The two teams provided fans with several memorable moments in their three championship competitions. However, Game 4 of the '84 finals provided the most controversial event.
After Los Angeles took Game 1 at the Boston Garden, the Celtics won Game 2 in overtime. As the series moved to the Great Western Forum, Los Angeles scored 137 points in a 33-point rout to take a 2-games-to-1 lead.
Trailing in the series and the game, 76-70, with seven minutes remaining in Game 4, the Celtics faced the prospect of heading back to Boston needing to win three straight for the title.
Sometimes in basketball, a game-changing moment can be a slam dunk, a three-point field goal or a blocked shot. In this case the moment that changed not only the game but the entire series was one of the most controversial fouls in NBA Finals history.
As Lakers forward Kurt Rambis went up for a layup, he was clotheslined by the Celtics Kevin McHale, causing Rambis to hit the floor hard. After getting back on his feet, Rambis was ready for a fight, but he was shoved to the ground by teammate James Worthy.
Now just imagine if McHale had clotheslined Rambis today. He would have been ejected, most likely suspended for at least one game and fined. Fans would be commenting on Facebook and Twitter about how McHale is a dirty player, and the play would be discussed endlessly on ESPN and sports talk radio. In 1984, however, It may be hard to believe, but McHale only received a foul for his actions.
The Lakers' Andrew Bynum was ejected, fined $25,000 and suspended five games for his flagrant foul on Dallas’s J.J. Barea in this year’s Western Conference Finals.
While the Los Angeles team was angry in '84, the ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
