Boston Celtics : Nine wins and one loss.

Los Angeles Lakers : Nine wins and two losses.

The long journey through the Los Angeles Lakers desert and the lack of a final punch in the last years of the Boston Celtics had left the NBA an orphan of its greatest rivalry. The one that magnified Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and that had its twilight in the last ring dressed in purple and gold: spring 2010, with Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant as stilettos, before the 'green pride' of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo That season, specifically on January 7, was the last day on which both franchises led their sides of the league.

Kobe Bryant retired, the Lakers ended up transferring to Pau and at the Staples Center the reconstruction cost more than imagined. It was tried via draft, selecting good players like D'Angelo Russell, Lonzo Ball or Brandon Ingram , but they lost some Playoffs after others and the squad did not work until in California they realized what they had always done well: convince A few superstars. This is how LeBron James arrived and, a sabbatical year later, Anthony Davis . The result? Leaders of the Western Conference.

In Boston the rubble lasted only a few months and quickly returned to the Playoffs. They were not a dominating team, but they did not need to step on the last places of their conference to have a competitive team again. They did it with the explosion of Isaiah Thomas , the good work of Brad Stevens on the benches and several interesting draft picks thanks to the picks given by Brooklyn in the Pierce and Garnett transfers, such as Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum . The arrival of Kemba Walker and the departure of Kyrie Irving has provided the team with the necessary peace of mind off the field so that everything within it flows as Stevens wants. The result: Eastern Conference leaders.

Nevertheless, none is a favorite. The Celtics have to confirm this exciting start over the next few weeks, and in the Playoffs they will have to beat the Sixers , the best defense of the championship, some Antetokounmpo Bucks that, except injuries, seem better to a series of seven games, and even the Raptors , who seem to have maintained the level after Kawhi Leonard's departure. The Lakers, on the other hand, depend on the health of the always irregular (physically) Anthony Davis, and have an extremely demanding West: with Clippers, Rockets and Nuggets as great enemies, and with a middle class that has started very well the season: Timberwolves, Suns, Mavericks, Jazz ...

Yesterday, before the Warriors, the Lakers confirmed the change of helm (we will see if only during this year) that the NBA is living. Without Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson , the San Francisco were a candy in the hands of LeBron James, already seated in the base position: 23 points, six rebounds and twelve assists with Anthony Davis dressed in the street.

Seeing the Lakers and the Celtics so high is great news for the NBA , converted over the years into a league of ' players ', lost over time that slight fanaticism that was lived in his day with these qualifiers. Despite some rivalries that have come out in the Playoffs of recent years, such as the Warriors-Cavaliers, the Celtics-Sixers or the Warriors-Rockets, and despite the great moment that the league lives in relation to the quality of its players , none of those clashes has even come close to what the 80s or 90s were , and not only as far as Boston and Lakers are concerned. The NBA needs the two largest franchises in its history.

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