Will Lakers star Kobe Bryant be cheered or heckled in Boston Wednesday night?
There will be no Larry Bird video tribute to Kobe Bryant, a la Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Hornets, before the Lakers-Celtics game Wednesday night.
Instead, the screens of TD Garden will likely come to life with video of fans in green heckling Kobe Bryant throughout his career, spewing hateful words onto the court, tossing their heads in disgust after an unbelievable Mamba shot.
Then, almost as abruptly as it started, it will stop, and text will come onto the screens saying something along the lines of, “As much as we’ve hated you, greatness respects greatness,” and fade to black, or green, depending on how their video intern was feeling that day.
There is no love lost between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. To this day, Lakers-Celtics remains one of the best rivalries in the NBA, and sports in general.
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Wilt Chamberlain versus Bill Russell, Magic Johnson versus Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant versus Paul Pierce, the individual match ups are almost as great as the team battles.
Currently, the two teams own 33 of 69 possible championships in NBA history, and have proven time and time again that they have the wherewithal to rebuild their respective franchises with minimal downtime.
That said, since “Dear Kobe, A Letter From A Celtics Fan,” was posted, the question that has been on everyone’s mind is how Kobe will be received in his final game at the Garden.
Will Celtics fans stay true to their green roots and boo him per usual? Will they pay their respects for all that he has done for the game and for the Lakers-Celtics rivalry? Perhaps, a combination of both.
Evan Turner on tomorrow's ovation: People will say it's for Kobe, but deep down it's probably for me.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) December 29, 2015
Let’s be completely honest with ourselves, with a combined record of 23-40, this game is not going to draw huge numbers for the game being played, but more so for how the Boston fans greet Kobe.
Despite recent struggles, the Lakers always seem to bring their A-game when playing the Celtics, winning seven of their last ten meetings and given the hype, this contest could prove interesting down the stretch.
Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 30
Start Time: 4:30 p.m. PT
Location: Boston, MA
Arena: TD Garden
TV Info: TWC SN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Here
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Boston Celtics -12.5
Moneyline: Lakers 0, Celtics 0
O/U: 205
Injury Report
Los Angeles Lakers: None to report
Boston Celtics: David Lee (back spasms)
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Prediction
This might be a long shot seeing that the Boston Celtics are currently ranked third in defensive efficiency, but we’re predicting that the young Lakers rally behind Kobe and honor his retirement by winning his last ever game at TD Garden.
Seeing that Byron Scott‘s still coaching, Kobe plays big minutes, especially down the stretch and likely misses the next game, a rematch with the Philadelphia 76ers on New Year’s Day.
As always, be sure to check back with Lake Show Life for all your Lakers news, analysis, updates, and more.