Rebirth of the Celtics Vs. Lakers Rivalry?

With the current state of the NBA, it being dominated by the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, teams are preparing for the fall of the powerhouses, and are currently building up to be potential contenders. Two teams on the rise, and trying to return to their former glory, are the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.

Both teams have a bitter rivalry in the past and both are starting to prepare for the future with young and talented players filled with potential. In the last two drafts the Lakers have had the second pick, and the Celtics claiming the third overall two consecutive years in a row. The Lakers selected Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, while the Celtics chose Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. None of these players are even old enough to drink yet. Jaylen Brown, known for his athleticism and defense has players like Lebron James and J.J. Redick praising his defensive skills. Paul Pierce has shown his admiration of Jayson Tatum saying he plays like a mature version of himself. And then on the other side you have Lonzo Ball, not only worshipped by his father Lavar, but Magic Johnson has named him as the face of the organization. And for Brandon Ingram, Kevin Durant says it is the first person that epitomizes his own younger self. If the present teams can't make it to the championship which is highly possible with the star-studded west and the inexperience of them, these players can outlast the current stars and be the future of the NBA.

In the much closer future we could see the Lakers meeting up with Celtics if a couple things go the Lakers way. Paul George has expressed interest in playing for LA and they are desperately trying to get him, to the point where they violated the NBA rules for contacting him resulting in a half-million dollar fine. This will only happen if the OKC super team does not work out this year, because George only has one season left on his contract. But another player who is rumored to be heading to the West Coast is LeBron James. James missed the ESPY awards broadcast in order watch the highly coveted Lonzo Ball play in the summer league, and when he left the stadium he held up his hand in the shape of an L. Los Angeles? Lakers? Lonzo? Nobody knows but it could mean he is considering coming there with his free agency occurring this next offseason. The Lakers can afford two big contract signings if they don’t resign Brook Lopez. A team-up of Lebron James, Paul George, Brook Lopez, and the young talent of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Larry Nance, Brandon Ingram, could be a championship caliber team.

The Celtics are in a much better spot comparatively. They have an easier road in the playoffs, while the Lakers have many super teams they need to get through, the Celtics only competition is the Cleveland Cavaliers. And if Lebron goes to L.A. they will soar through the regular season and playoffs. The offseason additions of relatively young talent including Gordon Hayward and Lebron's former teammate Kyrie Irving makes them a serious contenders. They may need some more additions and fine tuning in the form of a few role players in order to make it past the Cavaliers, and are still behind the Golden State Warriors, but they are built to improve and take over the NBA in the near future.

If rumors are true and LeBron James takes his talents to Los Angeles, the Celtics Lakers rivalry could experience one of the most interesting battles yet. It wouldn’t just be a Celtic and Laker fight, it would be the LeBron and Kyrie battle. Both would need to prove something, Kyrie needs to show that he doesn’t need to be a sidekick and can lead a team, while LeBron wants Kyrie to regret ever wanting to leave him. This matchup could shape up to be the longest most intense rivalry in sports history, matching up with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson back in the 80’s. It could be one for the ages.