Going for the Green
Lakers taking today's rematch very personally
- |
Sasha Vujacic acknowledged that hate is "a very, very strong word." But to truly keep it real about his feelings toward the defending champion Celtics, the Lakers guard felt such a strong word was needed.
"I don't want to hear their name whatsoever," said Vujacic after the Lakers' 100-87 win at New Orleans Tuesday. "I just want to play against them. I'm speaking in the name of all the Lakers fans, we dislike them more than anything.
"I'm not wearing green because of Boston. I don't like Boston at all. You can say hate, I don't care."
The oldest and bitterest rivalry in the NBA regained its heartbeat during last spring's Finals when the Celtics dominated the Lakers in six games. From Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain, to Magic Johnson's "Showtime" vs. Larry Bird & Co., to today's renewed rivalry that includes Kobe Bryant & Co. vs. "The Big Three," not one ounce of love has been lost between the Celtics and Lakers. In fact, Celtics fans chanted, "Beat LA," during the final minutes of a win over Philadelphia Tuesday.
With lots of media hype, trash talk, and words of respect, too, the first Lakers-Celtics meeting since the Finals will take place today at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in front of a national television audience. The Celtics arrive with a 27-2 record --the best start in NBA history -- and also have a franchise-best 19-game winning streak. The Lakers (23-5) own an 11-game home winning streak. Tickets have been sold for more than $10,000 and were available for as much as $8,000 last night on Stubhub.com.
With hopes of soothing the pain of the Finals loss and gaining some confidence against the detested foe, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said success today means more for his team, without a doubt. Jackson and Bryant have respectfully described this challenge against the red-hot Celtics as a measuring-stick game.
"If we can stop the winning streak, that would be a significant thing," Jackson said. "They're going to want to say they didn't get stopped by the Lakers. So they have a challenge here, too."
Said Bryant, "We get to see where we are in this moment in time and go from there."
Talking the talk
Bryant said the biggest Christmas game he's played in, including today, is the one that marked the return of Shaquille O'Neal to Los Angeles with the Miami Heat in 2004. Even so, the mention of the hype surrounding today's game evoked an immediate grin from Bryant, who expects an "electric atmosphere.""It's good for the game," Bryant said. "Growing up in high school, you knew about the Bulls and Knicks and Lakers-Celtics. The hype creates the atmosphere and the energy for people who watch the game. It's enjoyable for us to be part of it."
The Celtics have a growing reputation as the biggest trash-talking team in the NBA, and they might be the most hated, too. There was definitely talk between the Celtics and Lakers on the floor during the Finals and even by the coaches through the media. Try as they might to just play basketball, Vujacic believes it will be tough for both teams to keep their mouths shut today, especially Boston.
"I don't like people that talk too much," Vujacic said. "They talk too much. I don't want to talk in the game whatsoever. We want to be quiet. I talk for all my teammates, we want to prove who we are on the court.
"It's going to be very tough. They're the type of team that likes to talk. We're going to put everything behind us, but the memories are going to come up and we'll see what's going to happen."
While the Celtics have focused squarely on the game at hand, no matter the foe, the Lakers have been talking publicly about today's game for nearly a month. As they watched the Celtics'122-117 overtime win at Indiana Dec. 7, Lakers players openly rooted against Boston. And before the Lakers' game against New Orleans Tuesday, video of the Hornets, Dec. 12 loss at Boston was shown in their locker room.
"They've become that team you pay attention to," Lakers guard Derek Fisher said. "You watch to see what's going on. Now they're your enemy. They're your rival. You want to try to outdo them in some ways. That's the position that we're in because we lost.
"They're the champions and everyone is looking to outdo them and knock them off of that throne. But as far as what happens on Christmas, I've been around 13 years and they aren't handing out no trophies on Christmas Day."
Learning from mistakes
As much as Vujacic might hate Boston, he pointed the finger at himself and the Lakers as the people he is really mad at for losing the Finals. The Lakers blew a 24-point lead at home in Game 4 en route to a 97-91 loss that gave Boston a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. The Celtics won their first NBA championship in 22 years by routing the Lakers, 131-92, in Boston on Game 6."It's personal for everybody," Fisher said. "You don't realize the pain and what you feel after losing in the Finals until you go do it. Everybody in this locker room, with exception of Josh Powell and Sun Yue, were here last year and remember how that felt. It’s personal in terms of playing against that team."
Said Vujacic, "A win is very important for our fans. I know I am speaking for everybody here, we want to win that game. We have to take it like just another game, but the emotions and memories of the Finals come out. You got to remember what they did to us."
The Lakers flew back to Los Angeles after the Finals knowing they needed to improve defensively and get rid of a reputation for being soft. They enter today 15th in the NBA in points allowed per game as 97.53. Bryant said he uses the Finals as motivation to play better defense.
"We talk about [the Celtics] when we're being lazy defensively or something like that," said Bryant. "When I sense that guys aren't pushing it like they should, I say, "You better remember what the hell happened. You better get in gear.""
As for the lack of toughness, Bryant said, "We got to get stronger. We got guys that are tough. Boston is stronger than us."
Center Andrew Bynum is back after missing the Finals because of knee surgery and agrees with the theory that he would have made a major difference if he played. Los Angeles has two 7-footers now in its starting lineup in Bynum and forward Pau Gasol. However, the Lakers were 0-2 in the regular season against Boston last year with Bynum. Also, Trevor Ariza (acquired from Orlando last season) has a training camp under his belt and is the starting small forward, which allows Lamar Odom to come off the bench.
But Fisher has had problems keeping up with Boston guard Rajon Rondo and speedy Lakers backup guard Jordan Farmar is expected to be out eight weeks after having left knee surgery yesterday. And four of the Lakers' five losses are against the Eastern Conference.
"We got a couple guys that weren't there for us last year that are there now," said Bryant. "That helps our depth tremendously."
Vujacic's hate for the Celtics is so deep that he hasn't worn green since the Finals. His friends, teammates, and Lakers fans have joined him in the green boycott. Adding to his ire was the Boston fans throwing rocks and rocking the Lakers'; bus when they departed from TD Banknorth Garden after the Celtics won the championship.
When asked what will it take for him to wear green again, Vujacic said, "You want me to be honest? When we kick their ass, I'll wear green."
Marc J. Spears can be reached at mspears@globe.com
