The Lakers have been waiting more than six months for another shot at the Boston Celtics. Now that they'll get it, they might not like it.
The Celtics, winners of a franchise-record 19 consecutive games and off to the best two-loss start in NBA history, visit Staples Center today for a Christmas Day matchup with the Lakers. The game will be the first between the teams since the Celtics romped to a 131-92 victory in Game 6 of the NBA Finals last June to win their first championship in 22 years and 17th overall.
While the game might be the most hyped of the regular season, finals MVP Paul Pierce played down its importance after the Celtics beat visiting Philadelphia 110-91 on Tuesday night and before the team boarded a plane for its cross-country flight. The partisan crowd in Boston began a "Beat L.A." chant midway through the fourth quarter.
"If we beat the Lakers, do we get anything for it? Do we win another championship? Do we get another ring? No. It's just another game on the schedule that we have to play," Pierce said. "Truthfully, I think the media and the fans make it more than what it really is. This is for the fans. That's why they put it on the commercials. That's why they put it in the newspapers and that's why they make it on Christmas Day.
"This is for the fans and the media but for us, it's another opportunity to get better and build on what we're trying to do because the ultimate goal is winning a championship."
That, as everyone knows, can't happen until June.
The Celtics bring in a 27-2 record while the Lakers are a Western Conference-leading 23-5 after a 100-87 victory at New Orleans on Tuesday night in the finale of a four-game road trip. The Lakers enter the game with an 11-game winning streak at home, giving them a 14-1 home record this season.
"It's good for the game," Lakers star Kobe Bryant said of the pregame buildup. "Growing up in high school, you hear Bulls and Knicks, Lakers-Celtics and all this other stuff. The hype is what creates the atmosphere and the energy for people who watch the game. It's enjoyable for us to be a part of it. I know if I was coming up in high school, I'd be tuning in, just like everybody else."
The game would seem to be more important to the Lakers considering they're at home and the way they lost to the Celtics last June, blowing a 24-point lead in Game 4 of the finals and then being embarrassed in the series clincher.
"For us, really, the only stock that we put in it is to see where we stand right now at this moment," Bryant said. "It's like looking at a balance sheet to see where you are in this moment in time, and you go from there."
When asked if the Lakers were in the black or the red, Bryant replied: "What do you think? We're 23-5."
Regarding the Celtics, Bryant said: "Unbelievable. They're just playing phenomenal basketball and it's fun to match up against a team like that."
Bryant concedes the Celtics were the stronger team in the finals. The Lakers should match up better now with the return of center Andrew Bynum, who was sidelined most of last season with a knee injury, and forward Trevor Ariza, who was recovering from a foot injury during the finals and wasn't at full speed.
"We've got a couple guys obviously that weren't there for us last year that are here now, and that helps our depth tremendously," Bryant said. "We've got guys that are tough and Boston was just physically stronger than us. That's why everybody hit the weights and like I said, it will be fun to see where we stand right now."
buy wow gold
cheap wow gold
wow gold
cheapest wow gold
warhammer gold
warhammer powerleveling
war gold
war powerleveling
war power leveling
buy 2moons dil
http://vwowgoldv.blog-author.com/here_s_how_a_race_pans_out_in_motogp_07-174587.htmlhttp://www.meonline.co.uk/ohwowgold/5774/It+honestly+is+little+more+than+a+smattering+.html
http://www.meonline.co.uk/ohwowgold/5773/What%26%23039%3Bs+more.htmlhttp://ohwowgold.blogs.experienceproject.com/87522.html
http://ohwowgold.blogs.experienceproject.com/87521.htmlhttp://freeblog.eu/blog.php?user=ohwowgold¬e=4963 http://freeblog.eu/blog.php?user=ohwowgold¬e=4965http://www.bloxster.net/ohwowgold/52242/you+had+to+restart+a+mission.html
http://www.bloxster.net/ohwowgold/52243/This+is+all+entertaining.htmlhttp://ohwowgold.oggix.org/2008/12/18/its-pretty-hard-not-to-be/
http://ohwowgold.oggix.org/2008/12/18/this-is-a-review-of-a-standalone-expansion-pack/http://ohwowgold.normblogs.com/13869/as+a+major+franchise.html
