The Los Angeles Daily News (Elliott Teaford) reports: For what it’s worth, the “Beat L.A.” chant started in Boston Garden near the end of the Philadelphia 76ers’ victory over the Celtics in the 1982 Eastern Conference finals. The Celtics crowd urged the Sixers to beat the Lakers in the Finals. Philadelphia would lose to the Lakers in six games, but that didn’t stop the chant from spreading around the nation like a plague without a cure. It was even heard in the Meadowlands when the Ducks, who play in Anaheim, not L.A., faced the New Jersey Devils in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals. “The fortunate but unfortunate part about the “Beat L.A.” (chant) is that it’s so unoriginal,” Derek Fisher said, breaking into a wry smile when asked if he was looking forward to hearing it from the Boston crowd.
