Luka Doncic was born to play for the Lakers.
In the same way that Alex Rodriguez was much more of a natural Yankee than Ranger, Doncic has a real Laker vibe about him. I believe people will ultimately remember him more for his time in Los Angeles than in Dallas.
And with that, I believe the Celtics-Lakers rivalry has entered a new chapter. The Celtics’ matchup with Doncic in the NBA Finals last year was the perfect transition into a new era. He’s the perfect guy for Celtics fans to hate.
Los Angeles Lakers v Boston Celtics
He’s going to tear your heart out sometimes, and give you that trademark evil grin, but wins will mean even more because of who he is and what he can do. Oh yeah, and that LeBron James guy is still there as well.
I personally don’t think James is going to retire anytime soon. Maybe in a few years, but not after this year or next year. He senses he has more of a window than he did before, and I don’t think he’ll let that go to waste. The Lakers are better than they have been, and it’s time for Celtics fans to accept that they’re also legitimate title contenders.
TATUM & BROWN LIFT BOSTON OVER LAKERS
JT: 40 PTS, 12 REB, 8 AST, 6 3PM, 2 STL
JB: 31 PTS, 6 REB, 3 3PM, 3 STL@celtics improve to 10-2 in their last 12 and sit 2nd in the East! ☘️ pic.twitter.com/t9XEaI4vhD
— NBA (@NBA) March 9, 2025
Oklahoma City is the best team in the West on paper, but you can’t count the Nuggets, Grizzlies or, yes, the Lakers, out.
The Lakers are well on their way to their first 50-win season since 2019-20 (when they won it all in the bubble) and have a shot at their first 53-plus-win season since 2011. Sorry, Celtics fans, but this is an improved team. The Lakers did make the Western Conference Finals in 2023, but I believe this Los Angeles team has a higher ceiling than that one.
But the local squad isn’t too shabby, either. The Celtics are going to register their fourth-consecutive 50-win season and have been the standard along with the Nuggets in recent years.
This is rivalry weekend for me, starting tonight with the Lakers vs the most hated Celtics and continuing tomorrow with my Spartans vs the Wolverines! pic.twitter.com/OWU52vBu5A
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) March 9, 2025
All that is to say that both teams are quite good, and that makes the sport much more compelling – both locally and nationally. Everyone has different Celtics-Lakers memories over the years. I wish I had witnessed the 1980s drama, but for me, it’s the battles in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
The 2008 triumph was magical, and the 2010 heartbreak absolutely gutted high school me. I still shudder every time I hear the name “Sasha Vujajčić.”
Even in 2013-14, when both teams had 27 or fewer wins, the matchup still carried extra weight. But now that both teams are relevant, and capable of winning it all, it has another layer once again.
“The NBA is a better place when the Lakers and Celtics are good,” Tatum told ESPN’s Lisa Salters.
You could tell Saturday night that there’s both genuine respect and genuine disliking between the two. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown respect the heck out of James, but I personally think their eyes light up when they see Doncic across from them.
Brown, in particular, seems to relish the opportunity to attack him and put him in uncomfortable positions. Al Horford was super locked in, so you know it meant something extra.
It felt like a playoff game, the crowd was loud and both teams played a good brand of basketball. Sometimes regular-season games this time of year blend together, but this one felt different from the jump. That’s all we can ask for.
While I think the Celtics would have the edge in a potential Finals series, I do think the Lakers are good enough to do it. If the Celtics can get past the Cavaliers, and the Lakers can get past the Thunder, we could be looking a rather juicy Finals matchup.
I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I do think it’s very possible.