Celtics-Lakers Rivalry Overrated

The Boston Celtics will square off with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals for the 12th time in NBA history, and it is getting hype like both teams hate each other and it is a serious rivalry. This is completely blown out of proportion. If you hear any of the Celtics players talk about a certain hate for a Lakers' player, and vice versa, they are lying. Both teams are going into the Finals looking for another championship.

F Kevin Garnett, G Ray Allen, and F Paul Pierce are looking to get another championship ring together, and G Kobe Bryant is simply looking to get his fifth title, which will impressively put him ahead of C Shaquille O'Neal and F Tim Duncan, the two best players of the decade. All four of these players, along with Lakers coach Phil Jackson, love to win, and they do not care about this rivalry.

The rivalry started early in the NBA days. The Celtics faced off with the Lakers seven times from 1959-1969, with the Celtics winning all of the games. That is hardly a rivalry if one team dominates another team. F Magic Johnson and F Larry Bird had their own personal rivalry, going back to the 1979 NCAA National Championship Game between Indiana State and Michigan State. Johnson won that, and was with the Lakers when they beat Bird's Celtics in 1985 and 1987. The Celtics beat the Lakers in 1984 with Bird.

As a matter of fact, the only two victories from the Lakers have been the 1985 and 1987 championships. It has been complete domination from the Celtics, so this should not be a rivalry at all. Bird and Johnson have their own personal rivalry, but no one else has hate for each other. It's simply a basketball game in which all players want to win. These two teams only meet twice a year in the regular season, and it doesn't really get any hype then. So how could it be a rivalry?

The rivalry in baseball between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees is a true rivalry. These two teams face off 19 times a year, with much hype for every single game. Also, these two teams have had memorable matchups in the playoffs. That is a real rivalry. The rivalry in football as of late between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts have been great as well. Both teams have gotten the best of each other, and there is always hype surrounding any matchup between these two teams.

The NBA simply does not have any rivalries today, and that is the reason for the hype surrounding this Finals matchup. This is not a rivalry. Examples of real rivalries have been between the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks in the 1990s. The Knicks also had rivalries with the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat in the 1990s. Recently, the Pacers had a small rivalry with the Detroit Pistons, and the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks have a rivalry now. But the Lakers-Celtics matchup is NOT a rivalry.