Boston Celtics: The rich history and Shaquille O’ Neal.
Isn’t beating the Celtics always the #1 option for the Lakers and Laker fans?
The Boston Celtics and the Lakers have met in the Finals 12 times with the Celts winning 9 of them.
The Boston Celtics beat the Lakers the first 8 times in the Finals until Magic and Kareem finally lifted the green curse by winning the 1985 NBA Finals over the Bird led Celtics.
The Boston Celtics bullied the Lakers in the 2008 Finals, highlighted by the series clinching game 6 where the Celtics demoralized the Lakers by beating them by 39 points.
The main parts of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnet and Rajon Rondo are still on the squad so a meeting with the Celts will provide the Lakers with a much desired rubber match to decide the best team in these last 4 years.
The Lakers winning a championship against the Celtics would also provide the Celts a front row seat to their record of 17 championships being tied by the Lakers.
There is one more reason for the Lakers to want to face the Celtics in the Finals and it will be pretty hard to miss dressed in green.
The once beloved Laker Shaquille O’ Neal and now despised Boston Celtic will be front and center in this Finals match up. It is still unclear if Shaq will be healthy enough to suit for the guys in green but even if he can’t he will have a great seat to watch the confetti fall from the rafters if the Lakers can pull off the three peat.
This would be like having your ex girlfriend have to sit through your ridiculously extravagant wedding where you marry your super hot wife then have to listen to all the speeches at the reception proclaiming that she was the best thing that every happened to you. As uncomfortable and heartbreaking as that would be for your ex girlfriend, it would be equally excruciating for Shaq to have to watch up close Kobe raise that gold trophy over his head for the 3rd straight year without Shaq’s participation.
It’s been over 50 years since the Lakers and the Celtics first met up in the NBA Finals; even after half a decade a Lakers/Celtics match up is still the most coveted by NBA fans and for the aforementioned reasons, the most desired by this current Laker team.
