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Lakers vs Celtics: Rivalry History

A Versus B

The Lakers franchise header lists 17 championships, 66 playoff appearances, and a 3,653-2,515 record across 79 seasons. The Celtics header lists 18 championships, 63 playoff appearances, and a 3,751-2,527 record across 81 seasons. On the Lakers head-to-head table the Lakers are 135-169 against Boston in 304 games. They have played 12 Finals, and the Celtics won 9 of them (Basketball-Reference). Stats as of October 3, 2026, no 2026-27 game is quoted and none is predicted.

Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers

Franchise header: 17 championships, 66 playoff appearances, 3,653-2,515. Finals series against Boston: 3 wins in 12 meetings on the series table.

The 17 championships on the franchise header and the three Finals wins

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Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

Franchise header: 18 championships, 63 playoff appearances, 3,751-2,527. Won 9 of 12 Finals series against the Lakers on the series table.

The 18 championships on the franchise header and the Finals series count

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4 attributes5 differences10 pros/cons
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4Sources
7Data Points
Sources:Basketball-Reference — Lakers franchise (opens in new tab)·Basketball-Reference — Celtics franchise (opens in new tab)·Basketball-Reference — Lakers head-to-head (opens in new tab)·Basketball-Reference — playoff series history (opens in new tab)
TL;DRVoice-ready

The Lakers franchise header lists 17 championships, 66 playoff appearances, and a 3,653-2,515 record across 79 seasons. The Celtics header lists 18 championships, 63 playoff appearances, and a 3,751-2,527 record across 81 seasons. On the Lakers head-to-head table the Lakers are 135-169 against Boston in 304 games. They have played 12 Finals, and the Celtics won 9 of them (Basketball-Reference). Stats as of October 3, 2026, no 2026-27 game is quoted and none is predicted.

Deciding factor: No page-level winner and no 2026-27 prediction. The headers, the head-to-head row, and the Finals series are finished counts.

Key fact: Celtics header: 18 championships. Lakers header: 17. Finals series table: Celtics 9, Lakers 3, in 12 meetings. Head-to-head row: Lakers 135-169 in 304 games.

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Our Verdict

AI-assisted

Franchise headers: Lakers 17 championships and a 3,653-2,515 record. Celtics 18 championships and a 3,751-2,527 record. Head-to-head row: Lakers 135 wins and 169 losses in 304 games. Finals series on the playoff series table: 12 meetings. Celtics won 9. Lakers won 3. The latest is 2010, Lakers 4, Celtics 3. 2026-27 season: Stats as of October 3, 2026, no game between them is quoted. Neither is named the winner.

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Los Angeles Lakers

Choose Los Angeles Lakers if

The 17 championships on the franchise header and the three Finals wins

Boston Celtics

Choose Boston Celtics if

The 18 championships on the franchise header and the Finals series count

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Key Differences at a Glance

  • Championships on the franchise header:✓ Boston Celtics wins(18 vs 17)
  • Finals series on the playoff series table:✓ Boston Celtics wins(9 wins in 12 meetings vs 3 wins in 12 meetings)
  • Head-to-head row:✓ Boston Celtics wins(169 wins, 135 losses in those games vs 135 wins, 169 losses in 304 games)
See all 5 differences

Key Differences

5 attributes compared head-to-head

Los Angeles Lakers
1Los Angeles Lakers
Boston Celtics leads1 tie
Boston Celtics
3Boston Celtics
  • Championships on the franchise header

    Los Angeles Lakers

    17

    Boston Celtics

    18(winner)

  • Finals series on the playoff series table

    Los Angeles Lakers

    3 wins in 12 meetings

    Boston Celtics

    9 wins in 12 meetings(winner)

  • Head-to-head row

    Los Angeles Lakers

    135 wins, 169 losses in 304 games

    Boston Celtics

    169 wins, 135 losses in those games(winner)

  • Latest Finals meeting

    Los Angeles Lakers

    2010, won 4-3(winner)

    Boston Celtics

    2010, lost 3-4

  • 2026-27 game

    Los Angeles Lakers

    None quoted. Stats as of October 3, 2026.

    Boston Celtics

    None quoted. Stats as of October 3, 2026.

Full Comparison

Los Angeles Lakers
Boston Celtics
Championships on the franchise header
17
18
Playoff appearances
66
63
Head-to-head row
135-169 in 304 games
169-135 in those 304 games
Finals series
3 wins in 12 meetings
9 wins in 12 meetings

Pros & Cons

6 pros·4 cons across both

Los Angeles Lakers
Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers

+3-2

Pros

Franchise header lists 17 championships and 66 playoff appearances
Won the 2010, 1987, and 1985 Finals against Boston on the series table
Header record 3,653-2,515, .592, across 79 seasons from 1948-49 through 2026-27

Cons

135-169 against Boston in 304 games on the Lakers head-to-head table
Won 3 of the 12 Finals series on the playoff series table
Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

+3-2

Pros

Franchise header lists 18 championships and 63 playoff appearances
Won 9 of 12 Finals series against the Lakers on the series table
169 wins in the 304-game Lakers head-to-head row

Cons

Lost the 2010 Finals, 3-4, the latest meeting between these franchises
No 2026-27 meeting is quoted

Frequently Asked Questions

6 questions

  1. The Lakers header lists 17 championships, 66 playoff appearances, a 3,653-2,515 record, a .592 winning percentage, and 79 seasons from 1948-49 through 2026-27. The names on that header are Los Angeles Lakers and Minneapolis Lakers. The Celtics header lists 18 championships, 63 playoff appearances, a 3,751-2,527 record, a .597 winning percentage, and 81 seasons from 1946-47 through 2026-27.

  2. On the Lakers head-to-head table, the Boston row is 304 games, 135 Lakers wins, 169 losses, a .444 winning percentage, 104.4 points scored per game, and 106.7 points allowed per game. Basketball-Reference does not label that row as regular season only, so that label is not added. The other side of the same row is 169 Celtics wins and 135 losses.

  3. There have been 12 Finals series between the Celtics and the Lakers, including the 1959 series against the Minneapolis Lakers (Basketball-Reference). The Celtics won 9. The Lakers won 3: 2010, 4-3; 1987, 4-2; and 1985, 4-2. Celtics series wins are 2008, 4-2; 1984, 4-3; 1969, 4-3; 1968, 4-2; 1966, 4-3; 1965, 4-1; 1963, 4-2; 1962, 4-3; and 1959, 4-0.

  4. 2010. The series row is June 3 to June 17, 2010, Los Angeles Lakers 4, Boston Celtics 3. Basketball-Reference does not show a later Finals between these two franchises. The 2008 row is June 5 to June 17, Boston 4, Los Angeles 2.

  5. No. Those are the franchise-header championship counts. The Finals count against each other is the 12-series list: Celtics 9, Lakers 3. The head-to-head row is a third number, 135-169 in 304 games, and it is not labeled as Finals.

  1. Stats as of October 3, 2026, both franchise headers include the 2026-27 season in the season span, and no 2026-27 Lakers-Celtics game is quoted. The season series and a championship are not predicted.

Analysis: Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics

The Celtics franchise header lists 18 championships. The Lakers header lists 17. In the 12 Finals series on Basketball-Reference's playoff series table, the Celtics won 9 and the Lakers won 3. On the Lakers head-to-head table, the Lakers are 135-169 against Boston in 304 games. There is no 2026-27 forecast.

2026-27 season. Stats as of October 3, 2026. Both headers run through 2026-27. No 2026-27 meeting, score, or projection is quoted. The latest Finals row between them is 2010.

Finals series, winner first. 2010, Los Angeles 4, Boston 3, June 3 to June 17. 2008, Boston 4, Los Angeles 2, June 5 to June 17. 1987, Los Angeles 4, Boston 2, June 2 to June 14. 1985, Los Angeles 4, Boston 2, May 27 to June 9. 1984, Boston 4, Los Angeles 3, May 27 to June 12. 1969, Boston 4, Los Angeles 3, April 23 to May 5. 1968, Boston 4, Los Angeles 2, April 21 to May 2. 1966, Boston 4, Los Angeles 3, April 17 to April 28. 1965, Boston 4, Los Angeles 1, April 18 to April 25. 1963, Boston 4, Los Angeles 2, April 14 to April 24. 1962, Boston 4, Los Angeles 3, April 7 to April 18. 1959, Boston 4, Minneapolis 0, April 4 to April 9.

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The head-to-head row is a separate count from those Finals. It is 304 games, Lakers 135 wins, 169 losses, .444, 104.4 points scored per game, and 106.7 allowed. The table caption is "40 Opponents," and Basketball-Reference does not say the row is regular season only.

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