Magic Johnson was nauseous as he watched the Celtics hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy on Monday night.
“It’s a shame the Celtics officially have more championships than us 🙄” Lakers legend posts on X After the Celtics beat the Mavericks 106-88 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Johnson is known for being pretty matter-of-fact about his statements about X, but the Celtics’ 18th win (topping the Lakers’ 17th) has reignited the Los Angeles icon’s competitive spirit.
The rivalry between the two teams dates back to 1959, with both franchises vying for the most titles and bragging rights.
Johnson played a key role in one of the most defining and greatest eras in basketball history: the Magic-Bird rivalry.
Throughout the 1980s, either Boston or Los Angeles made every appearance in the NBA Finals.
Both teams dominated the league, with Celtics’ Larry Bird and Johnson pioneering the way for their respective teams.
Bird and Johnson met in the finals three times in a match unlike any other and the epitome of a rivalry.
Johnson’s Lakers won two of the three meetings, giving the “Showtime Lakers” a total of five championships, compared to Bird’s total of three.
Since LeBron James helped the Lakers win the championship in 2020, the two teams are tied with 17 championships.
Four years later, the Celtics took the lead by beating the Mavericks in five games.
Though disappointed, Johnson took proper credit for Boston’s victory.
“Joe Mazzulla has really grown as a coach this season, preparing the Celtics for each round of the playoffs and making all of the right adjustments offensively and defensively.” Johnson wrote to X..
To make matters worse for Johnson, the Celtics began 2025 as championship contenders and appeared primed to win a title.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are rudderless.
They are one of two NBA teams without a coach, and their star player, LeBron James, appears more interested in the draft position of his son, Bronny James, than in contract extension negotiations.
