Okay, it's not quite like it was back in the glory days of Magic vs. Bird, or even the 2008-2010 rivalry between Paul Pierce's Boston Celtics and Kobe Bryant's L.A. Lakers.
The difference between those two eras was simple-as Charlie Sheen would put it, winning.
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird's squads won eight of the NBA Finals series that were decided between 1980 and 1989, while the two series between Kobe and Pierce in 2008 and 2010 gave fans not only two hard-fought stretches of games-including a seven-game series that literally went down to the final minute in 2010-but reminded everyone why Lakers-Celtics is the premiere rivalry in basketball.
Fast forward to three seasons after that magic 2010 series, and both these teams look like shells of what they used to be.
Sure, some of the faces remain the same. Bryant and Pau Gasol are still holding the fort for Los Angeles while Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo-who became a star in the 2008 NBA Finals between the Lakers and Celtics-are still with the Celtics.
But in the standings, these teams are hardly looking like championship contenders as they did in years past.
The Celtics are currently on a five-game winning streak, but have struggled all season with a 25-23 record and just lost their star player, Rondo, for the season with an ACL injury. Meanwhile, despite assembling a star-studded cast that includes Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, the Lakers have looked inconsistent and old throughout the season, stumbling towards a 23-26 record amid a coaching change, injuries and reports of infighting and turmoil between teammates-particularly between Bryant and Howard.
They're looking more like lottery teams or low-seeded, one-series-and-out playoff teams in the making than serious competition for LeBron James and the Heat or Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
And yet, this is still the rivalry that gets fans going. Even as bad as both teams have played all season, Lakers-Celtics is still the hottest ticket in town heading into their big matchup Thursday at 8 p.m. at the TD Garden in Boston.
""I Love it cause it's always great to watch these 2 teams go at it, 2 great dynasties with more than just great players, legends, championships and Hall of Fame; they make you feel the Game, the Love, the Thrill, the Pride and every second on that clock your heart is pounding like the ball.....Lakers all day everyday," writes Lakers fan RSS vs RSS on NBA.com.
"Let's go Lakers! As long as Kobe is on the team there's always a chance of winning," writes fan Mike Velez on the same site.
"As much as I admittedly can't stand the Lakers I will miss pierce and kg playing against Kobe's Lakers in the near future," writes C3LTICS F4N on ESPN.com.
"B-ball fans, we're watching the end of an era. Enjoy it," wrote Father Tres 1.7 on the same site.
"I still hate Kobe with passion but I do have a [ton] of respect for his game and comments. I love that he and Paul trash talks when facing one another. Old school ball. When Kobe, Paul, KG, and Timmy retires, bball will be soft as hell," ESPN user "PP owns Rondo" wrote.
There you have it. Few rivalries have ever stirred the passion, the intensity, the raw hatred, and secretly, the mutual respect, that Lakers-Celtics still does.
Bryant admits it himself, when speaking of the injured Rondo.
""What guard have you seen at his size that will get you 18 assists, 17 boards and 20 points all in one game? That's unheard of. I love that kid. I always make a point of talking to him during All-Star [Weekend]. He's one of my favorites," Bryant told ESPN this week leading up to Wednesday's game against Boston.
Even if Bryant and company look like they're more ready to fight with each other than for a playoff spot these days, the fans still want to see "Kobe vs. Pierce." While Garnett isn't what he once was anymore, fans are salivating to see what he could do against Lakers star center Howard, once Howard heals from his shoulder injury.
The fact is, there just aren't that many great rivalries around in the NBA these days. It's not like the 80s and 90s when fans had Lakers-Pistons or Bulls-Pistons or Knicks-Pacers. Sure, Heat-Celtics has been fun to watch in the last few years since LeBron came to South Beach, Knicks-Nets has a lot of potential now with the cross-town proximity, as does the budding rivalry between the Lakers and newly-competitive Clippers.
But none of those series have the history, the star power and the underlying emotion that Lakers-Celtics brings out. It's still basketball's equivalent of Yankees-Red Sox. No other rivalry can even come close. Which is why even with all the injuries, all the struggles and all of the issues surrounding either of these teams...Thursday's game is one game true hoops fans don't want to miss.
Game Time & Live Score
Game time starts at 8 p.m. on TNT. For live scores of the game, go to ESPN.com.
Live Stream
For live streaming of the game, go to NBA TNT Overtime via this link.
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