Kobe Reminiscences on Celtics-Lakers Rivalry
You and I weren’t the only ones that were disappointed when the Boston Celtics shipped off Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett this past summer.
Kobe Bryant was right there with us.
Their departure not only had a domino effect on the competitive landscape of the Eastern Conference, but the entire NBA. The Celtics would no longer be a threat, and that would mean the revived Celtics-Lakers rivalry that this generation finally got to experience to the fullest would also die.
That and prolonged injuries to Kobe Bryant and Rajon Rondo, the disappearance of a classic Lakers big man (Andrew Bynum, Dwight Howard) and an deteriorating Pau Gasol, and this rivalry — as we know it — is officially dead.
We all knew it was on the horizon. And now we aren’t the only ones who will watch tonight’s Celtics-Lakers showdown in Boston and reminisce. More from the Boston Herald:
“Absolutely,” Bryant said recently after a Lakers practice that went on without him and his fractured left knee. “It was tough to see that happen. I mean, going against Paul and KG, Lakers-Celtics? That’s good basketball.”
“When we played against them, you saw really good basketball,” Kobe said. “You saw smart players, unselfish players who played both ends of the floor, multi-faceted players.
“So of course I’d hoped for a team like that to stick together, because that’s the maximum level of competition that you’re going to have. I mean, that 2010 series is my favorite series of all time, just because it was the most competitive one. It was the most difficult one. I mean, we’re going against four future Hall of Famers. That doesn’t happen too often.”
Kobe is right, and unless we see the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat square off again in this years NBA Finals, we may not see it either for quite some time.
So it’s easy to see why Bryant, who is not close to a return to the court, decided to travel with the team cross-country. He loves the rivalry, and lives for its competition. As his career wanes down, he’s not going to pass up a chance to visit that classic parquet court, the arena he’s had some of his greatest battles.
“I love it,” he said. “I love going into Boston. I love playing there. I mean, the fans are incredible, because, you know, they’re nasty, but they appreciate the game. They appreciate good basketball. They appreciate players who go out there and just leave it all on the court. You know, friend or foe, they have an appreciation for it.
“I’m really looking forward to it. I’m going to interact a little bit with the crowd, absolutely. I’ll have a chance to kind of look around and look at the numbers in the rafters and kind of appreciate it a little bit more. Absolutely, because when you play, you know, you’ve got your blinders on. You’ve got tunnel vision. This will be good.”
And for all the criticism that Bryant gets, especially out of Boston, they should take advantage of this opportunity just as he is. Celtics-Lakers isn’t as much about hate and disdain as it is respect.
Respect for a rivalry that we will be lucky to see at its truest form again.
Rondo Expected to Return vs. Lakers
Barring any late afternoon setback, Rajon Rondo will make his long-anticipated return Friday night against the Lakers, Celtics president of basketball operations, Danny Ainge, confirmed Friday morning.
“I’m not sure. He hasn’t played for a year,” Ainge said. “What I’ve seen throughout my professional basketball career is that the ACL injury is something that every player has to overcome and coming back mentally, not just physically. I anticipate some adjustments and just getting used to playing and feeling confident and returning to the player that he was.
“And I think he will get there, and I don’t know how long it will take, if that means a week or a month or what. He has to get back out on the court and he has to try it, and now is as good a time as any.”
While Rondo will most certainly be inserted right into the starting lineup, he is likely to have a minutes restriction. Something that is more than common, but also something Ainge fully anticipates him to complain about.
“Knowing Rondo, he’s going to be complaining about [a minutes restriction], probably checking himself back into the game, occasionally, because that’s who he is. But that’s the game plan.”
Despite limited action, Rondo’s return will shine a glimmer of light on an otherwise bleak meeting between the Lakers and Celtics. For the first time in a handful of years, there may be more headlines surrounding this game off the court than there are on it.
Bryant Attends Class at Boston College
Man, I just can’t help but feel sorry for the random kid or two that stayed out a little too late and decided to skip class yesterday.
It’s not every day that a future Hall of Fame NBA star walks into your marketing class, which is exactly what Kobe did yesterday at Boston College.
So Kobe Bryant stopped by my brother’s International Marketing class at BC tonight… pic.twitter.com/pI9wJ569ZA
— Nick Ironside (@nironside) January 17, 2014
@kobebryant thank you for representing @BostonCollege #amazing pic.twitter.com/gDxsAHs0Z6
— Josh Reed (@jreed0614) January 17, 2014
Kobe Bryant was just at Boston College and 5 feet from me #livinglegend pic.twitter.com/sJWulGwtTa
— Ryan Dontas (@RyanDontas) January 17, 2014
It’s good to know that, at the very least, Bryant was given a warm reception. In terms of business, there’s a lot you can learn from Bryant. Who better to speak to students about making millions upon millions of dollars, investing it wisely, successful branding, successful re-branding, and the negotiating process. I’m sure he had plenty of cool stories, and quite frankly, I’m incredibly jealous of that class.
If there is any lesson in this it’s most definitely: check the sports schedule before you decide if it’s a good day to skip class or not.
Onto more from around the NBA