Larry Bird helped the Boston Celtics to a 121-103 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The victory gave Boston a 3-2 series lead.
Home court advantage played a big role in the game as it was 97 degrees inside the Boston Garden. The Celtics were used to playing in the heat, while the Lakers were not.
Bird finished with 34 points and 17 rebounds. Dennis Johnson scored scored 22 points and Kevin McHale finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
“I love to play in the heat,” said Bird.
Magic Johnson finished with 10 points and 13 assists for the Lakers. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar finished with 19 points but labored in the heat and struggled from the field. He went 7-25 on field goal attempts.
The Celtics went on to win the NBA Finals in seven games.
