Play Lakers vs. Celtics and the NBA Playoffs Online

Lakers vs. Celtics and the NBA Playoffs came out in 1989 as part of the MS-DOS Classic Games series from Electronic Arts. It was a straightforward basketball sim for its time, built for PCs when pixelated athletes and simple controls were the norm. The game focused squarely on the historic rivalry between the two teams, offering a no frills way to play out those matchups on screen.

You control one of the five players on your selected team, either the Lakers or the Celtics, with the goal of outscoring your opponent. The main mechanics involve passing the ball, driving toward the basket, and attempting shots like jumpers and skyhooks. Defense relies on positioning to block shots or steal the ball. The pacing is quick, and the difficulty can be unforgiving if you take low percentage shots. It feels like a genuine, if basic, recreation of late '80s NBA basketball.

Each game uses different controls, most DOS games use the keyboard arrows. Some will use the mouse , "Alt" ,"Enter" and "Space bar".