The National Basketball Association’s marquee match up starts tonight. The two most celebrated teams in NBA history, the Celtics and the Lakers, battle for yet another championship. While the Celtics dominate their head to head competition (winning 8 of 10 championship series), their overall titles are rather tight. Boston has claimed sixteen crowns, to the Lakers’ fourteen titles. Echoes of Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, and Larry Bird may haunt the Lakers when the series starts in the Boston Garden. Surely, legendary Lakers like Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Magic Johnson will be cheering on the Lakers when the series arrives in the Staples Center for games 3, 4, and 5.
Who are you cheering for? My partner on Purple State of Mind, John Marks, resides in Massachusetts. He is surrounded by a sense of history, a connection to the origins of America, from the Boston Tea Party to Paul Revere. Where do I sit? In the City of the Angels, pulling for the Lakers' purple power.
To make the series even more interesting, consider the souls of their cities. While Boston brings intellectual heft, Los Angeles add entertainment glitz. Both played essential roles in the spiritual formation of our country. New England represents our religion roots from Puritans and Congregationalists, to Unitarianism and Transcendentalism. It is home to scores of Italian and Irish Catholics--the first wave of immigrants. Southern California carries the future. Founded as a Catholic mission, the City of the Angels welcomes recent Catholic transplants from Central and South America. Despite the perception that conservative Christianity started in the South, Los Angeles spawned both Fundamentalism and Pentecostalism (I write more about those roots in my new book, also entitled, A Purple State of Mind). And of course, the fluid nature of Los Angeles has made room for new movements like The Self Realization Fellowship and Scientology. So while Boston seems positively stable, LA continues to shake and bake with new ideas.
Who will take the title? The 'establishment' Celtics or the 'upstart' Lakers?
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Your picture of Magic and Larry Legend brought back wonderful memories. I watched a special on FSN last night on the "game that changed the game." It was the 1979 NCAA finals featuring #3 ranked Michigan State, led by Magic, and #1 ranked and undefeated Indiana State, featuring Larry Bird. To this day it is the highest rated NCAA final game ever, and by most accounts it put the "madness" into March. Of course, Magic and Bird went on to enjoy a glorious rivalry throughout the 80s that propelled the NBA from just another professional sports league to a true cultural phenomenon. The 2008 NBA finals rests in the context of this history, and I couldn't be happier.
Of course, when it comes to picking sides, I'm in a Purple (and Gold) state of mind. Go Lakers!
GO LAKERS!!!!!
Lakers all the way! Growing up in LA area and having lived in Boston for a few years, I never let my "purple" pride down. I got boo'd a lot while in Boston, but loved it.
I saw Kobe at a stop light last Monday. I mouthed "Number 1" on behalf of all of OC and LA routing for the purple and gold!
Should be an interesting tournament! Also looking forward to your book!
Thanks for sharing this piece of history! You made me think of my daughter, she is an absolute nut for the Lakers. So it's GO LAKERS for us...I think I will share her enthusiasm for her boys.
Blessings to you!
OK...someone needs to step up and make a case for Boston to win this. I suppose it falls to me:
1. Forgive me for saying this, but sometimes I've encountered a few Los Angelenos who seem to have an entitlement mentality, thinking the rest of the country owes them homage for producing movies. They presume that this homage must take the form of water, pumped from Northern California to sustain the swimming pool lifestyle, and sports championships, purchased in part by large market privilege. I don't buy it. But then, I grew up as a Giant and 49er fan, so you'll forgive my bias?
2. Who can't love a team that was terrible last year, and is on the brink of making one of the most remarkable year to year turnarounds in the history of the sport
3. Ray Allen is a class act, with a conspicuous absence of accusations hurled his way from motels in Vail.
4. The fans of Boston teams suffer endlessly but faithfully during lean years. The same cannot be said for Los Angeles teams, as the fair weather of the city applies to its sports fans as much as its temperature.
Go CELTICS...