David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE
BOSTON- The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have a bitter NBA rivalry that has stretched across almost every decade of the league’s existence. Every chapter of the Celtics and Lakers rivalry has gone on to define an era and earn a place in prestigious NBA history. The sixties were Bill Russell‘s Celtics and Wilt Chamberlain‘s Lakers. The eighties were of course Larry Bird‘s Celtics and Magic Johnson‘s Lakers. These men and their wars on the hard wood represented everything great about basketball and rivalries.
In 2008 another chapter of this Celtics and Lakers rivalry was beginning to take form. The two teams were clearly the best in the NBA with all others chasing their tales. The Boston Celtics were led by their “Big Three” of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. The Lakers had their own talented group with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum. Both teams had great supporting casts for their stars that did their jobs.
The 2008 Boston Celtics won the NBA title by beating the Lakers in six games behind a tough defense that pushed around the Lakers. The Celtics humiliated the Lakers in the clinching game six by blowing them out to add further salt into the open wounds of the proud Laker team. The Lakers were beat by a better team and that did not sit well with any of them especially Bryant and Gasol as they were out played by their counterparts PauL Pierce and KG.
The Finals loss that the Celtics handed the Lakers would provide fuel for the Lakers in the 09 NBA season. The Lakers would go onto the season with one mission in mind and that was get to the Finals and beat the Celtics. Bryant wanted redemption for losing a Finals series and thus a measure in his debate to be better than Michael Jordan. Jordan never lost a Finals. Bryant now had and that bothered him. Gasol wanted to prove that he was not soft and he could play hard and physical like KG had for Boston. The Lakers would vow to play tougher basketball and get revenge.
The season opened for the Lakers and they did indeed play better defense and more determined basketball as they would plow through the Western Conference with ease. Gasol was a beast in the paint with a young Bynum coming into his own as a monster in the middle. Bryant was of course motivated and easily the most dangerous scorer in the NBA. The Lakers were ready for Boston.
The champion Celtics basked in the glory of being champs, but once the season opened and Banner 17 was raised the Celtics were all business. The Celtics would steam roll through most of the NBA season. KG was dominating at both ends of the floor. Pierce was his usual lethal scoring self. Allen was a deadly sniper from anywhere on the court. The Boston Celtics were clearly the class of the East. LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavilers were having a solid year, but no one believed that they were deep enough top challenge Boston in the East.
The historic rematch was taking shape. Boston was going to win the East. LA was going to win the West. Could the Celtics defend their crown against a more motivated Lakers team? Could the Lakers win their revenge by beating their bitter rival that dealt them such a painful loss? Could Pau Gasol excise his KG demons? The answers to these questions were sure to come in June of 09.
The unthinkable would happen and rob the fans of the Celtics, Lakers, and the NBA in general. Kevin Garnett would suffer a serious knee injury that would end his season and Boston’s reign as NBA champions. The Celtics were a good team, but without their defensive centerpiece and emotional leader, the Celtics were no longer the clear class of the Eastern Conference. The Celtics would fight valiantly, but ultimately fall in the Eastern Conference semi finals. The ramifications of the injury to KG historically on both teams are very clear.
The Celtics were robbed of a shot at repeating as NBA champions. The 09 Celtics team had all the looks of a champion before KG went down. KG not around and then coming back as a lesser version of himself transformed Boston from automatic Finals appearance every year to just a contender. KG’s injury may have cost Boston in the next season as well. If KG is the KG of pre 09 injury does the Celtics team in 2010 that barely lost in the Finals get by LA again?
The Lakers in mind were hurt the most by the KG injury. While the Lakers would win the NBA title by defeating the Orlando Magic, Lakers lost out on a chance to gain revenge and prove that they could beat the Celtics. The Lakers beat a team that they should have. The Lakers did not beat a rival that was as good or better than them. Gasol never got to prove that he could beat KG. Bryant never got to test Boston’s defense.
Those that say the Lakers got revenge in 2010 are fools. The 2010 Celtics had a heart of a champion, but they were not the 08 or event eh 09 Celtics. The main reason is of course KG. KG was not the dominant force of previous seasons. KG was an effective defender, but not dominant. KG was not the offensive threat either. The knee injury robbed KG of his explosiveness in the paint and thus KG was not a guy that could eat someone alive in the paint like before. The Lakers beat a good team, but not a great team as injuries cost the Celtics a lot of their championship swagger.
To make a historical analogy is very easy in this case. The 1984 and 1985 Lakers are very similar to the 08 and 09 Lakers. The Celtics behind Larry Bird beat the Lakers and Magic Johnson in 84 for the title. Both teams were the best by far and would get their rematch in the 85 NBA Finals. If the 85 Lakers had gone to the Finals and faced someone else due to an injury to Larry Bird and won, then I guarantee you win would have done nothing for Magic Johnson. Magic wanted to beat Larry Bird and nothing else would do.
If the injury to Larry Bird was so serious that he never recovered to be the same guy that he was in 84 and the Celtics and Lakers met in 86 a year later and the Lakers won that series, I guarantee Magic would be bitter. Beating Larry Bird the best player in his mind in the NBA is what Magic wanted. Magic did not want to beat the guy that was a shell of himself because he knows that it would not have absolved 1984. Magic did not beat the guy that tortured him if Bird was not the same guy.
The debate between fans of who would have won a Celtics and Lakers rematch in 09 will rage forever amongst Celtics and Lakers fans. Both can lay claim and have legitimate arguments to support their claim. However, there is no debate that the fact KG got hurt and robbed everyone of this great battle is a true travesty of justice. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!
