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"Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!," wore thin on my nerves during the 2008 NBA Finals.
While Bostonians broke out their decades-old chant and used it often during the three games played in the New Boston Garden, I recalled the Lakers crowds of the '80s, which were far superior to the ones that showed up during this year's Finals.
As annoying as Celtics fans can be, I've got to hand it to them...they out fanned the L.A. masses this time around with a barage of constant noise and support for their team. I had to wonder if the L.A. fans were even watching the game at points during the three games played at Staples Center.
The noise generated by Lakers home crowds paled in comparison to the Celtics throngs. After all, they had been waiting for 21 years for another shot at the NBA grand prize. Prior to Game 4, the ABC/ESPN commentators made note of how few of the 18,997 seats in Staples Center were filled with just minutes to go before tipoff, giving fuel to the notion that L.A. crowds passively arrive late and eagerly leave early from sporting events.
Maybe Lakers fans are jaded. NBA titles (or shots at them) have come to L.A. a lot more often than to the Celtics in the past 21 years. Since the Celtics last played in The Finals in 1987, L.A. has played for six NBA titles (1991, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008) and have won three (2000, 2001, 2002).
That's not a good excuse for Lakers fans, though. I mean, this is the Lakers vs. the Celtics! What more can we ask for?
It wasn't this way in the '80s. The Lakers crowds at the Great Western Forum were raucus and noisy. Those crowds are what the Lakers masses of today should emulate.
As for the on-the-court business of this series, both teams are in positions that will likely favor them to return to the 2009 Finals. Both teams are packed with talent and it seems The Rivalry has caught on with the current Lakers and Celtics.
Until then, Lakers players and fans alike can only hope Andrew Bynum's knee heals nicely during the off season and that missing persons Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom are located after their untimely disappearances during this year's finals.
So enjoy it while you can, Celtics. The Rivalry has been reawakened and both teams have added purpose to return to the NBA Finals.
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2 comments:
I guess I've been checking the wrong blog. I remember my Dad being a big Celtics fan. I used to watch the games with him when Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish were playing. Sorry, I've never been a big Lakers fan.
The big problem in Lakerdom is the fact that the true fans of the team were outpriced at the ticket office and replaced by celebrities who had more interest in camera time than the action on the court. With the price of gas in SoCal, the poor economy, etc. us true fans were left at home devastated viewing the games on television embarrassed by not only the poor efforts on the court by our supposed stars, but also by the lack of support coming from the stands. The big money may be rolling in for those suits in purple and gold, but us true fans are priced out of the biggest games.
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