‘It won’t feel the same’: Brad Stevens, LeBron James discuss Celtics-Lakers rivalry ahead of Saturday’s unusual matchup
"It’s gonna feel great to play another game and play against a very good team, but it won’t have the rivalry feel."
The NBA’s most historic rivalry will add a new chapter Saturday night, and its newest chapter will be its quietest yet.
In what would usually be the hottest ticket of the season, the Celtics will host the Lakers in a fanless TD Garden. With the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing, only people working for either team can attend Saturday’s primetime matchup.
LeBron James, who is in his third season with the Lakers, knows the energy fans can bring to the rivalry. The Lakers superstar, who’s held a rivalry against the Celtics throughout his career, said Saturday’s game will feel different.
“Without the Boston fans, without the Laker faithful, it’s not the same,” James told reporters Friday. “It won’t feel the same on Saturday. It’s gonna feel great to play another game and play against a very good team, but it won’t have the rivalry feel. The fans are so much a part of that rivalry. You can just listen, and go back and watch those games, how key those fans were in all those battles.”
While the lack of fans can certainly affect the energy, Saturday’s matchup still looks to be as good of a regular-season matchup as it gets. The Lakers are the defending champions and with both teams sitting among the top records in the league, Saturday’s game could potentially be a Finals preview.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens still knows the importance of Saturday’s game, even if the lack of fans won’t make it feel the same. When speaking to reporters Friday, Stevens invoked what his younger self would think about being involved in the rivalry.
“You always have to remind yourself what you at eight years old would have thought, right? What you at 15 years old would have thought – and I’ve said that before when we’re getting ready to play the Lakers to our team,” Stevens said. “If you’re concerned about your role in this game, if you’re concerned about how many minutes you play or when you might be going in, don’t forget about that 15-year-old that would have died to be on the end of the bench. This is a special opportunity, this is a special rivalry. Obviously, the opportunity to compete against the very best is always a great challenge and they’re excellent.”
If there have been any negative effects of having a lack of fans in arenas this season, James and the Lakers haven’t shown many signs of it. The Lakers hold a 14-6 record and James is still looking like the king of the league after turning 36 in December. James is averaging 25.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game and is shooting a career-best 41.7 percent from 3-point territory.
Stevens on Friday commented on James’s greatness.
“He is as special as special gets and he would be a multiple-time more MVP award winner if people weren’t bored and looking for other things to discuss,” Stevens said. “He’s been the best player in the league for however many years now. He’s an amazing offensive player, his ability to pass, drive downhill, shooting the career-high percentage from three, just keeps getting better and better and better and then obviously he’s, physically, what you would want in a defender, right?
“He’s got great size, he can guard one through five, he’s super smart, he knows what’s coming before it happens. Nothing but the utmost respect for him. Never had anything but. We’ve all had some playoff series that were pretty one-sided against him and one that went down to the wire and I just think it just makes you appreciate him even more as the years go on. And I think that he’s played as well in some ways in the last year and a half, as I’ve seen him play.”
Celtics star guard Kemba Walker has been as big of a victim as any of James’ greatness over the years. Walker is 1-29 in 30 career matchups against James, with his first win against him coming last season – his first year as a Celtic.
“Man, LeBron is a different breed,” Walker told reporters Friday. “He’s incredible and it’s inspiring, for the most part to see someone who just takes care of his body, takes care of himself, every year proves the doubters wrong. Always so much pressure on that man and he always comes through, regardless of what’s said about him. He’s a really inspiring person in our world. He’s someone that everyone looks up to and wishes to be like. He’s a special talent.”
For the Celtics, Saturday’s matchup adds a little more intrigue outside of the rivalry. It’ll be just the third game this season that Walker, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown will play together this season.
With Tatum (averaging 26.5 points per game) and Brown (averaging 27.1 points per game) continuing to progress as stars this season, Walker – who didn’t make his season debut until Jan. 17 – doesn’t want the two youngsters to change for him.
“We’ll figure it out. We get along very well. we all want to win,” Walker said. “At the end of the day, we just have to figure it out. That just is what it is. Those two guys are special talents and we need them to be great every night. I’m really the one that has to figure it out. Those two guys, they’re good. I’ll figure it out. We want those two guys to be super aggressive and leading us. I’ll figure it out for sure.”
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