The greatest Lakers and Celtics of all-time

If only the Los Angeles Lakers could hold up their end of the bargain, one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports would once again be rekindled. While Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are leading the Boston Celtics reclamation project, Kobe Bryant and his emergent teammates are trudging along on the road to respectability in Los Angeles.

But, this blog post isn’t about the future, or even the present, it’s about the some of the greatest players ever to lace on a pair of sneakers, chuck basketballs at a rim 18 inches in diameter and pass through the NBA locker rooms in Boston and Los Angeles. From Wilt and West to Russell and Bird, some of the biggest, most recognizable names in NBA history wore either purple and gold or green and white. But, who were the best of the bunch?

Keep in mind that we’ve given extra weight to players that spent most, or all of their careers with their team. So, while Shaq is one of the greatest players of all-time, counting this current season he has spent just as much time playing for other franchises as he has for the Lakers. Same with players like Wilt Chamberlain, who only spent the last 5 years of his illustrious 14-year career in Los Angeles.

So, after much conjecture, we present our list of the top 10 Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics of all-time.

Top 10 Los Angeles Lakers of All-Time

1. Magic Johnson
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3. Jerry West
4. Kobe Bryant
5. Elgin Baylor
6. Shaquille O'Neal
7. Wilt Chamberlain
8. James Worthy
9. Gail Goodrich
10. George Mikan

Top 10 Boston Celtics of All-Time

1. Larry Bird
2. Bill Russell
3. John Havlicek
4. Dave Cowens
5. Bob Cousy
6. Kevin McHale
7. Robert Parish
8. Paul Pierce
9. Tom Heinsohn
10. Dennis Johnson

As you can see, while the Celtics 10 might have a bit more depth, the Lakers’ 10 would probably win out in any fictional head-to-head match-up given their advantages in height and athleticism.

In The News: October 31, 2007 (NBA Edition)

The Sacramento Kings may be speeding like a runaway Mack truck right into a rebuilding phase. With Mike Bibby likely out for a couple of months, Ron Artest starting the season with a suspension and prized rookie Spencer Hawes out of commission for the year, GM Geoff Petrie acknowledged that the rebuilding in Sac-town could begin now. "At some point, you start to re-evaluate the situation," Petrie told the Sacramento Bee. "We were moving into that (rebuilding) mode anyway. But you go into the season with an open mind." It’s about time anyway, although talented, the disparate pieces on the Kings roster don’t fit together at all.

Juwan Howard didn’t stay unemployed for too long, did he? A day after being cut by the Minnesota Timberwolves, the former member of the Michigan fab-five, agreed in principle to sign with the Dallas Mavericks. Howard, who at 34, is a shell of his former self, may still be able to help a Mavericks squad that is somewhat weak along the front-line. Howard though sure has fallen a long way, with the likely high point being those McDonalds commercials he did with Scottie Pippen and Grant Hill (remember, “Juwan-na get Chicken McNuggets?”) – Oh, and the $105 million contract Howard signed with the then Washington Bullets is probably a high point for him as well.

No Deng, no deal – or so says Magic Johnson. On TNT last night, during the Lakers game against the Rockets, Johnson said, ''A deal can't get done because [the Bulls] won't include [Luol] Deng. And without Deng, a deal can't get done.'' Magic also hinted that there are still trade discussions where Kobe wouldn’t leave town at all, and a player like Jermaine O’Neal could actually join KB24 on the Lakers roster.

New York Knicks owner James Dolan has had it with team coach Isiah Thomas and he’s not taking it anymore! (maybe). Despite all that Isiah has put the organization through and given his decided lack of success, Dolan surprisingly will stick with the beleaguered coach if the team is able to, even slightly, improve their record over last year. Can the combination of Eddie Curry, Zach Randolph and Stephon Marbury lead the Knicks into the Eastern Conference playoffs? Our Magic 8-ball says, “Outlook not so good”. Fear not Knicks fans, Magic 8-ball are stupid kids toys anyway…yeah.

This is why the Atlanta Hawks will always be the Atlanta Hawks. The team actually elected not to sign up-and-coming star Josh Smith to a contract extension, ensuring that he will become a restricted free-agent at the end of the season. Folks around the league are stunned, judging from what an anonymous NBA point guard told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.