Lakers vs Celtics

The defining rivalry of the NBA saved the league from near-bankruptcy in the 1980s and remains the gold standard for basketball, outperforming #7 in historical impact. Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird revived interest: the 1984 Finals averaged 19.9 million viewers, the highest in NBA history at that time. The two franchises have met 12 times in the Finals (Celtics lead 9-3) and combined for 34 NBA championships—more than any other pair of rivals as measured by title counts. The rivalry represents East Coast vs West Coast, discipline vs showtime, blue-collar vs Hollywood. The 2010 Finals (Lakers won in 7 games) was the last time both were elite, drawing 28 million viewers for Game 7, 40% more than a typical NBA Finals game.