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Celtics, Lakers open NBA Finals in Beantown

Thu 5th, June 2008

(Sports Network) - One of the greatest rivalries in sports will be renewed in the 2008 NBA Finals, as the Boston Celtics host the Los Angeles Lakers tonight in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series.

The first two games of the series will be played at TD Banknorth Garden, while Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) will take place at the Staples Center. If the set goes to a sixth and seventh game, Boston would host those contests.

Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday evening.

This is the 11th time these storied franchises will square off in the championship round. Boston has won eight of the 10 previous matchups in the finals. The Celtics defeated the Lakers in 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969 and 1984. However, LA has won the last two meetings as it beat Boston in six games in 1985 and 1987.

Some of the greatest players to ever lace up a pair of sneakers have participated in this historic rivalry. Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, Dennis Johnson, John Havlicek, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Bill Russell are some of the great Celtics who have been part of the intense championship battles between these two squads, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Jamaal Wilkes and James Worthy were there for the Lakers.

Boston is appearing in the NBA Finals for the 20th time and has won 16 titles.

The Celtics had the biggest turnaround in NBA history during the regular season, as they finished a league-best 66-16, a 42-win turnaround from a season ago. They struggled in rounds one and two, needing seven games to oust Atlanta in the quarters and Cleveland in the semis.

Boston's Big Three of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce got some much needed help from center Kendrick Perkins, swingman James Posey and guard Rajon Rondo in Boston's six-game series victory over Chauncey Billups and the second- seeded Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals.

Garnett, 32, leads the Celtics in scoring (21.1 ppg) and rebounding (9.8 rpg) in the playoffs, while Pierce is averaging 19.0 points, 5.1 boards and 4.1 assists per game. Allen has struggled the majority of the postseason, but has managed to find his shooting stroke at crucial times. The 32-year-old Allen has posted 14.2 points and is shooting 40.3 percent from the field, including 34 percent from beyond the arc.

The 22-year-old Rondo has posted 10.5 points and a team-best 6.6 assists in the postseason, while Perkins has averaged 7.2 points and 6.8 rebounds. Posey has drained some big shots and has been tough on defense for Boston.

Each of the Big Three will be appearing in the NBA Finals for the first time in their careers. They are all All-Star players and have received much recognition throughout their storied careers, but a victory over the Lakers would be the most impressive entry on their resumes.

Doc Rivers finished his fourth season as the general for the Celtics, and has led Boston to the postseason for the second time. The Celtics fell in seven games in the 2005 first round to the Pacers. Rivers is coaching in his fifth postseason, as he also guided the Magic to the playoffs three times during his tenure in Orlando. He owns a 20-22 record in the playoffs.

Boston is 10-1 at home and 2-7 on the road in this year's playoffs.

The Lakers, who were the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs, are appearing in the NBA Finals for the 23rd time since moving from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in 1961. LA is 9-13 in the championship round and has an overall record of 59-67 in games played in the NBA Finals.

It is the 29th time in franchise history the Lakers have made it to the championship round, as they were 5-1 in this round as the Minneapolis Lakers.

The Lakers, who captured the Pacific Division crown during the regular season, had no problem winning the opening round of the playoffs. They swept Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and the eighth-seeded Nuggets, 4-0. In the semis, Los Angeles needed six games to eliminate Carlos Boozer and the fourth-seeded Utah Jazz.

In the West finals, LA showed why it was the best team in the conference. The Lakers ousted Tim Duncan and the defending world champion San Antonio Spurs in five games to advance to their first NBA Finals since 2004.

LA was stunned in five games by the Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals. Led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers did win three consecutive titles from 2000-02. They are 6-3 in their last nine appearances in the championship round

The 29-year-old Bryant, who won his first NBA MVP this season, has done it all for the Lakers all season. He is averaging 31.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists in the playoffs. He is shooting 50.9 percent from the floor and 81.4 percent from the charity stripe.

A 10-time All-Star, Bryant has played in 146 playoff games during his career. He has posted averages of 24.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists in the postseason. The superstar guard is appearing in his fifth NBA Finals.

The Lakers became one of the elite teams in the league when they pulled off one of the big trades of the campaign. On February 1, the Lakers acquired seven-foot Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for center Kwame Brown, guard Javaris Crittenton, guard Aaron McKie, the draft rights to Marc Gasol and first round picks in 2008 and 2010.

Pau Gasol, who was 0-12 in playoff games with the Grizzlies, has been huge for the Lakers since joining the club. The 27-year-old Spaniard is the low- post scorer LA desperately needed, and has been the perfect compliment to Bryant. He is averaging 17.7 points, 8.9 boards and 4.2 assists in the postseason.

Veteran guard Derek Fisher, who won three championships (2000-02) with the Lakers, has played in 148 playoff games during his career. Jordan Farmar Fisher, Lamar Odom, Vladimir Radmanovic, Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton have all done their part to help LA get back to the finals.

Odom is averaging 14.7 points and a team-best 10.3 rebounds in the playoffs, while the 33-year-old Fisher has netted 10.0 per game and has made plenty of clutch shots during LA's playoff run.

Head coach Phil Jackson obviously knows how to win in the playoffs. Jackson has won nine championship rings as a coach. He led the Lakers to three titles in his first four years in Los Angeles, and guided the Bulls to six championships. He is an incredible 191-80 in the postseason.

The Lakers are a perfect 8-0 at home and 4-3 as the visitor in the 2008 playoffs.

During the regular season, the Celtics won a pair of contests between the squads. Boston defeated the Lakers 107-94 on November 23 in Beantown, and 110-91 on December 30 at the Staples Center. However, both games were played before the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol.

Where the players come to play and STAY.