On Christmas Day, the Los Angeles Lakers will host the Boston Celtics, and it is sure to be an intense and possibly dramatic game between the two old rivals.
While this game has been highly anticipated, there was another yuletide battle between the two squads that was even more highly anticipated. It took place in 2008, as they seemed to be on a collision course to meet for higher stakes.
Just six months earlier, the newly empowered Lakers met the Celtics in the NBA Finals, only to lose in six games. Los Angeles was intimidated and manhandled in several categories. The capper was a 131-92 clobbering administered by the Celtics in Game 6.
The Lakers were eager to get back at the men in green, and they did just that on Christmas Day 2008.
They went on a slight second-quarter surge to go up 51-45 at halftime, but the fourth quarter was hotly contested. Hall of Fame big man Pau Gasol scored nine points in the final three minutes, and a steal led to a breakaway jam by Trevor Ariza with just over a minute left. That put the seal on a 92-83 L.A. victory that ended Boston’s 19-game winning streak.
The late great Kobe Bryant led the way with 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
The Lakers went on to finish with a 65-17 record and win the NBA title in 2009, although they did it against the Orlando Magic. That meant they had some unfinished business, and they finally completed it the following season by overcoming a 13-point deficit in Game 7 of the finals to finally defeat Boston for the world championship.
