More than just a bitter rivalry

’80s Lakers-Celtics Finals helped fuel NBA’s global growth.

By the time the Los Angeles Lakers met the Boston Celtics for the third time in the NBA Finals in the 1980s, defensive stopper Michael Cooper had enough with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and the rest of the Celtics.

“It’s respectful to acknowledge the person you’re playing, but I’m not taking you out to dinner,” Cooper said. “I’ll spit in your food before I eat with you.”

Lakers vs. Celtics. Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson. East Coast vs. West Coast.

It’s the rivalry against which all others are measured, the one essentially responsible for the modern NBA evolving from a fringe sport that put its championship series on tape delay to a global sensation. And as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors face off in the finals for the third straight season, they’re drawing comparisons to the game’s greatest matchup.

“I think basketball-wise it’s going to be great,” said Celtics Hall of Famer Kevin McHale, now an analyst for NBATV. “That is going to lend itself to people talking about it years from now. But really, (the Lakers-Celtics) was the birth of the NBA and the average fan across the country was that Larry-Magic time. It was completely unique unto itself.”

McHale was directly involved in one of the defining moments of the rivalry, when he clotheslined forward Kurt Rambis on a breakaway layup during Game 4 of the 1984 finals in Los Angeles. The play lives in Celtics lore — the gritty forward blasting the Showtime Lakers right in front of Jack Nicholson. It touched off a mini-brawl and helped spark a Boston comeback in a series the Celtics won in seven games.

“We knew how dirty they could get. I loved it back then,” said Cooper, who now coaches the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA. “In today’s game, he would’ve got a two or three-game suspension. Back then, it made it fun. Rambis’ neck wasn’t broken? OK, get up. Kevin got dunked on a couple times and we made a big melee out of it. You come out and live to play another day.”

The more often the teams met on the big stage, the more heated the rivalry became. Celtics forward Cedric Maxwell gave James Worthy a choke sign after he missed a free throw. Bird went toe-to-toe with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

It’s the kind of edge and nastiness often said to be lacking today with the NBA’s high salaries and player movement. But last year’s series — Cleveland won in seven games — had its share of tension, from LeBron James’ scoff at Stephen Curry after blocking his shot in Game 6 to Klay Thompson suggesting James “got his feelings hurt” to James stepping over Draymond Green in Game 4, which led to Green’s suspension and the turning point of the series.

“I’m hoping there’s some real fiery competitiveness and some dustups and guys willing to fight each other for it,” McHale said. “I think that’s fine. There should be that feeling.”

The Lakers and Celtics met three times in the Finals in four years during the ’80s, creating a rivalry with an edge. It was a forerunner of the Cavaliers and Warriors, who are meeting for the third consecutive year.