NBA Finals History: The 10 Best NBA Finals series of all time

#1 1984 - Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3

1984 NBA Finals Game 7: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

At #1 we have the crown jewel from the legendary '80s rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics. The Finals in 1984 pitted historically the two most successful NBA franchises against each other. The Celtics had homecourt advantage with a 63-19 record, with the Lakers narrowly off the pace in the regular season boasting a 62-20 record.

Game 1 ended in a Lakers victory as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar put up a stirring 32 point performance to headline a 115-109 scoreline. The Celtics battled back with a clutch 124-121 victory at home to make it 1-1.

The Lakers put on a stirring all-round show of basketball dominance at the Great Western Forum in Game 3 to blow the Celtics out 137-104. But they were jolted back to level terms when the Celtics completed a 129-125 victory in overtime, with Larry Bird putting the Celtics on his back while tallying 29 points and 21 rebounds.

Boston used this momentum to run out to a 121-103 victory at home in Game 5. The Lakers refused to relent, however, and Worthy, Magic, Kareem and Michael Cooper all accounted for 20+ points in Game 6 to give the Lakers a 119-108 victory.

All eyes turned to Game 7 at the Garden, and the Celtics came through with a 119-108 victory. Larry Bird walked away with Finals MVP honours, having averaged 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.