Despite the fact that both teams were part of a different era of basketball and comprised of different players, Magic Johnson says that he warned Kobe Bryant going into the 2008 NBA Finals that the Boston Celtics were “like playing against no other team” when the two squared off for the NBA Championship that year.
Up until that point, the Lakers had cruised through the 2008 NBA Playoffs, sweeping the Denver Nuggets (who had a 50-32 record that year) in the first round 4-0, beating the Utah Jazz (54-28 that year) in the Western Conference Semifinals 4-2 and handily defeating the defending champions, the San Antonio Spurs (56-26 that year), 4-1.
The 2008 Celtics, who were made up of future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and rounded out by other solid players like Rajon Rondo, Tony Allen and Kendrick Perkins, had been underdogs heading into that season, going 24-58 the previous season. Notwithstanding, Magic Johnson warned Kobe that the Boston Celtics team, whose franchise holds the record for most NBA Championships and most wins ever in NBA history, has a mystique that can be hard to overcome.
“I talked to him before the first Celtics series, and I said this is gonna be your hardest championship series,” Johnson said on Byron Scott’s Fast Break. “He’s like, ‘No, no, no.’ I said, ‘Kobe, I’m telling you, there’s nothing like playing against the Celtics. You don’t understand.’ So, they ended up losing.”
As Magic said, the Celtics would go on to defeat the Lakers 4-2 in the 2008 series.
Johnson added, “When you play against the Celtics, it’s like playing against no other team because of their history. Once we (Showtime Lakers) understood that, we were able to win.”
The Showtime Lakers to whom Magic Johnson refers was the Lakers team he played on during the 80s. The rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics during this time period was at its most intense. The competition between the Lakers and the Celtics during this time period was fueled by their contrasting styles — the Lakers’ fast-paced, flashy “Showtime” offense led by Magic Johnson, and the Celtics’ gritty, team-oriented play anchored by Larry Bird. The two teams met in the NBA Finals three times in that decade: 1984, 1985, and 1987.
The rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics has deeper roots as well, going all the way back to the 1960s when the Bill Russell-led Celtics repeatedly thwarted the Lakers, including Finals victories against the Lakers in 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1969. The 1980s brought a new level of star power and cultural significance, with Magic and Bird revitalizing the NBA.
What do you think of the fact that Magic Johnson says that he warned Kobe Bryant about playing the Celtics in 2008? Do you think that the Lakers vs. Celtics game have an extra level of competitiveness and mystique surrounding them or has the rivalry cooled in the present day? Let us know in the comments.
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