Veteran Lakers guard Rajon Rondo has seen some things. And knows the Lakers versus Celtics rivalry quite well. Via the OC Register:
Rajon Rondo’s best memory in T.D. Garden is June 17, 2008. Kevin Garnett screamed how anything was possible, and green-and-white confetti sprayed from the ceiling as the franchise won its 17th NBA championship. But as Trevor Ariza and the Lakers left, already shattered to have lost the Finals, they faced a very different reception: a rowdy crowd of Celtics fans literally beating on them, then rocking their bus back and forth as they left the arena.
“Yeah, that was a good ole Bostonian ass-whooping,” Rondo said on Friday morning, wearing the Lakers logo across his chest while thinking back on his nine seasons as a Celtic.
These are, by comparison, fallow years for the cross-coastal rivalry which has defined so much of NBA history and is often rough around the fringe. Lakers-Celtics always does have an extra edge to it, but it’s not quite the feeling of when both teams are unquestioned leaders in their respective conference. In fact, this latest installment finds both the Lakers (8-8) and Celtics (7-8) both in need of some wins to get back on track.
Rondo said the most intense part of the rivalry has been “buried” because the two franchises haven’t met in the playoffs since 2010. Growing up in Louisville, Ky., he said he didn’t understand how much power the rivalry held until he was in the thick of it.
Rondo has stories to tell. I look forward to hearing their extended versions after his NBA career wraps up.
