USA Today via Reuters
Jan 28, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) defended by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Jan 28, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) defended by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
LeBron James & Co. stormed through the In-Season tournament to lift the NBA Cup in Las Vegas. The Los Angeles Lakers won against the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in the In-Season tournament. The Lakers first defeated Phoenix Suns in the quarterfinals and New Orleans Pelicans in the semis to face Pacers in the final. With the win, they top the teams in terms of overall championship wins in the NBA.
The Lakers have a historical rivalry with the Boston Celtics, and it is the greatest in the league. The rivalry witnessed a brief lull for a while. However, it took no time to reignite when the two teams met in the NBA finals in 2008, almost two decades since their last outing in 1987. More recently, the two were tied for the championship wins. But LeBron James helped the Lakers gain an edge in that as well.
Los Angeles Lakers march ahead of Boston Celtics
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With the victory in the final, the Lakers added another title to their long list of championships. Previously, they had 17 championship wins to their name, a number the same as the Boston Celtics. With this win, however, they get ahead of the Celtics. However, since this is not the NBA Finals win, but rather an “in-season” title, we can consider that they are .1 score ahead of Boston.
The Lakers and Celtics both have 17 postseason NBA champions. Those cancel each other out.
The Lakers have one In-Season Tournament championship and the Celtics have zero In-Season Tournament champions.
Therefore, the Lakers have 18 championships and the Celtics only have 17.
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) December 10, 2023
The two teams have clashed 12 times in the NBA finals. But the rivalry is only going to get more intense as the Celtics are hungry for revenge.
Jayson Tatum and the 18th Championship dream
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The Celtics and Lakers have 34 wins out of 76 championships. The two teams have fought each other tooth and nail in the past. However, the rivalry subsided a bit after the retirements of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
As LeBron James gave air to the embers again, Jayson Tatum would wish to do the same for his team. He has previously expressed how special he felt at the Celtics and how great it would be to win the championship again. Well, Tatum does not have to worry as the wars have not ended; they seem to have begun, again.
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With the Los Angeles Lakers getting ahead, how would it influence the historical rivalry with the Boston Celtics? What do you think about the basketball wars of the Celtics and the Lakers? Let us know in the comments.
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