In basketball’s richest and most acrimonious rivalry, the key to victory is a distant departure from anything you could draw up on the chalk board.
This is about pride – the pride of the franchise, the coaches, the players and the cities. For the next two weeks or however long this series will go, coast to coast friendships will be put on hold and opposing team colors will be prohibited in public by L.A. and Boston. You can check the Lakers Nation list as well for additional banned items.
The 2010 NBA Finals gives both the Lakers and the Celtics an opportunity to pursue another legacy as an NBA dynasty, an honor that neither team is a stranger to earning. We can talk about X’s and O’s all we want, but bottom line, whichever team imposes their will, spirit and energy the most will etch their names into the new generation of Lakers-Celtics playoff lore. The C’s already had their turn – this is our time now.
2008 hurt us all and the bitter resentment of being humiliated by our arch nemesis left the smoggy confines of Los Angeles. Last year’s title against the Orlando Magic was undoubtedly sweet and special, being that it was Kobe’s fourth and first without Shaq, but the series was anti-climactic and hardly patched the wounds of two years past.
Well, this is it Laker fans. While the debates and discussions regarding this year’s matchup with the C’s will be flooding the entire sports media network for the next few days, once Game 1 tips off, it’s up to the Lakers to seize their championship destiny.
Make no bones about it though, we’re out for blood.
