Taking the Rivalry’s Temperature for 2008 - 09
Two months before the 2008 finals, Magic Johnson was stoked about the prospect of a matchup between the Lakers and the Celtics: “The basketball world needs the Celtics and Lakers,” he declared, in the same way “boxing needed Ali and Frazier.” Larry Bird concurred: “It would be huge, and it would stir fan momentum.” Lakers coach Phil Jackson, however, tried to throw cold water on the relevance of the old rivalry: “It doesn’t mean anything now, and there’s nothing similar now.” Players also seemed indifferent with Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo saying “he knew a little bit about the history, but not too much.”
Magic and Bird proved to be prophetic, however. Despite the twenty-one year cooling-off period between championship series, it didn’t take long for the rivalry to regain something of its old fevered pitch. As the 2008-09 season gets underway, LA Times writer Mark Heisler can report that “Celtics fans hate the Lakers so much and Lakers fans so hate the Celtics that both live to see the other team lose, no matter who beats them.”
Once again it looks as though the basketball gods created the Celtics and Lakers for the express purpose of testing the other’s skills and fortitude. Statistically speaking, a matchup between Boston and LA in the 2009 title series is highly probable. Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus projects the 76ers to be slightly better than the Celts but acknowledges that his new SCHOENE system does not take into account, to the extent it should, Boston’s ability to defend against field goal attempts. When that factor is given proper weight, he says, Boston shoots to the top of its division and could very well repeat as champion. The Celtics are not as deep as they were last season, though, and the departure of Posey could pose problems at the perimeter, especially if Pierce were to be injured. In contrast, not only is LA projected to be the most dominant team in the league but it also can start any of its top ten players without hurting its chances.
Before the 2008 championship series, the Celtics’ Sam Cassell said the two teams would need to face each other in the finals for three consecutive years before the rivalry could regain the intensity of the 1980s when it was personified by Bird and Johnson. He is right. Fortunately for Boston and LA fans, the prospects for a rematch this season could hardly be better. Look for the rivalry’s temperature to continue to climb as Garnett plays for his second ring and Kobe tries to prove he can win a title without Shaq.