachusetts for Games 3-5, the Los Angeles Lakers visited and defeated the Boston Celtics 91-pts-84 to take a 2-games-1 lead in the 2010 NBA Finals. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 39-5 series record with an active eight-series winning streak and a 24-20 Game 4 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the Boston Celtics have a 9-12 series record and a 13-8 Game 4 record with an active four-Game 4 winning streak. Trailing 2-games-1 in best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Boston Celtics had been experiencing a five-series losing streak until this playoff season, when they surmounted their 2-games-1 deficit in series 1112 to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2010 NBA Quarterfinals. In the history of best-of-7 NBA Finals from 1947 through 2009, teams such as Los Angeles which win Game 1 and lose Game 2 at home and win Game 3 on the road had an 11-0 series record but a 1-10 Game 4 record.

After Game 2: Winning a game that was tied after three quarters, the Boston Celtics visited and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 103-pts-94 to knot MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1118 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 22-12 series record and a 22-12 Game 3 record, while the Boston Celtics have a 25-12 series record and a 20-17 Game 3 record. In the history of best-of-7 NBA Finals series from 1947 through 2009, teams (such as Los Angeles) tied 1-game-all with Games 1-2 at home had a 20-10 (.667) series record - the last team to be tied 1-game-all at home in the NBA Finals and lose the Finals was the 2004 Los Angeles Lakers, falling to the Detroit Pistons (which provide a favorable prototype for the Boston Celtics six years later).

After Game 1: The Los Angeles Lakers hosted and defeated the Boston Celtics 102-pts-89 to take a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1118. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 55-7 series record (with an active twenty-series winning streak) and a 42-20 Game 2 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Boston Celtics have a 9-14 series record and a 15-8 Game 2 record. The last time that the Los Angeles Lakers won Game 1 of a best-of-7 NBA playoff series but lost the series was series 597, in which they lost the 1991 NBA Finals to the Chicago Bulls (a loss that would begin a three-year absence of the Lakers from best-of-7 NBA playoff series action).

Pre-series assessment: In the 2009-10 regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers finished seven games ahead of the Boston Celtics. From 1947 through the 2010 NBA Semifinals, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by seven regular-season games, they have posted a 23-4 (.852) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1118 is the 79th best-of-7 playoff series for Boston, and the 94th for Los Angeles. In best-of-7 playoff series, Boston has a 59-19 series record, a 17-3 Finals-round series record, and a 55-23 Game 1 record, while the Los Angeles Lakers have a 65-28 series record, a 10-14 Finals-round record, and a 62-31 Game 1 record. Series 1118 is the eleventh best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers: Boston defeated the Lakers in the best-of-7 NBA Finals of 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1984, and 2008; the Los Angeles Lakers defeated Boston in the best-of-7 NBA Finals of 1985 and 1987.