The high-riding Los Angeles Lakers host NBA champions the Boston Celtics in a Christmas Day cracker on Thursday when the long-time rivals will have the league's biggest prize uppermost in mind. Although bragging rights will be on the line at the Staples Center, with a rematch of last year's finals and the Celtics bidding to extend a franchise-record 19-game winning streak, the ultimate goal is the NBA championship.
"They are playing phenomenal basketball right now and it'll be fun to match up with a team like that," Kobe Bryant told reporters after the Lakers eased to a 100-87 road win over the New Orleans Hornets Tuesday.
"The only stock we put in it is to see where we stand, right at this moment. It's like a balance sheet, and the Finals is the ultimate revenge." All-Star guard Bryant and the Lakers were outplayed by the Celtics in the 2007-08 NBA finals, being swept aside 131-92 in the decisive Game 6. Although the Lakers proved to be the best team in the Western Conference last season, their defence and rebounding were no match for Eastern Conference champions the Celtics.
This season, the Lakers are again riding high in the West and Tuesday's win, their second in a row on the road, suggested they have solved some of the defensive problems that plagued them last month. "We were in a great rhythm (against the Hornets)," league MVP Bryant said. "The season's a long season so you're going to have peaks and valleys.
"You'll have stretches where you play extremely well, stretches where you play well and stretches where you play badly. It's a roller-coaster ride and you've just got to stick with it.
"It's good that we got a little bit of a rhythm here and can get ready for the showdown on Thursday." While the Lakers (23-5) lead the NBA in scoring with an average of 107 points, the Celtics continue to set the standard in defence, holding opponents to a league-low 42 percent in shooting.
The first team ever to start an NBA season with a 27-2 record, Boston are seeking to win their 20th consecutive game and match the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks for the third-longest run of all time. However, Celtics coach Doc Rivers prefers to look ahead at the prospect of an 18th NBA title for the franchise.
"I'm not downplaying it," Rivers said of their unbeaten run after Boston routed the Philadelphia 76ers 110-91 Monday. "I know it's great but we didn't get our hands in and say: 'Hip, hip, hooray!' or anything. Nobody even mentioned it. "We just want to keep playing, and we want to keep winning. And we want to try to keep getting better."
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