Super Bowl LIII: The storied history of Los Angeles vs. Boston
By Jamaal Artis
The 1980s
Tie 2-2
The ’80s were a decade where Los Angeles and Boston teams got to face each other across all the big sports and gave America some memorable moments. Once again, the Lakers and Celtics were leading the way.
Magic Johnson’s “Showtime’ Lakers and Larry Bird’s Lunch Pail Celtics lifted the NBA to new heights as both teams combined to win eight of the ten NBA Championships in the decade. The teams dueled three times in the NBA Finals, with the Lakers finally winning over their nemesis in 1985 and repeating the feat in 1987.
In early 1986 the then Los Angeles Raiders were the number one seed in the AFC playoffs and faced the wild card New England Patriots at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Raiders boasted the MVP of the league in Marcus Allen and had won a Super Bowl two years earlier.
In a wild upset the Raiders blew a 17-7 lead and lost the game 27-20, they would not play another playoff game the rest of the 80’s.
In baseball, the then California Angels and Boston Red Sox provided one of the most memorable series of the decade in 1986 when they faced off for the American League Pennant. Sporting a 3-1 series lead at home in game five the Angels had the Red Sox down to their last strike.
Dave Henderson dramatically hit a two run home run to give the Red Sox the lead giving the Red Sox the momentum to win the game and eventually the series.