2011 NBA Finals: Why Boston-LA Needs To Happen One More Time

Looking into the future, I hope and pray every day that we can once again see a matchup between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. As a Lakers fan, it might be a strange request to play a team known for being their biggest rival in the sport.

But this year is the year any true Laker fan throws logic out of the window on this case.

I think David Stern would agree that this matchup would once again draw some of the best ratings any Finals matchup has ever seen. The star power would be there, both in the players and the celebrities that would possibly show up. But this battle for the Larry O'Brien trophy means much more than any of this. It's about pride and legacies.

If these two teams would meet up, then this would be the deciding rubber match that my generation would witness.

The Celtics own the Lakers in head to head Finals matchups, having won nine of the 12 series. Boston dominated early by winning every matchup from 1959-1969. Then the battles were rekindled in the 1980's, where the Lakers finally got the upper hand winning two of the three matchups.

Now fast forward to this decade. Boston won decisively in six games in 2008, then the Lakers got their revenge by winning one of the sloppiest game 7's in NBA Finals history last year.

Any fan of the NBA wants this to happen.

If Boston and LA do battle once more, then we will know which one of these storied franchises owned the other one in this decade. The legacies of players like Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol would rest solely on this series if it were to happen.

Kobe would cement his name as one of the best ever. Phil Jackson also has a lot on the line, looking for his fourth three-peat as a head coach. Paul Pierce could etch his name into Celtics glory by defeating the Lakers one more time. His name would have to be mentioned with other Boston greats 50 years from now should h...

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