Rivalry aside, Magic, Doc, and Ray court dollars for Deval

By Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff

There will be a two-hour respite in the Celtics-Lakers rivalry next weekend when Lakers' legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson joins with Celtics star Ray Allen, coach Doc Rivers, and team part-owner Steve Pagliuca to host a fund-raiser for the re-election campaign of Governor Deval Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray.

The event will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square next Saturday night, the eve of game five -- yes, we are confident there will be one -- of the best-of-seven NBA championship series, the 12th between the two storied franchises. Tickets are $100, $250, $500, or $1,500 to attend an "exclusive pre-reception" event.

Johnson, a Hall-of-Famer, is part of the ABC broadcast team for the series.

Alex Goldstein, Patrick's campaign spokesman, noted that, "whether or not Doc or Ray are able to attend will depend upon the finals schedule, but the governor is grateful to have their help and support and wants them to focus first and foremost on winning [the team's] 18th championship."

We can't argue with that.