Boston Celtics: The 25 Most Hated Opponents
By Bill Speros
2. The Lakers
The first time the Celtics and Lakers played for an NBA championship, Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House. And the Lakers played in Minneapolis. Neither Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson nor Kobe Bryant had been born. It was 1959. Their 12th and most-recent meeting in the Finals occurred during the second year of Barack Obama’s presidency in 2010. That should give you an idea of the historic permanence of this
That should give you an idea of the historic permanence of this coast-to-coast rivalry. The names on the Lakers vs. Celtics marquee reads like a litany of basketball legends: Wilt Chamberlain vs Bill Russell, Bob Cousy vs. Jerry West, Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird, Robert Parish vs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant vs. Paul Pierce, the Fabulous Forum vs. the Gritty Old Boston Garden, Jack Nicholson vs. Mark Wahlberg, the Beautiful People vs. That Guy From Southie. Even announcers Johnny Most and Chick Hearn fought for radio supremacy. Russell’s Celtics owned the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers, beating them seven times in the NBA Finals without a defeat. Bird and Magic resurrected the rivalry on a national scale in the 1980s, with the Lakers beating Boston in two of their three finals matchups in that decade, 1985 and ‘87. The teams would not meet again in the playoffs until 2008. The Celtics beat LA in six games, closing things out with
Even announcers Johnny Most and Chick Hearn fought for radio supremacy. Russell’s Celtics owned the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers, beating them seven times in the NBA Finals without a defeat. Bird and Magic resurrected the rivalry on a national scale in the 1980s, with the Lakers beating Boston in two of their three finals matchups in that decade, 1985 and ‘87. The teams would not meet again in the playoffs until 2008. The Celtics beat LA in six games, closing things out with an historic 131-92 blowout in Boston Garden. Kobe and the Lakers would get their revenge two years later, rallying for a title-clinching victory in Game 7 of the 2010 Finals.
Next: No. 1 -- Riley