How Celtics, Lakers Can Deliver Another Star-Studded Rivalry Story

The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers felt days of anticipation for Saturday night’s primetime duel at TD Garden.

The game delivered an entertaining product with several runs for both sides in an eventual 111-101 win for the Celtics. The matchup had everything you could ask for with a tight finish, big nights for stars and the physicality of the sport’s most notable rivalry.

The world-shaking trade for Luka Doncic, who lost the NBA Finals to the Celtics last June, only amplified this opportunity for the Lakers. The superstar battled through back pain, as alluded to on the ABC broadcast, for 36 points that helped him respond to a slew of turnovers in the middle quarters.

Doncic and LeBron James fell against Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who were sensational for the Celtics. The TD Garden crowd matched the intensity of the matchup and set the scene for a deserving game.

If the Celtics return to the NBA Finals, there are plenty of Western Conference contenders who could make for an intriguing matchup. There’s the dynamic youth of the Oklahoma City Thunder. There’s the even counters of the Denver Nuggets. There’s the momentum of the Houston Rockets.

But could fans ask for anything more than the Lakers and the Celtics?

When discussing an NBA Finals preview, that matchup needs flashes of what’s to come. The possibility Saturday’s duel at TD Garden being stretched across a seven-game series should excite basketball fans if the Celtics and Lakers meet for a 13th championship battle.