What do the 1960s and 1980s have in common? If you answered lava lamps, bean bag chairs, black lights, crazy haircuts or troll dolls you'd be wrong. You'd also be wrong if you said stone washed jeans, mini-skirts, tie-dye t-shirts or mood rings. What the real answer is is the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.
During the 60s, the Celtics dominated the basketball world winning 9 (count them, nine) out of a total of 10 championships that decade. Those teams were lead by Bill Russell and Bob Cousy. 6 of the 9 championships were against Jerry 'The Logo' West and the Lakers. There was no love lost between these teams who always fought tooth and nail against one another.
Then in the 80s, the rivalry was reborn with Magic Johnson leading the Lakers and Larry Bird the Celtics. The two teams won a total of 8 championships, 3 for the Celtics, during the decade. It was a staple to see at least one of the teams in the finals; and they met there three times with the Lakers holding a 2-1 edge. The competition between Bird and Magic was tough from college right to when they both took it to the pros in 1979. In 1987, the teams met for a 6 round bout that many believe to be the greatest finals of all time in NBA history.
Fast forward to just as recent as last year and there was no such thing as a rivalry for the teams. The Celtics have ranged from decent at best to flat out bad since the 'Bird' era with string of bad luck. They had one season, 2001-2002, where they had a glimmer of hope. That team, however, was full of aging veterans who completely overachieved and would have been swept against, whom else, the Lakers. Speaking of the Lakers, they have had a great deal of success since the 90s. They won 3 championships in a row featuring a set of future Hall of Fame stars; Kobe and Shaq. When the two had a falling out with each other and Shaq was traded, the Lakers fell into relative obscurity for a few years.
This past offseason seemed as if the two teams were heading in the opposite direction of each other. The Celtics' Danny Ainge finished what he had started a few years back. When he first took over, he said the team would stock pile young talent and then trade for veteran talent. That veteran help came in two steps. First was to acquire one of the league's premiere shooters of all time in Ray Allen. Then, in a move that sent shockwaves, the C's landed Kevin Garnett. The Celtics have not had a big man of this caliber since Bill Russell (no disrespect to the 'Chief'). The new 'Big 3,' which included incumbent Celtic Paul Pierce, was formed and was ready to dominate the league. They have already gelled together to garner their first 50 win season since 1992.
Across the continent, the Lakers were on the brink of self destruction through out the hoopla of the Kobe saga. It seemed on a daily basis that Kobe wanted to be traded, but at the same time proclaim he wanted to remain a Laker. The season began and Kobe was still on the Lakers' roster. Kobe put his team ahead of himself. With the help of the emerging Andrew Bynum and the recent acquisition of Pau Gasol, the Lakers are now one of the top teams in the West.
With both teams primed to make a run towards the championship, the NBA should take this opportunity to revive what was once a thrilling rivalry. This is an exciting time to be a Celtics fan or a Lakers fan. There would be no better way to cultivate a compelling finals story than to bring back two of the most storied franchises in NBA history against one another. This is more than Kobe and Gasol versus Pierce, Garnett and Allen. This is the Celtics versus the Lakers and there is nothing in professional basketball like it. That is why now is the time to renew the rivalry.
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