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		Renewal of old rivals By Jeremy Kahn June 1, 2008

	When you think of great all-time rivalries in sports, people think of Red Sox-Yankees, Dodgers-Giants, and definitely from the old-school, people think of Bears-Packers. These are great rivalries in those two sports; however, the one missing, and the greatest rivalry in the history of the NBA, is the Lakers-Celtics. Granted, I was not born when the Celtics first defeated the Lakers back in the 1950s, on their way to eight consecutive NBA Championships from 1959-1966; however, this rivalry ranks right up there with the other three. When the ball is tipped on Thursday night at TD BANKNORTH Garden in Boston, this will be the first time since June 14, 1987 that these two classic NBA rivals will face each other in an NBA Finals game. I was born in 1971, and I did not understand the magnitude of this rivalry until I was 12 years old, when the Lakers and the Celtics met in the 1984 NBA Finals. This was the first time that these two teams met in the Finals since 1969, when a 29-year old role player out of the University of Iowa hit a high arching shot off the rim and through the hoop that ultimately would give the Celtics their 11th championship in 13 years. That player, who also played for the Lakers, is still in the game to this day, 39 years after the shot that broke the Lakers’ hearts; his name is Don Nelson, yes, the same Don Nelson that is currently the coach of the Golden State Warriors. When these two teams took the floor that spring, it was Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish versus Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and James Worthy. Yes, each team played with five players on court; however, those two teams were each led by their own “Big Three.” After winning the first game at old Boston Garden, the Lakers looked to go up two games to zero heading to Los Angeles; however, Gerald Henderson came up with the biggest steal for the Celtics since John Havlicek stole the ball from Hal Greer in the 1965 Eastern Division Finals to secure a 110-109 victory for the Green and White clad Celtics over the Philadelphia 76ers. The series shifted to Los Angeles, where the teams split games three and four, with game four being marred by McHale’s horse tackle of Kurt Rambis (Cupertino High School and Santa Clara product) and a stare down between Abdul-Jabbar and Bird. This was the last season before the NBA went to 2-3-2 format; therefore, game five would be played at the corner of Causeway and Nashua instead of at the corner of Manchester and Prairie. In a 97-degree Boston Garden, the Lakers did not have any answers and the Celtics sent the series back to Los Angeles, needing just one more victory to defeat the Lakers for the eighth consecutive time in the NBA Finals after a 121-103 victory. Game six would be a memorable one for me; because I attended the 119-108 Lakers victory, sending it to a game seven back to Boston Garden. That would be the only time that I would see Bird, McHale and Parish ever play in person, and it was a treat watching them play. Unfortunately, on that Tuesday night, at Boston Garden, the Celtics would win their 15th NBA Championship and eighth without a loss against the Lakers. The following season, the Lakers were on a mission to unseat the reigning champions and led by a 38-year old Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers finally defeated their longtime nemesis in six games. The rivalry would be on hold for a year, as the Celtics defeated the Houston Rockets in the 1986 NBA Finals for their 16th Championship, which would be their last championship. In 1987, it was an entirely different story, as the Lakers basically kicked the living hell out of the entire league, wanting to get back to the Finals and face the Celtics. Once again, the Lakers and Celtics met in the Finals, and basically, the Celtics were tired after a grueling seven-game Eastern Conference Finals with the up-and-coming Detroit Pistons. In game one, the Lakers raced off to a quick 9-0 lead, and never looked back on their way to a 126-113 victory. Michael Cooper would then hit a then NBA finals record six three-pointers, as the Lakers simply mauled the Celtics, 141-122. Now the series shifted to Boston for the middle three, and the Celtics sent the series back to Los Angeles after taking two out of three. The only game that the Lakers would win on the Parquet floor was a memorable one to say the least. Trailing by as many 16 points, the Lakers came all the way back in one of the greatest Finals games ever and defeated the Celtics on a running hook shot by Magic Johnson, as the Lakers defeated the Celtics, 107-106. After getting trounced in game five, the series shifted back to the Forum, and despite falling behind early, the Lakers wanted this championship. Led by a diving steal by Worthy, who got the ball to Johnson and in turn slammed the ball through the hoop, the Lakers would go onto win their fourth NBA championship of the 1980s and second over the Celtics in the three seasons. This would be the last time that the Lakers and the Celtics would meet in an NBA Finals. Fast forward 21 years, and each once again is led by their own version of “Big Three.” The Celtics are led by Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce, who grew up in Inglewood during the rivalry over 20 years ago. On the other side, the Lakers are led by NBA MVP Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, and Pau Gasol. Bryant and Fisher are looking for their fourth NBA Championship, while everyone else on both teams is looking for their first championship. Phil Jackson is looking for his record 10th NBA Championship as a head coach, which would break a tie with former Celtics coach Red Auerbach.