The Celtics-Lakers Rivalry Comes Back to Life
Youssef Talaat
The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers are the two most successful basketball franchises in National Basketball Association history. Their rivalry dates back to the 1960’s when Boston featured stars such as Bill Russell and Bob Cousy and Los Angeles had great players such as Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. It was then fervently renewed in the 1980’s and was personified as Larry Bird (Celtics) vs. Magic Johnson (Lakers). After Bird and Johnson retired, the rivalry became less intense but was reborn in 2008 when the two teams met in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1987. This season, they are both at the top of their conferences and are expected to meet in the 2009 NBA Finals.
Statistically speaking, the Celtics is the better team because it won 17 championships while the Lakers have won 14 championships. Together, the two teams’ 31 championships account for half of the NBA’s 62 championships. Both teams have met 11 times in the NBA Finals with the Celtics winning 9 of the 11 matchups; however, today’s teams are undoubtedly equal in both skill and support. In their last meeting, on February 5th, the Lakers pulled out a close 110-109 victory.
The most notable players on each team today are Kevin Garnett (Celtics) and Kobe Bryant (Lakers). Garnett was selected as the NBA Most Valuable Player in the 2003-2004 season, and Bryant was selected as the NBA MVP in the 2007-2008 season. Bryant has led the Lakers to win the NBA Finals three times while Garnett has led the Celtics to win the NBA Finals once. Unsurprisingly, there are other superstars on each team such as Ray Allen (Celtics), Paul Pierce (Celtics), and Pau Gasol (Lakers). Over the years, both teams have greatly contributed to forming legends such as Bob Cousy (Celtics), Bill Russell (Celtics), Dave Cowens (Celtics), Larry Bird (Celtics), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lakers), Magic Johnson (Lakers), and Shaquille O’Neal (Lakers).
A Celtics-Lakers matchup will always be breathtakingly exciting. Their last championship game in June of 2008 was eagerly anticipated after a 21-year wait. Fans are still zealous about their predicted meeting in this year’s playoff as both teams appear to be extremely close in skill and performance. The Celtics-Lakers rivalry has once again divided the United States into the East and West; after each team wins its respective conference, the entire fan base of that conference shifts to cheering one of two teams: the Boston Celtics or the Los Angeles Lakers.
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