Celtics, Lakers once again possess NBA

It got old for the others, really old. Back when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were thrilling America, when the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers were entrenched in the most significant rivalry in sports history, the rest of the NBA could only watch and covet.

Just two teams seemed to matter. The league's logo should've been made in green and white, purple and gold, with black in the background to represent everyone else. As Larry and Magic propelled the game to unprecedented popularity, the competition seethed.

"We hated the Lakers, so much so because of the large number of people who would come to the Seattle Center wearing Magic and James Worthy jerseys in our house!" said Tom Newell, a former Sonics assistant coach.

Though blessed with more parity today, the NBA will revisit its transformative rivalry during the next two weeks. Celtics-Lakers, here we go again. The names are different, even the game is different, but the television ratings will soar, and that sinking feeling will burden the other 28 teams.

Because, just like in the 1980s, just like in the 1960s, the Celtics and Lakers have the manpower to make the Finals an exclusive event once more.

The Lakers will be back, for certain. Kobe Bryant is in the middle of his prime, and Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom are just beginning theirs. In addition, the Lakers possess the deepest team in the league and have made it this far without young center Andrew Bynum, who missed most of the year with a knee injury.

Boston doesn't have as open a window, with three superstars already in their 30s, but Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are still young enough to give the Celtics three more good seasons.

NBA history shows that once you figure out the championship equation, you stand a good chance of winning multiple titles. Consider this: Over the past 28 years in the NBA, only eight franchises have won the NBA title. Only two of those eight — Philadelphia in 1983 and Miami in 2006 — have failed to win more than once.

We're amid an extended era of the dynasty. In this game, in which a single superstar can have an incredible impact, dominance is only a few sound decisions away.

But even in saying that, we must credit the Celtics and Lakers with being supernatural. After this series ends, they will have won a combined 31 of the NBA's 62 championships.

Two teams account for half the riches. Two teams account for a bevy of legends who need only one name: Russell, Havlicek, Cousy, Bird, McHale, Parish, DJ, Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Wilt, West, Baylor, Mikan.

Unfair.

Xavier McDaniel, who played with the Sonics from 1985 to 1991, remembers his battles with the Lakers. The X-Man grew so frustrated during a game in 1987 that he nearly choked the career out of Wes Matthews, his rage creating one of the most infamous photos in local sports history.

Aside from that incident, he was normally composed and saved some of his best performances for L.A. But when it mattered, the Sonics could never beat the Lakers. During McDaniel's days, Los Angeles swept the Sonics in the 1987 conference finals and in the 1989 conference semifinals.

"I knew we could play with them, but it's just that the Lakers had seven or eight great players," McDaniel said, speaking by phone from Columbia, S.C. "They were just good. I remember a game, we had the Lakers down, like, 30-6. We were killing them. But by halftime, the score was tied. I was like, 'What the hell? What happened?' It seemed like every year we met the Lakers, and they kicked our butts."

Legend has it that McDaniel also broke a locker-room window at the old Boston Garden. Red Auerbach, the former Celtics coach and general manager, was notorious for making the conditions burdensome for visiting teams. One night the Sonics locker room was intolerably hot, and the team noticed the windows had been nailed shut. So McDaniel allegedly placed a towel over his hand and knocked out the window.

He said he didn't remember the incident. But he didn't hesitate when asked about the conditions.

"It was horrible," McDaniel said. "It wasn't up to NBA standards. As a visitor, it was like, 'Man, is this Boston Garden?' It was like going back to the 'hood."

Later in his career, McDaniel played for the Celtics and didn't think the accommodations were much better. He realized one thing about Auerbach: He cared only about winning. He didn't want a glamorous basketball team; he wanted a tough one. McDaniel could relate.

"All he cared about was keeping the Celtics mystique going," McDaniel said.

After spending 21 years away from the championship round, the Celtics and their mystique are back. Fittingly, so are the Lakers, forever their rival.

It should make for an incredible series. But if the rest of the league doesn't keep up, it will turn into an incredible headache once again.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com. For his Extra Points blog, visit seattletimes.com/sports.