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There’s the obvious history between both teams which doesn’t need to be rehashed. These are the two most successful franchises in the history of the sport, and when these squads are in title contention, the NBA is better for it.
This year’s iteration of each squad features some preexisting narratives along with some newfound ones. All the same, this is a highly fascinating game.
LA (40-21) and Boston (45-18) are each in second-place in their respective conferences. The Lakers are chasing OKC — whereas the Celtics are looking up at the Cavs. Since mid-January, the Lakers have been playing as well as anyone — ranking No. 1 in the league in defensive efficiency. The Lakers haven’t lost to a team with an above .500 record since Jan. 19. Since that loss, LA has gone 19-3 (currently on an 8-game win streak).
Boston is effectively cruising at this point in the year. The Celtics likely won’t catch Cleveland for the top seed in the East. However, Boston cares more about getting fully healthy once the postseason comes. Specifically, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday have been ‘load managed’ throughout the year. While the Celtics aren’t as deep as they were last year, Jayson Tatum is playing at an All-NBA level. Payton Pritchard is likely going to be the winner of the Sixth Man of the Year Award barring something unforeseen.
In recent games, we’ve seen a host of Celtics out injured. Porzingis, Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, Al Horford, and Derrick White have all missed time. It would be shocking if most of these guys didn’t play versus the Lakers — essentially since this could be a Finals preview.
LA’s newfound duo of LeBron James and Luka Doncic have individual histories versus the Celtics. James battled Boston constantly during his time with the Cavs and Heat. Doncic squared off against the Celtics last year in the NBA Finals.
Tatum and Brown are perhaps one of the few duos best equipped to defend “LeBroncic” — although LA’s wing depth aside from the two stars should enable them to guard other Celtics while Dorian Finney-Smith and Jarred Vanderbilt likely get ample time on Brown and Tatum.
This is a very interesting wrinkle — and if the Lakers can allow their two best players to cook on the offensive end without having to expel all of their energy defensively, that’s a major win.
With respect to the Thunder and Cavs, this is the Finals match everyone — including the NBA — would want to see. Saturday could offer the NBA universe a nice appetizer as to what a series between these two teams would look like.
