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#9 1962 - Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3
The L.A. - Boston sports rivalry sported a new look following the relocation of the Minneapolis Lakers to the largest market on the West Coast in 1959. It took a turn for the better in 1962, when the Lakers made their first NBA Finals in their new city against 3-time defending champions Boston.
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The Celtics had 4 Hall of Famers in their team at this point, but the Lakers weren't far off in terms of talent as they had two of the best pure scorers in the game in Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. The series started off with the Celtics winning convincingly by a 122-108 margin at home, staving off the 35-point, 17-rebound explosion by Elgin Baylor.
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Baylor was outshone by West in Game 2, and the duo combined for 76 points in a 129-122 victory at the Boston Garden. Game 3 saw Baylor put in another monstrous outing with 39 points and 23 rebounds in a one-possession game that saw them win 117-115.
Bill Russell was not about to be outdone, however, as he won back homecourt advantage with a 21 point, 22 rebound outing to win the Celtics Game 4 by a 115-103 margin. He was provided able support by his supporting cast - 6 Celtics scored in double digits.
Game 5 saw Elgin Baylor put in what is probably the greatest NBA Finals display ever, scoring 61 points and grabbing 22 rebounds as the Lakers won 126-121. Sam Jones starred alongside Russell in Game 6, scoring 35 points to beat off the 2-man onslaught of West and Baylor, who each scored 34 points as the Celtics won Game 6 at the Forum by a 119-105 margin.
Back at home for Game 7, the Celtics saw the championship hopes hang in the balance as Frank Selvy missed a runner from 7 feet - a shot that he would make 9 out of every 10 times. This missed shot left the game tied at 100 apiece, and Bill Russell took over to finish the game 110-107 in overtime. He had 30 points and 40 rebounds in another performance that must rank among the top 5 ever in an NBA Finals series.
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