The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers’ rivalry is the biggest and fiercest one in the NBA. The two biggest winners in the NBA have starred in incredible duels over the years, fighting for supremacy in the association. It seems like almost every decade has featured these two teams going at it for the championship, and during the 2000s, we saw some of the best duels between the two franchises.
Ray Allen knew that very well, and he let the Lakers know he enjoyed beating them so much in 2008. The former sharpshooter won his first of two titles against the Lakers after joining Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett at TD Garden, beating Kobe Bryant and co. in six games.
During that series, the Celtics won a crucial Game 4 at Staples Center, losing Game 5 before closing out the series in Game 6 at TD Garden. It was a painful defeat for the Lakers and a sweet victory for the C’s, with Allen reminding them of the same shortly after securing the title.
At the 2008 edition of the ESPYs, the Celtics won the award for the best team of the year, and Allen received the prize. He didn’t forget about the Lakers and took a jab at them, saying that he won in Los Angeles again.
“Another win in LA,” Allen said with a straight face while the crowd laughed and booed him. “What can I say? All of us, if you look behind us, all of us were on different teams last year. What a difference a year makes. I was in this building for the ESPYs last year and I think I parked the limos last year. We want to thank the organization for making this all possible, for bringing us all together. Doc Rivers for putting us all on the same page… We came together as a team, we love each other and we definitely grew and got better throughout the course of the year and we want to thank you all for supporting us.”
That year was magical for the Celtics. They put together a terrific team, went all the way to the Finals, and defeated their biggest rivals to earn their last title to date. Allen was on another planet after that and didn’t hesitate to take shots at the Purple and Gold and their fans.
This season, they had the chance to add the 18th championship, but the Golden State Warriors beat them 4-2 in the Finals. Still, the young Celtics team will have the chance to get revenge in the upcoming seasons, as they have a talented group of players on the roster.
