The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have the most historic rivalry in the NBA, clashing several times in almost every era. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were the poster children of this rivalry, with both teams meeting in the NBA Finals year after year during that time. And while the Lakers have won six titles since, the Celtics have won just one.
But that one title in 2008 meant a lot, seeing as it was the Lakers led by Kobe Bryant that the Celtics beat in the Finals. And this was all happening under the stewardship of Phil Jackson, who has 11 rings on his own as a Head Coach in the NBA. While Jackson is known as the ‘Zen Master’, he’s as competitive as anyone else, and this showed most unexpectedly during that Finals series.
Celebrity fans sitting courtside is normal for the NBA, and in a game during that series, Hollywood stars Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon were seated courtside. They also happened to be supporting the Celtics. During a particular Celtics run, their cheering got a bit much for Jackson to handle, with the legendary coach snapping at the superstars.
Bill Simmons: “2008 Finals, you get into it with Phil Jackson. What happens?”
Matt Damon: “Ok, so this was in LA, but the game before, we had been like 23 points down in the 3rd quarter and come back and won. So that game… we’re down 21, 22 points in the third quarter and Paul Pierce just goes full ‘Truth’ mode and just goes bananas. And they had this unbelievable comeback.
“And (Mark) Wahlberg was sitting – our agent has four floor seats and Wahlberg and I asked for 2 each – and so the four of us were there and we’re screaming, you know. We’re cheering on the Celtics, as you do, and their run was capped by, I think, Pierce kinda sliced through the lane and laid the ball in to complete the comeback.
“By the time he went up to lay the ball in, Phil’s already up because he’s like gotta call a timeout and try to stop the bleeding. And Wahlberg and I are like, ‘Oh my God!’, and as he calls the timeout, he just spins on us and he goes, ‘Sit down and shut the f**k up!’ He was so mad.”
The NBA is a huge draw for celebrities, so it’s no surprise that this happened the way it did. At the end of the day, the heat of the moment can cause even the most level-headed coaches and players to react. From the sound of it, though, neither Damon nor Wahlberg minded too much, and seeing that the Celtics won the championship that year, they also ended up having the last laugh.
