Magic, Bird Reminisce About Their Place in the L.A.-Boston Rivalry

In the LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS, Brian Dohn writes "the rivalry blossomed in the 1960s, when Boston's domination of the Lakers en route to the NBA title was a rite of spring, and it bloomed again in the 1980s when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird helped bring the NBA to the masses. Linked since their memorable NCAA championship duel in 1979 and compared and contrasted probably too many times in the 1980s, the relevance of "Beat L.A." or defeating the Celtics is back after a two-decade hiatus. Even though Boston's Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, and the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher were youngsters when the last meaningful version of the rivalry took place, Johnson and Bird agreed it will not take long for them to learn about it." (link)