Words really can't describe how excited I am for this matchup. There is no other team I'd rather see my Lakers face than the Celtics. Unfortunately since I'm 20 years old, I missed pretty much all of the epic battles between these two teams in the past, but I've read plenty of books and watched plenty of videos/tv/documentaries to understand just how serious this rivalry is. I wish I could have grown up watching Jerry West vs Bill Russell, and Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird, but I'll settle for watching Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol vs Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen.
The only experience I've had with this rivalry since I've been alive came in 2008, when the Celtics beat the Lakers in six games to win their 17th NBA Championship. I remember game six of the series like it was yesterday. The Lakers lost by 39 points, green and white confetti was everywhere, and the Celtic fans were taunting the Laker players as they left the court, humiliated. The Celtics dominated the Lakers in every way there was to dominate. The feeling I had after game six was probably the worst feeling I've had in my 20 years as a Laker fan. I've never felt more depressed about a loss, and at the same time never had more anger towards a team or a city.
I expected the Lakers to be in the finals this year, after all they are the defending NBA champions and I knew there wasn't a team in the Western Conference that could beat them in a seven-game series. However I can't say I expected the Celtics to be in the finals, which is ironic because I've always thought that they were the best team in the East, when healthy. I just figured LeBron James and the Cavs would get there, and we would finally see the Kobe vs LeBron matchup, or that Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic would get back there and we would see a rematch of last year's finals. But I'm excited now that Lakers' opponent is indeed the Celtics.
A lot is on the line in this matchup. Not only is this a chance for the Lakers to redeem themselves from their embarrassing defeat in 2008, but it's also a chance for Kobe Bryant to cement his legacy as one of the greatest, if not the greatest Laker of all-time. A win would give Kobe five NBA Championships, but it would also give him a championship win over the Celtics, which is pretty much the only thing he hasn't accomplished in his illustrious career. You have to beat the Celtics if you want to be considered a true Laker great (i.e. Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Now that's not to say that Kobe won't be considered a great if the Lakers lose again, but that would be the one negative hole in his legacy, and it would be a big one.
In addition, the Celtics' big three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen is getting old, and I can't imagine them being in the league much longer. This may be the last opportunity for the current group of Laker players to defeat the current group of Celtic players. If LA wins, they will have 16 NBA Championships, only one behind Boston's 17, but if the Celtics win, they will have 18 championships compared to the Lakers' 15.
This will be the seventh time in my life that I will see the Lakers compete for a championship. I've seen them win four titles, and lose out on two. The one thing I haven't seen in my 20 years as a Laker fan is a purple and gold championship victory over the green and white. I can die a happy man if that happens this year.
It's the Boston Celtics vs the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2010 NBA Championship. Could you imagine it any other way? I can't.
I'll have a prediction post up before game one, which is Thursday night in Los Angeles.
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