Magic Johnson was sick to his stomach at the sight of the Celtics hoisting the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy on Monday night.
“I hate that the Celtics officially have more championships than us now 🙄,” the Lakers legend posted on X after the Celtics’ 106-88 win over the Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Johnson is known for being rather factual on X, but the Celtics’ 18th triumph – passing the Lakers’ 17 – brought out the competitive fire in the Los Angeles icon.
The war between the two teams dates back to 1959, with the two franchises battling for the most titles and bragging rights.
Johnson was a major part of the rivalry during one of the most defining and greatest times in basketball history: the Magic vs Bird era.
Throughout the 1980s, either Boston or Los Angeles appeared in every NBA Finals.
The two teams dominated the league, with the Celtics’ Larry Bird and Johnson being the pioneers for their respective teams.
Bird and Johnson met three times in the finals and clashed like none other, becoming the epitome of rivals.
Johnson’s Lakers won two of the three matchups and he tallied five total championships with the “Showtime Lakers,” juxtaposed to Bird’s three total.
The two teams had been tied at 17 titles each after LeBron James helped the Lakers win the championship in 2020.
Four years later, the Celtics took the lead after decimating the Mavericks in five games.
Johnson, while dismayed, still gave Boston their rightful praise for the win.
“Joe Mazzulla really improved as a coach this season and had the Celtics prepared for every round of the playoffs, making all the proper adjustments on offense and defense,” Johnson wrote on X.
Making it worse for Johnson, the Celtics seemed poised to stay in the hunt for titles, opening as the 2025 championship favorites.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are rudderless.
They are one of two NBA teams without a coach, and their star – LeBron James – is seemingly more interested in son Bronny James’ draft status than negotiating an extension.
