The Lakers-Celtics finals this year could very well be the best that NBA has seen in the last several years. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics are two of the most prestigious basketball franchises of NBA. When Larry Bird and Michael Johnson were playing, the basketball rivalry between these two teams was at its peak. It has been less intense since these players' retirements, but was reborn when the Lakers and the Celtics met in 2008 for a finals match, the first time since 2008. The Celtics have a total of 17 championship totals against the Lakers' 15. The championships of both these teams together account for more than half of the total number of championships in the history of NBA.
The Lakers and the Celtics have met for a total of 11 times in the NBA Finals. Celtics won the first eight and the Lakers, the next two. Then it was the Celtics' turn again, they won the Championship 4 to 2.
If the Lakers and the Celtics were to play each other in the 2010 Finals, it would be a rematch of the finals of 2008.
There are a couple of things that make this face-off very exciting. Firstly, the Celtics and the Lakers are the last two teams to win an NBA title. Also, there is some genuine hostility between the two franchises. A Lakers finals with the Celtics is an opportunity for both the teams to prove something meaningful.
There are ten Lakers and eight Celtics on the current roster who still remain from the previous teams that met two years ago. The Celtics have won 17 championships. With the way that they are currently constructed, one more win for the Celtics would virtually guarantee that the Lakers cannot catch up with them any time soon. On the other hand, a Lakers win would put them within just one of the Celtics record.
The Lakers and Celtics are more like friends who have had a fallout. They keep an eye on each other, but are blasé about it; neither team voluntarily speaks about the other but when they say they haven't been paying attention to what the other has been up to, they are obviously not being entirely honest.
Rasheed Wallace and Ron Artest are the two new additions to keep an eye on. Both players have proved why their teams have added them to their rosters. This post season, Artest put on a pretty amazing performance quarterbacking the defense. Artest will have to defend Paul Pierce for the finals. The Lakers did not have an answer to Paul Pierce, the 2008 Finals Most Valuable Player, back then. Even with Luke Walton, Vladimir Radmanovic and Trevor Ariza, they could not stop Pierce from averaging 22 points per game in the series.
With Artest is, Kobe will be able to defend Rajon Rondo. Kobe had done a great job in this in the 2008 series. But the thing to remember is Rajon Rondo has progressed at a rapid pace, he is not like the player Kobe met in 2008. Kobe has his task cut out.
Such player and team dynamics make for a much anticipated Lakers finals. A Los Angeles Lakers basketball game is one that is worth watching for any serious basketball fan worth his salt.
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