Red Sox-Yankees, UCLA-USC, Michigan-Ohio State, Duke-North Carolina. All storied rivalries with no shortage of historical moments or passionate, deep-seeded hatred. Because they’re all divisional or conference rivalries, these teams compete against one another every year but each team mentioned here rarely, if ever, gets the chance to play their most reviled rivals when the stakes are highest and championships are decided. That’s what makes the Lakers-Celtics match ups truly unique –the results carry the utmost significance and competition is always played at the highest level. And while the players constantly change, the fans remain the same. Lakers fans and Celtics fans are as compatible as Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren, Jon and Kate Gosselin, Sandra Bullock and Jesse James… you get the point- they simply don’t like each other.
In case there isn’t enough resentment between Los Angeles and Boston already (thank you Paul Pierce for adding fuel to the fire), here’s something for Lakers fans and Celtics fans to debate over. What’s the more impressive feat? The fact that the Lakers have played for the NBA title in nearly half its seasons by earning 31 trip to the Finals in 64 possible chances, or that the Celtics have won the championship in 17 out of 20 attempts, a mind-blowing 85% in Boston’s favor. Let’s take a closer examination into these numbers to get a better sense of how these accomplishments stack up.
Next: Taking a look at the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics won their first NBA title in 1957, in an era where they absolutely annihilated the competition, winning 11 championships in 13 years, and eight consecutive crowns from 1959-1966. The Celtics featured a lineup of Hall of Famers, including Bob Cousy, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, John Havlicek, Tommy Heinsohn and Bill Russell. Boston was coached by legendary head coach Red Auerbach and were so unparalleled in talent that they defeated the Lakers all six times they met in the Finals during the ’60s, despite the Lakers’ dynamic duo of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. Not even the addition of Wilt Chamberlain was enough for this Lakers team to defeat Boston. Tragically, neither West nor Baylor was able to beat the Celtics for championships in their respective careers.
How were the Celtics so dominant during this period? For starters, the league only consisted of 8 or 9 teams throughout Boston’s first dynasty. It was also an era before free agency or the modern salary cap even existed. In order to get some idea of what this meant, take the current hoopla over the “Summit” that D-Wade, LeBron James, Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh and the rest of the top free agents are supposedly planning on attending. If they had the option of playing on the same team and decided to do so, I believe their team would have dynamics very similar to the Celtics team I just mentioned. But my intention isn’t to diminish or take anything away from the Celtics for what they accomplished during this period. In fact, Boston’s front office was often praised, deservedly so, for recognizing superior talent and maximizing it to its full extent.
It wasn’t until 1984 when the modern salary cap was instituted to level the playing field and ensure greater parity for the league. Although Boston still managed to win titles in 1984 and 1986, the competitive balance started to shift, and Boston could no longer dominate as they had before, evidenced by the 22 year gap between the Celtics last two titles.
Next: The Renewal of a Rivalry
The Lakers-Celtics rivalry was renewed in the 1980s, with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson re-kindling an individual rivalry that originated during the 1979 NCAA National Championship Game. Larry Bird was part of an imposing frontcourt that featured Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, while the Lakers ushered in the “Showtime” Era with James Worthy, Michael Cooper and the captain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, at the twilight of his career. The Lakers and Celtics accounted for 8 of the championships during the decade, including three head-to-head meetings. Although the Lakers lost the first meeting in 1984, extending their Finals drought against Boston to an abysmal 0 for 8, they finally broke through the following year, emerging as the victors in 1985 and again in 1987.
It’s not surprising that Magic Johnson is still regarded as the greatest Laker of all-time, due in large part to his ability to beat his greatest rival twice in his career. Today, the Lakers are the defending champions and Kobe Bryant’s legacy will most definitely be affected by the outcome of this series. For those who think I’m exaggerating the importance of this rivalry, keep this in mind. Out of all the Lakers players to have their numbers retired, all of them have been involved in the Lakers-Celtics rivalries except for Gail Goodrich- and it’s no coincidence that he’s not regarded as highly as Magic, Kareem, or even James Worthy. You’ll be hard-pressed to find very many Celtic legends that didn’t play an integral part of this rivalry as well. There’s no doubt that Kobe will create even greater separation from Shaquille O’Neal by defeating the Celtics in the Finals.
Next: What’s the ultimate goal in sports?
In sports, success is always measured by the ultimate goal: winning championships. When you think of achievements in Major League Baseball, the pinstripes of the New York Yankees immediately comes to mind. Hockey fans residing north of the border will be quick to point out the dynasties forged in frozen rinks of Montreal. And what local sports fan does not marvel at the decade of dominance that emerged in college basketball during the Wooden-Era at UCLA (this is props coming from a die-hard Trojans fans!) When we turn our attention to the NBA and the imminent duel between the last two NBA champions, not only do we have the best rivalry in all of sports, we have a match up that pits the two most successful teams in the league. The winner of the 2010 Finals will not only determine who’s the better team this year, but it will have a considerable impact towards settling once and for all, which team will eventually be considered the greatest franchise in NBA history.
While the Celtics won the majority of their titles in the 1960s, the Lakers have been steadily narrowing the gap by amassing 9 titles since 1980s, including 4 in the past decade. In comparison, Boston has won just 4 championships over the last three decades, with only one of those titles coming this millennium, which happened to be at the expense of the Lakers two years ago. Nonetheless, the fact remains that the Celtics are still 9-2 against the Lakers in the situations that matter most.
During his illustrious career, former tennis great Andre Agassi, perennially the second-ranked player in the world was once quoted as saying, “Being number two sucks.” In terms of championships, that’s where the Lakers stand today. Although the Lakers boast the most wins, highest winning percentage, and most NBA Final appearances, they are still ranked second in titles. The Celtics have 17 championship banners hanging from the rafters, while the Lakers trail their arch nemesis by 2, with 15. After this series, the gap will either be reduced to just one or the disparity will continue to grow. Until the Lakers are able to surpass the Celtics in the only category of consequence, Laker fans such as myself will continue to see green with envy.