Celtics Take LA Rivalry to Heart

Outplayed for three quarters, the Los Angeles Lakers finally clamped down on defense in the 4th quarter but came up short when Derek Fisher’s potential game winning shot with 2.2 seconds to play missed wide right, handing the Boston Celtics an 87-86 victory at Staples Center. Kobe Bryant missed his fifth consecutive game with a sore left ankle, and without him on the court in the final seconds, the Lakers appeared confused as to who would step up for the final shot. Boston improved its record to 34-18 while the Lakers dropped to 42-14 on a night when Cleveland lost at home, preventing them from gaining any ground on the league leaders. The Lakers looked tentative the entire game, and were forced into a perimeter game, which the Celtics used to their advantage. Ray Allen (24 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists) looked rejuvenated after having to endure a stressful last few days with the trade deadline looming over his head. Rajon Rondo (14 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 steals) had his way against the Lakers backcourt as the Boston starters outscored Fisher (3 points on 1-9, 2 rebounds, 1 assist) and Shannon Brown (8 points on 2-9, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) 38-11. Kevin Garnett (13 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots) still looks to be ailing from his knee injury, but he appeared livelier and more animated than in their previous meeting a few weeks ago.

Pau Gasol (22 points on 7-12, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots) and Andrew Bynum (14 points on 7-15, 9 rebounds) provided the Lakers with an inside presence but could not get enough touches down low as the Lakers settled for poor, low percentage shots. Boston’s defense was partly responsible for the Lakers poor shooting night (40.2% on 33-82, 4-16 from behind the arc) but horrid free throw shooting (16-25 for 64%) led to their eventual demise. Ron Artest (15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot) and Lamar Odom (13 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocked shots) tried valiantly but could not prevent the loss on a night when the Lakers came tantalizingly close to stealing one at the end of regulation. Paul Pierce (11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) and Kendrick Perkins (13 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocked shots) did provide the Celtics with just enough to secure the rare win over an above .500 team.

The loss, exemplified because it was against the Celtics, solidified what Kobe brings to this team. His ability to find open teammates, as well as drain game winners was sorely missing tonight. And although they went 4-1 without their star, the playoff intensity of tonight’s game found the Lakers looking lost and unsure of themselves. The Lakers-Celtics rivalry appears to be amiss with this group of Lakers. Perhaps two seasons ago seems like a long time ago, but it was the Celtics who played with purpose, intensity and with a chip on their shoulders. The Lakers came close numerous times, and as the Staples Center waited to explode, no one stepped up. Brown and Fisher were particularly affected by the aggressive Celtics, unable to fight through screens to slow down the red-hot Allen. Allen re-found his shooting touch, most evident in the 3rd period when he scored 11 of his game high 24 points. It was a performance from previous years, when he was known as the deadliest perimeter player in the game. He was able to easily elevate his quick release jump shot over the step slower Laker defenders. But even though the Celtics appeared to be in control, the Lakers took back the momentum in the 4th quarter with a stingy defense that forced the Celtics into hurried shots with the shot clock running down.

The Lakers took the lead at 84-80 after trailing by 9 points behind a spirited run by Sasha Vujacic (6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists). But Boston’s defense went into prevent-mode and they shut down the Lakers offense to a crawl, forcing ill-advised shots and turnovers down the stretch. With time running out on the shot clock, the Lakers let Ray Allen get loose for a lay-up attempt that bounced high off the rim, allowing Perkins to slam in the offensive rebound for an 85-84 lead with 4:22 to play. Missed opportunities by both squads played to the Celtics favor as precious minutes evaporated off the clock. Rondo’s runner high off the glass gave the Celtics an 87-84 advantage, but LO’s tip-in off a Gasol miss narrowed it to 87-86 with 2:24 to play. Neither team would score again as the Lakers played excellent defense but failed to capitalize on the offensive end.

dEDGE Post Scriptum
Rivalries in sports are quite often overrated and hyped to the point that the frenzy created by the media is the sole driving factor for non-suspecting fans simply willing to follow suit. Such is not the case when it comes to the Celtics and the Lakers. Hatred is a common theme when discussing your dislike for the opposing team. Heated is the tepid response when both teams are wallowing through poor seasons. But on the occasions when both teams are vying for the ultimate prize, the NBA Championship, the rivalry is taken to unforgettable highs and lows in the sporting world. This is Ali-Frazier, Red Sox-Yankees, UCLA-USC, and Michigan-Ohio State all rolled into one. There is no middle ground here, no wavering of loyalties or switching of fortunes. It’s all or nothing baby. The Boston Celtics; blue collared, hard working, lunch-pail toting toilers that persevere and never give up. The Los Angeles Lakers; flashy, run-and-gun, a Showtime that is equal parts basketball and equal parts Hollywood. East Coast versus West Coast. Substance versus Style. Stogies versus Cosmos. 17 championship banners versus 16 championship banners.

Boston’s glorious past makes Los Angeles’ pale in comparison. Winners of 9-11 head-to-head NBA Finals encounters, including a stretch of 8-straight championship wins over the Lakers, one could easily say that this rivalry is entirely one-sided. The Celtics simply put, never lost to the Lakers. Good fortune was buoyed by superior team play, a mastermind calling the shots, and every once in a while, an invisible Leprechan that would make the ball bounce a certain way. The Celtics were dominant in every sense of the word. Led by the outwardly abrasive, yet equally capricious Red Auerbach, the Celtics featured Hall of Famers Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, KC Jones, and Tommy Heinsohn. They moved the ball fluidly and shared the wealth as Russell devoured every rebound in sight. There has never been a more dominant team in professional sports history as their 8-consecutive NBA championships (1958-1966) still towers over other so-called sports dynasties. Their string of titles was momentarily halted in 1967 by the Philadelphia 76ers and Wilt Chamberlain in the Eastern Conference Finals, but reestablished the following season with consecutive championships in 1968 and 1969, both at the expense of the Lakers.

Russell retired after his eleventh title, and the ’70s became a rebuilding time for the Celtics. With new players to form his nucleus, Auerbach continued his magical ways by drafting and signing players who would play the Celtics-way. If you couldn’t reach the ball, you dove for it. If you couldn’t secure the rebound, you made sure your man didn’t get his hands on it. And if you didn’t give it your all each and every night, you weren’t fit to don the green and white. Players such as John Havlicek, Dave Cowans, JoJo White and Paul Silas followed in the mode that embodied Celtics pride. It wasn’t long before the Celtics won their next title in 1974 and another in 1976. It appeared that the dynasty had reinvented itself, still full of itself and everything else that mattered in the NBA. But Boston fell in the standings the following season and had to rebuild once again. Auerbach continued his dominance in the sport by adding future Celtics greats, Cedric Maxwell, Chris Ford, ML Carr, Nate Archibald, Gerald Henderson and the draft rights to a 6’9″ junior at Indiana State, Larry Bird.

Bird decided to stay in school for his senior year, and Boston suffered through another losing season. But Auerbach had great vision in Bird’s projected abilities and in his first NBA season, Bird helped the Celtics to a 32-game turnaround from the previous season, at the time a record for most improvement in a single season. It wasn’t until the following season when the Celtics obtained Robert Parish and drafted Kevin McHale to form the most feared frontcourt in the NBA. That season, the Celtics went 62-20 and captured their first title of the ’80s. The Celtics would go on to win titles in 1984 and 1986, but on the other side of the country, the Los Angeles Lakers were in the process of building a dynasty of their own. Few will forget the clothesline tackle by McHale handed to Kurt Rambis. Or Kareem jawing face-to-face with Bird. And Boston Garden will never forget the junior, junior skyhook delivered by Magic Johnson.

But in their most recent title appearance, the Boston Celtics outmuscled, outplayed and soundly defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals. If this Lakers squad can take anything away from tonight’s game, it would be that greatness is fleeting. The warrior mentality is not a look that one wears on occasion, nor is it a switch that can be turned on and off. It is an entitlement and a badge that you wear proudly and daily. One that is emblematic of superior willpower, fortitude and endurance. And although the current Celtics are a far, far different team than two seasons ago, they still understand the magnitude and importance of never losing to the Lakers, regardless of what’s at stake. One can only hope that these Lakers will take note and learn from these brief encounters should these teams meet at the end of the season. Because for me, and hundreds of thousands of others, there is no worse feeling than losing to the Boston Celtics.