Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs

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Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Robert Weatherby, Electronic Arts
Licensor: National Basketball Association
Genre: Sports (basketball)
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code US 1990-11 $49.9549.95 700401 EU 1991-10

Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs is a 1990 basketball game for the Sega Mega Drive by Electronic Arts. It was originally released for the IBM PC in 1989, and it was the first basketball game to be licensed by the NBA (though it acquired the players' name rights without going through the NBA Players Association). For its time, Lakers versus Celtics was considered to be the top basketball video game on the market, and it was highly received by the press.

The title is a reference to the rivalry between the Celtics and the Lakers, who have faced each other in the NBA Finals more than any other two teams in NBA history (though neither team made it to the finals in 1990). The rivalry was considered particularly intense during the 1980s because of the personal rivalry between star players Larry Bird (Celtics) and Magic Johnson (Lakers).

Gameplay

The game is a five-on-five basketball simulation featuring teams from the 1990 NBA playoffs. It can be played by one or two players. It was notable at the time for featuring real NBA players and teams and for having a presentation inspired by television broadcasts.

There are ten teams and one court. Games are broken into four periods, and the team with the most points at the end wins. A basket from inside the three-point line is worth two points, and any other basket is worth three points. In the event of a tie, the teams play five-minute overtime periods (two minutes when playing with two-minute periods) until a winner is decided.

Fouls are called for traveling (if a player moves after he stops dribbling), charging (running into a defensive player who is set), failing to shoot the ball after having it for 24 seconds, failing to advance the ball into the defense's half of the court within 10 seconds, crossing back into the offense's side of the court after crossing into the defense's side, failing to throw the ball back into play within 5 seconds, and running out of bounds with the ball. Most fouls give possession of the ball to the other team, but fouling another player gives him a free throw.

	Tip-Off
	At the beginning of the first and third periods, the teams meet in the center of the court and try to gain possession of a jump ball to start the game on offense. The tip-off starts by pressing  START , then a player from each team jumps with when the whistle is blown and the ball is thrown.
	Defense
	The player under control wears black shoes and moves in any direction using the D-Pad. The player under control can be switched by pressing ; the game initially changes to the player closest to the ball, but repeated presses of cycle through all of the players on the team. The player can jump with to try to block a shot by the opponent. The player can try to steal the ball from an opponent by pressing .
	Offense
	The player with the ball wears black shoes and moves in any direction using the D-Pad. The player dribbles automatically while moving. The player starts a jump shot by holding and shoots the ball when is released. Releasing quickly does a fake shot (but moving again after this is a traveling foul). The player's likelihood of making the shot is determined by his statistics and how closely he is being guarded. The player can pass to ball to a teammate by pressing . Passes are made to the nearest teammate who is facing the player with the ball, and control changes to the player who receives the pass. After the other team scores or commits a foul, the player's team gets possession of the ball. A player stands on the sidelines and throws the ball to the nearest teammate he is facing by pressing . The player can rotate using the D-Pad to face a different player. When the player's team has possession of the ball, the player can call a time-out by pausing the game with  START , then pressing . This brings up the player statistics screen, where players can be substituted. This screen is also shown before every period. Each team can call up to five time-outs per half.
	Free Throw
	An offensive player is given free throws if fouled by a defensive player. The offensive player gets one free throw if fouled while shooting and the shot goes in; the offensive player gets two free throws if the offensive player is fouled while shooting and the shot does not go in or if the offensive player is fouled when the defensive player reaches in. The second free throw is only done if the first makes it in. The player shoots a free throw by pressing .

Modes

Playoff tree

There are two game modes:

• Single: Plays a single game. It can be played as a human player against a computer player, two human players against each other, or two computer players against each other (demo mode). There are three difficulty levels (Pre-Season, Reg-Season, and Showtime) for computer players, and players can select the length of each period (2, 5, 8, or 12 minutes) and the play mode (Arcade or Simulation). In one-player or demo games, the player selects the first team with and the second team with (which must be different teams), then press  START  to start the game (or press  START  without selecting any teams to start a game with the Lakers and the Celtics).
• Tournament: Plays a playoff series. There are three rounds: the quarter finals and semi-finals are best of five series, and the finals are a best of seven series. This mode is always played by a single player against the computer at Showtime difficulty, with Simulation rules, and with a period length of 12 minutes. The player is given a six-character password after each game for continuing.

There are two play modes:

• Arcade: Players never tire. The game does not keep track of fouls. This mode is not available for Tournament games.
• Simulation: Players become fatigued over the course of the game. Players have a fatigue level (FTG) from 1 to 4 (with 4 being full strength) and start to move slower, jump shorter, and miss more shots when their fatigue level decreases to 2. Slams tire players out faster. Players must be rotated in and out of the game during time-outs or between periods so they can rest. The game keeps track of fouls and ejects a player after committing six fouls.

Teams

Team select

Only eight NBA teams are in Lakers versus Celtics, which comprise half of the teams in the 1990 playoffs. Each conference also has an all-star team consisting of its best players, which cannot be used in the Tournament mode.

Conference	Team	Players
Western	Los Angeles Lakers
	Portland Trail Blazers
	San Antonio Spurs
	Phoenix Suns
	All Stars West
Eastern	Boston Celtics
	Detroit Pistons
	Chicago Bulls
	Philadelphia 76'ers
	All Stars East

History

Release

Though the North American version of the game is relatively common (as are its successors, Bulls vs Lakers and the NBA Playoffs and Bulls versus Blazers and the NBA Playoffs), the European version of the game is abnormally rare, to the point where, for many years, its existence was widely doubted. EA originally ran into legal troubles with the NBA when it came licensing the game in Europe, and likely recalled copies of the game shortly after release. According to an old Electronic Arts spreadsheet, 192 copies of the game left EA, but only 13 are known to have surfaced. A copy went on sale on eBay on 26 June 2017 attracting bids above £9000. Supposedly, it was set to be re-released as EA Basketball in 1992, though this never happened.

Versions

The Mega Drive version, though very similar to the original DOS game in nature, makes some slight adjustments to reflect the teams taking part in the 1990 NBA Playoffs (as opposed to the original's 1989 roster). As a result, the Seattle SuperSonics, New York Knicks, and Jazz are replaced with the Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, and San Antonio Spurs respectively.

Production credits

• Genesis Programming by: Jesse K.Taylor IV, Carl Mey, John Tomlinson
• Graphics and Animation by: Paul Vernon, Arthur Koch, Cynthia Hamilton, Peggy Brennan
• Sound and Music by: Rob Hubbard
• Technical Director: Richard Hicks
• Produced by: Don Traeger and Jim Rushing
• Assistant Producers: Jon Horsley, Michael Meischeid, Happy Keller
• Original Design by: Robert Weatherby

Source:

In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #15: "October 1990" (1990-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Sega Visions (US) #2: "October/November 1990" (1990-xx-xx)
• Game Players Sega Guide! (US) #0101: "Vol. 1, No. 1: Fall 1990" (1990-10-xx)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 40 Aktueller Software Markt (DE) 68 The Complete Guide to Sega (UK) 83 Console XS (UK) PAL 83 Computer & Video Games (UK) 88 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 60 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 100 Games-X (UK) 91 Joystick (FR) 93 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) NTSC-U 65 Mega Play (US) NTSC-U 65 MegaTech (UK) 89 MegaTech (UK) NTSC 82 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 89 Power Play (DE) 73 Sega Power (UK) NTSC-U 75 Sega Pro (UK) 80 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 80 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 70 VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (US) NTSC-U 70

	77
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Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs

Mega Drive, US (Cardboard Case)
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US (Hardcase)
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual Manual (Back)

Technical information

Main article: Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs/Technical information.

External links

• The story behind the 26-year-old Mega Drive basketball game getting £8000 bids on eBay at www.eurogamer.net