“Beat LA!” “Beat LA!”
It seems like just yesterday that you would hear the chants by the Celtics fans at the storied Boston Garden. An arena filled with tradition. A parquet floor filled with “dead spots” that were only know to the Celtic’s players. In fact, the Boston Garden was rumored to have been the most difficult place to play, not only because of its fans or the supposed lucky leprechaun (remember Larry Bird’s steal against Isiah Thomas), but also because they would take the term “home court advantage” to another level by not providing the visitor’s locker room with warm water, heat or towels.
And now……the rivalry is renewed. The NBA, after its most dismal ratings last year when the Spurs (fundamentally sound but boooooring) defeated the Cavaliers (other than LeBron James, a bunch of “whos”), has Christmas come in June….yes it’s the Lakers versus the Celtics.
Growing up in Los Angeles, I get goose bumps thinking about this match up. This is, bar none, the greatest rivalry in all of sports. Ever since college rivals Magic Johnson and Larry Bird joined the Lakers and Celtics respectively, the stock of the NBA rose to new heights and catapulted these storied franchises to the top.
The Celtics were always the dominant team, with their record 16 championships, but the Lakers were certainly no push overs. For their Bill Russel, Bob Cousey and John Havlechic, we had our Wilt Chamberlin, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. Nevertheless, the Boston mystique was a difficult one to break. The 1980’s belonged to the Lakers and Celtics with the Lakers winning 5 championships and the Celtics winning 3 championships.
In 1984, the Lakers were close and pushed the Celtics to a decisive seventh game. Boston had never lost a seventh game in the NBA finals and the streak was not about to end as the Celtics beat the Lakers to capture the championship.
The following year, the teams met again in the finals. It looked as if it would be another Celtics championship run as they defeated the Lakers on Memorial Day in game 1 of the finals by a score of 148-114 (a game which has been dubbed “the Memorial-Day Massacre).” This game was a true gut check and the Lakers actually won 4 of the next 5 games to capture the championship.
Two years later, in 1987, the Lakers and Celtics once again squared off and once again, the Lakers came out victorious. Before the Lakers had the opportunity to uncork the champagne, their Hollywood coach Pat Riley declared that they would repeat as champions, a feat which had not occurred for two decades. The last team to repeat as champions….you guessed it, the Celtics.
The Lakers made good on their coaches’s guarantee and defeated the Detroit Pistons the following year to repeat as champions.
The old rivalry is filled with guts, glory and glamor. The short shorts. Magic’s hook shot over Kevin McHale and Robert Parish to win game 4. Kevin McHale’s close line of Kurt Rambis as he drove into the lane for a lay-up. Larry Bird holding onto James Worthy’s jersey like he wanted to tear it off. James Worthy diving for a loose ball to change the momentum in not only a single game, but an entire series. Kareem’s hook shot as the normally unemotional center ran down the floor pumping his fist like a kid.
For the past two decades while certain teams have dominated, such as the Bulls, Spurs and Lakers, there was never any true rivalry. Well……..they’re back. The Lakers versus Celtics is everything that is right with sports. It’s nostalgic. It’s good versus evil. It’s Luke Skywalker versus Darth Vadar. It’s loud and obnoxious east coast fans versus laid back and relaxed west coast fans.
For the Celtics, Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale and Robert Parish have been replaced by Ray Allen, Paul Peirce and Kevin Garnett. For the Lakers, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy have been replaced by Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol. The players are different, the arenas are different, but one thing never changes…..the Celtics hate the Lakers and the Lakers hate the Celtics. Just like old times.
