Coming into Saturday night's epic matchup between the Celtics and Lakers, it was clear that the two historic NBA franchises with arguably the best rivalry in sports had ample respect for each other. The teams have combined for 35 of the NBA's championships, 18 for the Celtics and 17 for the Lakers.
And individually, there is plenty of respect among the teams' stars. The Celtics got a close look at Luka Doncic during the 2024 NBA Finals, while he was playing for the Mavericks, a series that Boston won in five games.
And Celtics star Jayson Tatum has a long history with LeBron James, who has long been a booster of Tatum's talents.
"As much as we probably talk about LeBron, we probably don't talk about him enough. Being 40, in his 22nd season, playing at an All-NBA level is an incredible testament to the work ethic that he's put in," Tatum said this week.
"His game, his body, to stay in the best shape to be able to compete and perform at the highest level for over two decades now. Something that we should all strive to do, even if it might be unlikely. But it's a joy to be able to compete against him in these matchups for however long we get to do it for."
Ah, but during the Saturday night contest, which saw a tightly constested first half blown open by the Celtics with a 29-13 third quarter before Boston had to fight off a Lakers rally in the fourth to seal the win, James suffered an injury that sent him to the locker room early.
As ESPN's Shams Charania reported: "Lakers' LeBron James has a groin strain and is out for rest of game against the Celtics."
Lakers' LeBron James has a groin strain and is out for rest of game against the Celtics.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 9, 2025
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This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 11:05 PM.