Lakers vs Celtics and the NBA Playoffs

Late eighties. Magic Johnson on one side, Larry Bird on the other. The NBA didn't broadcast every game live back then, and you had to read the results in the newspaper the next day. And then this came along — Electronic Arts brought the entire playoff season to DOS computers in 1989, machines that couldn't even properly render a round basketball.

Lakers vs Celtics and the NBA Playoffs is a basketball game set right in that era when the NBA perhaps had the greatest dramatic tension in its history. It's not a single-game simulator — the game covers the entire playoff bracket, from the first round all the way to the Finals. You pick a team from the league of that time, the rosters are period-accurate, so on the court you'll encounter players this generation might not have seen play live, but their names are known from the quirky knowledge every basketball fan carries.

For DOS standards, the controls are straightforward — action basketball with a side-perspective view, without exaggerated simulation ambitions. You attack, defend, shoot, and the game's pace is surprisingly brisk. The biggest problem, which hasn't disappeared even after thirty years: the opponent's AI can be deceivingly inconsistent. One moment it keeps you in check, the next it leaves a gap as wide open as a country road. Multiplayer against a friend was the right choice then and remains so now.

What keeps your attention even today is its period authenticity. The rosters, jersey numbers, team playing styles — EA made sure it felt like an actual snapshot of the league back then, not some generic sports game with a slapped-on logo. The graphics are understandably dated, blocky and lacking detail, but on a 286 or 386 it looked acceptable at the time. SoundBlaster didn't exactly make it sing, but the basic sound effects did their job. What aged worst is the camera and readability of the action during fast play — sometimes you simply don't know who's holding the ball or why.

Today, Lakers vs Celtics makes sense mainly as a time capsule. If you want to experience what NBA basketball looked like in the days when it was still written about in newspapers, and you don't want to just watch recordings, this is the most direct path. Fire it up in a browser via DOSBox emulator in two minutes and nostalgia — or honest curiosity — will reward you with a fairly functional piece of sports history.