Last summer, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers added yet another stunning chapter to the greatest rivalry in National Basketball Association history, as they wrapped up another epic war at the 2010 NBA Finals. This marked the 12th time these two historic franchises have met to decide who is the top dog in all of basketball. The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant was handed the Finals MVP Award after leading an epic comeback from a 13-point third quarter deficit.

The Latest Chapter

Each team certainly has the adequate talent to carry their team to championship glory, but it was the Lakers who got the better of Boston on this occasion. Bryant led his Los Angeles Lakers, along with fellow stars Ron Artest, Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol over a Celtics bunch that trotted out a starting lineup comprised of Rajon Rondo, Rasheed Wallace, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. This was just another in the long line of great matchups between these two bitter rivals, but it was the Lakers who now have the last laugh.

Even after winning the 2010 Championship, if the Lakers want to truly even up this rivalry, they will have to defeat the Celtics six more times for championship titles. That may not be so easy, since this current Celtics team isn’t exactly going away anytime soon. This version of the Celtics franchise may not have guys like Larry Bird, John Havlicek, Bob Cousy or Bill Russell, but this group has enough future Hall-Of-Famers to be highly formidable for at least a few more years. If 2011 has been any indication, the Boston Celtics are more than ready to renew this battle in another NBA Finals war.

The Future of the Rivalry

These two franchises always come back from adversity, so even if one or both were to have a down period, you can be assured that they will come back stronger than ever and keep this rivalry going for as long as the NBA is in existence. Both teams showed their toughness yet again last season, as they each overcame adversity and injuries to rise to the top of their respective conferences.

History

There are numerous great NBA teams that have their own memorable rivalries. This includes battles between the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls, Seattle Supersonics (yes, I know there are no Supersonics anymore, but they were a great rival) and Portland Trailblazers, Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs, among many others. However, the Celtics vs. the Lakers is on a completely different level. Together, these two franchises have accounted for a whopping thirty championships since the inception of the NBA.

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