The Boston Celtics will host their bitter and hated rival on Saturday night, the Los Angeles Lakers. The match between the two could determine their overall seeding in this potential finals match.
Two months ago, no one would have thought the Lakers would be in this position. However, they turned their entire fortune around by acquiring international superstar guard Luka Doncic.
Nonetheless, the Celtics are still widely considered the better team and are favorites in this matchup. If Boston were to lose this match, they would have lost the season series against the Lakers for the first time in 11 seasons.
The last time the Celtics were swept by the Lakers in a season series was the 2013-14 season.
Nick Goss of NBC Sports Boston shared in his latest column.
"The Celtics can prove they're still the team to beat, and that despite their somewhat lackluster home record (20-11), the Garden is still a very tough place for opponents to win. Boston also can draw motivation from the fact it lost the first meeting in Los Angeles back in January, and the last time the Lakers swept the season series came in the 2013-14 campaign."
That Celtics team looked entirely different, as did the Lakers. It was a season to forget for Boston as they finished with a 25-57 record and drafted No. 6 overall that season in the draft.
At the time, the Celtics were led by Jeff Green, who led the team in points at 16.9, and Jared Sullinger, Brandon Bass, and Avery Bradley, to name a few.
That season was also the second to last in Celtics green for Rajon Rondo. He only played in 30 games that year, averaging 11.7 points and 9.8 assists in 33.3 minutes.
However, this matchup is different, and it will mean something for both teams. Boston has a 45-18 record and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference on lock. The Lakers have a 40-21 record and are currently the No. 2 seed in the loaded Western Conference.
While it is Boston's two seed to lose, the Lakers can easily slip out of the two seed if they don't continue their winning ways.
The Celtics will look to snap the Lakers eight-game win streak.
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