3 reasons the Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers rivalry is back

Both teams are legitimate title contenders

There’s different layers of playoff contention. On one end of the spectrum, there’s middling teams who are able to squeeze by and nab one of the lower seeds in the playoff bracket. Think the current Orlando Magic or the New York Knicks in the early 2010’s when the team had its most successful run of the millennium.

Then you have your playoff also-rans. These teams are contenders in theory, and win plenty of regular season games, but will never reach the brass ring. The current Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers and the “Grit and Grind” Memphis Grizzlies all occupy/occupied this tier.

Finally, you have your bona fide contenders. This season, both the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are legitimate title contenders with a real chance of winning the title, if a winner is to even be crowned in 2019-20.

Both teams are in the top five in winning percentage, point differential and defensive rating. The Lakers possess two of the top five players in the league, while the Celtics have perhaps the best top five (Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart) of any team themselves.

For the first time since the early 2010’s there is a realistic chance these two teams can play in the finals. Superstars are leading both teams, and there would be no better NBA story than the young Celtics finally taking down LeBron for banner #18.