NBA Finals 1982: Boston Strangler Strikes

[randy7676]

I still remember when Boston fans chated 'Beat LA'. It gives me the chills.

[blairomatic]

Can't watch it! That's my Celts right there.

[arkansoul]

What I don't understand is how can Philly have the same team, add Barkley and lose to the Nets in the 1st round the next year. I love the Lakers, but they had NO chance against Philly. I wasn't really upset that my Lakers lost to Philly. Well, I was mad that they got swept. Not on paper, but if you add heart and determination, no team in history would have beat the Sixers in 1983.

[brucedavis76]

@arkansoul i never understood it either the sixers really flamed out

sad

[nova1mike]

@arkansoul Barkleys first season was the next year-84-85. Picked 5th overall. That was the draft where Portland took Sam Bowie instead of Michael Jordan. 

[arkansoul]

@nova1mike You're right! I got my years mixed up. But even still, they should have beaten the Nets. But when they added Barkley, they did go to the Eastern Conf. Finals losing to Boston.

[conni70]

"BEAT L.A", "BEAT L.A." ???? too bad for the Sixers, there was no beating L.A. that year as Magic in just his 3rd year in the league led the Lakers to the NBA title...

[KOKING313]

Actually, Philadelphia did beat Los Angeles for the title that year. The Lakers beat the Sixers in 1980, though.

[conni70]

you're dead wrong, kid... in addition to beating the Sixers in the 79-80 season, the Lakers also defeated them in 6 games in the 81-82 season, which was when this Eastern finals was played...it was the following year, in the 82-83 season that philly finally beat the Lakers...I know my basketball history so don't test me...

[bettydaw1970]

lol googling isnt very hard..

i just remember kareem dominating caldwell jones and dawkins in the 2 series, when philly got moses philly swept the lakers..

[bettydaw1970]

yea but they got moses malone the next year, and basically bitched slapped the lakers 4-0 in the finals..

[conni70]

if you did a little more research on this, you would note that the Lakers were beat up and injured in the 83 finals...Worthy was out with a broken leg and Wilkes was sick the whole series with an intestinal infection...and Magic was playing playing with a very sore ankle he sprained against Portland in the Western Finals...point being, is that philly would have probably still won the series had the Lakers been healthy but I promise you the Lakers wouldn't have been swept if they were healthy...

[bettydaw1970]

i dont have to research it, i saw it live..

[conni70]

so seeing it live i'm sure you saw magic limping around with his badly sprained ankle? and you probably saw worthy sitting behind the Laker bench with a cast on his left leg? but you couldn't have seen wilkes puking in the locker room from his intestinal infection...but I'm sure you did see moses malone get away with hacking and bullying kareem in the low post? you must of also seen the disproportionate amount of fouls called in favor of philly? i think a 4 to 1 ratio...

[conni70]

and seeing it live you must have witnessed what is regarded as the most pathetic title defense in NBA history, when philly lost to the new jersey nets in the opening round of the playoffs the following year...did you see that live?

[bettydaw1970]

well i saw philly sweep the lakers during the regular season when they were100% healthy including a 114-104 trouncing in LA..yea blame the refs lol on malone outplaying kareem..

[LayhoooRS2]

if the celtics were smart enough, they would have traded for mr. toney and not a defensive player lol

[1prouddemocrat]

layhooors2, Andrew Toney began to have injury problems later in his career. In the long run, it was better for my Celtics not to trade for him.

[jaytf123]

The Celtics thought Andrew Toney was so good they made a trade to get a great defensive player to shut hin down: Dennis Johnson. Check out his stats against the Celtics before DJ and after. Big difference..... and of course two more titles for the Celtics.

[dbadefense1990]

This isn't the 1982 NBA Finals. It's the East Finals; Philly lost to the Lakers in the Finals that year.

[elbjr1]

42 been a 76ers fan since 10 yrs old.Finally we have a team with talent at more than one position.We should be back deep in the playoffs for a while now.

[bettydaw1970]

oops..

they are the biggest disapointment this year

[bosna314stl]

thats whats gona happen next year with elton brand! GO SIXERS!

[jhean76]

Amen bosna314stl. Amen. Can't wait for the crowd the first time the scummy C's come to town.

[bosna314stl]

damn its gona be like a duke basketball game. the crowd is gona be gowing crazy and we will win.

[KHayes666]

hahah good call on that one....you may get swept 4 straight by the C's if Philly even makes the playoffs haha

[tommiej3]

Loved Billy's clenched fist salute. Interesting now we watch a reprise of the 1980s Celtics-Lakers finals this year 2008 with those two teams in the finals.

[gannable]

i was only 9 yrs old back in 1982 so I never was never able to appreciate the Boston Strangler. I probably began following the Sixers in 1987 during Dr. J.s last year. All I remember hearing back then was "Andrew Toney is still out with injury". I wish the Sixers could field a great team again and rener the rivalry with the Celtics.

[torr5962]

Andrew fuckin Toney.....ask DJ and Larry Bird, and Danny Ainge how clutch this dude was. An alltime great. Caldwell Jones played well this game too. When Sixers won the whole thing in 83 Pat Williams tried to give Caldwell Jones a ring. He declined

[Upyrazz]

Classic series..classic rivalry. I was this wise eyed 10 yr old who marveled at Andrew Toney's instinct, ability, and that swesome outside shot. #22 became my favorite number and one that I chose for years afterwards. I never missed a game on TV that showcased the 76ers and Andrew Toney. When he retired early from his foot problems it was a sad day for me. Apart from a handful of players, no one has captured my attention as much as Mr Toney did in the 80's. Definitely hall of fame material

[blackstormdog05]

andrew toney would of been a hall of famer had he not run into that chronic foot injury a few years later. i played with toney when i was 14 at the sixers basketball camp in the poconos. i also played with barkley, manute bol, frankie johnson, leon wood, and kenny green at the camp.

[ThaKrumpa]

Andrew Toney is my cousin...no lie

[gilipollaslondres]

I'm also a Celtic fan and couldn't agree more with bbstopit. Toney gave Celtics fans nightmares.

[bbstopit]

I'm a Celtic Fan, I hated the Sixers then, but this was one of the baddest teams ever. I've heard Danny Ainge still tells stories about Andrew Toney. Don't know why ESPN Classic doesn't give this team more love. Andrew Toney should get his own half hour of highlights!

[somethinlikethat]

EVERYONE left the Sixers for dead after the Celtics won Game Six in the Spectrum, much like the year before, but Andrew Toney went absolutely nuts. Nobody in a Celtic uniform could stop him (34 points on 12-of-18 from the field) and the Sixers made the finals. Great game.

[TRJ22487]

1981 was a great game too. Bobby Jones pass was just a few feet too high

[masslib]

Do you have Game 7 of the 1981 ECF?

[TRJ22487]

yes I do but I haven't uploaded it

[masslib]

Well as a devoted Celtics fan, I'd love to see it. Thanks for the notice.

[ThailandKyle]

Great you have game 7 of 81 also. Hope you can upload. Game 5 was a great game too. Celts were down I think 6 with 1:30 left and came back to win. Had to listen to the game on radio, because CBS carried a very late taped broadcast unless you were in the Boston area. Being from Springfield, my dad took me to a pub in Sturbridge to see the live broadcast of game 6 (ch 4 or 5). Great comeback with Bird hitting a deja vu key lucky shot like Nelson 12 years earlier against L.A. in 1969.

[spanky0418ny]

I cried crocodile tears after the 81 series...Toney was my fave. Sixer, and if he stayed healthy his name would be held in the same regard as Regie Miller's...To this day I haven't seen any player elevate on jump shot release like he did.

[sauron9990]

where were the chants? I couldn't hear them, that was he greatest part

[TRJ22487]

CBS was playing their production credits during the chants (even though the game still had about a minute to go) thats probably why they couldnt put the BEAT LA chants into this video

[oleold]

put the whole game up.