In the NBA and professional sports in general, there are fewer storied rivalries than the one between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.
On Friday, the latest installment in the series was played with the Celtics routing the Lakers in a game that wasn’t as close as the 115 – 95 final score would have you believe. Boston racked up 70 points by half time and the Tinseltown hosts did little to show they had any response. It was a match up borderline undeserving of these historically epic warring factions.
Since 1959, the Celtics and Lakers have met in a record 12 NBA Finals series with the Celtics holding a 9-3 edge. From 1959 – 1969, there were seven series with the Celtics winning each time. However, of the five match ups since 1984, the Lakers own a 3-2 edge. Overall, the Celtics have 17 NBA Championships, one better than the Lakers’ 16. Together, they are responsible for 47% of all NBA Championships.
Sadly, since the Lakers’ 2010 NBA Finals victory the rivalry has cooled off tremendously. Friday’s match up highlighted just how far things have fallen. Perhaps Kobe Bryant‘s final game against Boston last April called an end to that era with him scoring 34 points in a Lakers loss. Metta World Peace (Ron Artest at the time) is the only holdover on either club from that era but he wasn’t even on Friday night’s roster.
This isn’t out of the ordinary as previous lulls have existed between both franchises. The 1990s for example, is the only decade so far with neither team winning a championship. The Lakers had the lone Finals appearance in 1991, losing to the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers started the 2000s with three straight championships before rekindling the rivalry in 2008.
A Finals reunion was teased in 2002 when Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals. They lost in six to the New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets. Six years later, however, the Celtics new Big Three featuring Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen matched up against the rejuvenated Lakers’ Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom in the Finals. Boston would win in six but painfully lose the rematch two years later in seven.
The Hall of Fame-laden list of ex-players on both squads heralding the rivalry is tremendous. Bill Russell. Wilt Chamberlain. Larry Bird. Magic Johnson. Paul Pierce. Kobe Bryant. John Havlicek. Jerry West . Robert Parish. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kevin Garnett. Pau Gasol. Tom Heinsohn. Elgin Baylor. Kevin McHale. James Worthy. Ray Allen. Lamar Odom. Sam Jones. Gail Goodrich. And the list goes on. And let’s not forget legendary coaches like Red Auerbach, Pat Riley, K.C. Jones and Phil Jackson to name a few.
Today’s young, exciting squads are primed for a resurgence of the rivalry in the near future but have a lot to live up to. The head coaches are young and wise beyond their years. Boston’s Brad Stevens is 40 and the Lakers’ Luke Walton is 36, so it starts with them. At point guard are Isaiah Thomas and D’Angelo Russell of Boston and LA respectively and they will lead the new age battle.
Both back courts provide other interesting match ups. Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart in Boston against Jordan Clarkson and Nick Young in LA. Al Horford and Jae Crowder form an intriguing foil for Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram. Jaylen Brown and Larry Nance Jr are there to fill up the highlight reel. Thanks to the Nets’ draft pick and the Lakers’ current record, the intrigue should increase come June.
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The two teams are at different sides of the spectrum right now. The Celtics are contenders in the East while the Lakers are heading back to the Lottery. However, if both young cores are kept intact for the most part, cross country flights from LAX to Logan might be a lot closer than we think.
Here’s hoping.