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Six-Decade Celtics-Lakers Rivalry Revival

The Celtics-Lakers rivalry goes back six decades and isn't over yet. It started with Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, Bob Cousy and the Jones Boys in the early 60's, and with the current talent-laden rosters of both LA and Boston, it may not be over soon. CelticsSentinel held an online 4-team draft yesterday focusing on Celtics players with more than two years of service in Boston. The goal was to create a Celtics team that could take on a 60-year compilation of Lakers stars. The results are below:



It is quickly obvious that @DanKelley66 went old-school, taking Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn and "Easy Ed" Macauley. Despite the ribbing I give Dan about his attachment to the 60's, this run-and-gun crew works against the Lakers. Red Auerbach ran his troops into the ground in practice sessions, and that didn't end in the regular season games or the playoffs. Long outlet passes initiated by Russ' rebounding and shot-blocking allowed the Guys in Green to stuff the fast break down the throats of opponents.


@LisaLaneMcCart1 went small-ball, picking Paul Pierce, John Havlicek, Rajon Rondo and Dennis Johnson to team with Al Horford at the center spot. I really like this starting-five, and I had all of these guys on my radar. But that is what happens when you add an extremely-competitive daughter to the mix.


@Celtics_PRam chose a front-court pairing of Bill Russell and Kevin McHale, a duo that would work nicely against the 6-decade Lakers team that we are currently constructing. I also like the Danny Ainge-Nate Archibald back court. That duo defines quickness, and LA would find it difficult to contain them. Also, I totally forgot about Charlie Scott. I must have been too occupied with Lisa reading my thoughts on my next draft choice.


Picking last in our snake draft, I ended up with #4 and #5, and never hesitated. Dave Cowens and Kevin Garnett are my front-court duo. If you are looking for intensity and competitiveness, here they are. JoJo White and Sam Jones at the guard spots just works. Sam once had to remind me just how good Larry Siegfried was, so he was a no-brainer. Everyone forgets Willie Naulls, but he was a 3-time All-Star and vital in the Celtics-LA clashes.

So stay tuned for our next chapter. We will be assembling a potent Lakers crew anchored by Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. You don't want to miss it. Watch for our comments on @CelticsSentinel.





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