LA-Boston again

They were bound to meet again in a historical case of de ja vu. As if scripted by the gods of basketball, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics will be facing off again in the NBA Finals. They have faced off ten times in the history of the NBA Finals with each series always described as classics, and now, they’re at it again. The green against the purple and gold. Both are hands-down, the two most dominant franchises in NBA history whose consistency since 1946 is simply unmatched.

I’m not sure if it’s the age gap or era, but we just can’t help but look back and reminisce at the 80’s when talking about the LA-Boston rivalry. I’m sure that the younger NBA fans out there will contest us on this one, but the today’s rivalry is nowhere near the one we followed in the 80’s. But then again, it just started and has a long way to go.

The 1980s has been described as the second era of the Lakers and Celtics after Boston ’s dominance of the NBA in the 60’s. During this period (1980-1990), eight of the eleven NBA championships were won by either the LA or Boston . The Lakers won five titles in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988, while Boston won three titles in 1981, 1984, 1986. Through all these, they faced off against each other three times in 1984, 1985 and 1987. LA had eight appearances in an NBA Finals in this decade alone while Boston had five. How do you top that? But you can’t win ‘em all. For the record, Detroit won a couple of championships in the same period, while Philadelphia won another. I’m afraid it’s too early to gauge if the Kobe and KG show can top that.

What were you doing in 1987? How old were you then? Do you remember that this was the last time the Lakers and Celtics met in an NBA Finals? The Lakers won their fourth (out of five) championship of the decade, with Magic Johnson named Finals MVP. Do you still remember the proud pronouncement of then Laker Coach Pat Riley that the Lakers would repeat to defend the championship again in 1988 (which they did)?

Or how about 1984? Where were you then? This was the first time that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird would meet in an NBA Finals, some five years after they were drafted into the NBA after outstanding collegiate careers where they played against each other in an NCAA Finals. Boston won this one, with Larry Bird coming out as MVP by “unanimous decision.”

The Lakers made up for the loss in 1984 by coming back to defeat the Celtics in 1985 in a series where Kareem Abdul-Jabbar defied the gods of time by leading the Lakers and being named MVP of the Finals.

Indeed, those were the days! Laker fans went nuts each time Showtime Basketball dominated the wide-screen at “On The Boulevard” where beer flowed each time an NBA game was shown, thanks to the outlet’s satellite dish. The AB and more affluent crowd enjoyed the NBA games in the comforts of their houses which also had hook-ups to either satellite dishes or UHF connections to receive the live feed of FEN intended for the U.S. air bases (mostly in Manila). In a way, we’re thankful for the arrival of cable TV into our homes, but for those with Sky Cable, ambot na lang.

The Laker of the 80’s thrived on the core group of Magic Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Byron Scott, Michael Cooper, A.C. Green, Jamaal Wilkes, Kurt Rambis and Mychal Thompson. They were unstoppable especially when their running game was on high gear.

On the other side, the Celtics banked on a slow-down physical style of play behind the leadership of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson, Robert Parish, Danny Ainge and role players like Bill Walton, Cedric Maxwell, Gerald Henderson, Greg Kite, Scott Wedman, Quin Buckner and ML Carr.

Fast forward to today and let’s give credit where it’s due. The Lakers have become more than a Kobe Bryant show with the arrival of Pau Gasol and the support of Lamar Odom, but I’m afraid it will always be remembered as Kobe ’s team. Kobe will be known for his one-on-one moves, but I’ll always root for showtime basketball of fastbreaks, nifty passes and team ball. The Garnett-Pierce-Allen trio have done a good job of keeping tradition, but Bird, DJ, McHale and “The Chief” were a lot simpler in getting the job done despite their being superstars. I’m sorry but I guess it must be the age gap?

Age gap or not, the Lakers and Celtics are back on air, and it’s showtime!

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Time-out: Happy birthday to Mark Calo of Pilipinas Shell. >>> You can reach me at [email protected].