THE POP EXPOSE – The Celtics vs Lakers Eighties Rivalry! Story by Mitchell Smith
Hello everyone today I’m switching gears from the NFL after a great season and getting into the NBA. Rivalries ain’t what they used to be and the Lakers / Celtics rival in the eighties will probably never be matched. This isn’t todays game for sure. In a day when the 3 point shot was there but most teams relied on the inside game and the physical rough play and banging around down low.
I was watching 30 for 30 and both the Lakers and Celtics would kill any team today playing 1980s style basketball and I think they would handle most teams playing modern style ball. Both these teams would give any of the Bulls teams of the nineties a run for their money, and even Tim Duncan’s Spurs or Shaq and Kobi’s Lakers would have had a tough time competing in the hard physical play of the eighties that was not only physically challenging but mentally challenging as well.
Trash talking was a part of the game and the Celtics were the best at getting in your head. Don’t get me wrong they had talent. They had guys that could run and gun, pop the three, and but in some acrobatic shots near the rim. All the time doing it knowing you might get your head taken off on any given play. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird will go down as one of the greatest matchups in history. You also have to remember the NBA was not as popular back then and teams didn’t have state of the art facilities so they played in some rough conditions mainly hot and humid gyms.
Over all these teams were very physical and they were the reason fouls were tightened up and the reason the NBA exploded and led to popularity and better arenas to play in. Which teams do think could hang in the eighties with Bird and Magic? Do you think these teams could compete in todays game?
