Celtics-Lakers face off on Sunday, in what is in many ways a MUST win for Boston who has a lot to prove to not only themselves but the rest of the league. Paul Pierce knows that his team has been struggling but always looks forward to the Lakers coming to town.
“It’s always a big deal. It is for me,” the Los Angeles native and longtime Celtics forward said. “We feel like it’s a must-win. These are teams we’re going to see in the playoffs so we’re giving them psychological edge right now. That’s not something that you’re going to be able to turn on once the playoffs start. So we’ve got to turn it around right now.” The Celtics (29-15) are in a rut unlike any they’ve seen since assembling the New Big Three in the summer of 2007. They have lost five of their last seven and 10 of their last 16 since beating Orlando on Christmas Day, including back-to-back losses to the Magic and Atlanta Hawks. That makes Sunday’s matchup of the last two NBA champions Boston’s third game in four days — all of them against top teams in the league. “Yeah, and the Lakers are the cherry on the top for us!” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “It’s still fun to play these games, because they’re good teams and you enjoy playing them. There’s no love lost, and all that stuff’s good. It’s good for our league. But more importantly, it’s just fun in the middle of the season to have days like this.”
One of the more puzzling aspects of Boston’s slump is its home record. While their road mark is one of the best in the NBA — even after the recent road swing that dropped them to 16-8 — the Celtics have struggled at home, going 13-7; in their title-winning season of 2007-08, they lost only six home games all year. When the Lakers won in Philadelphia on Friday for their third straight victory, guard Kobe Bryant(notes) was keeping one eye on the Celtics. Noting their struggles against Orlando and Atlanta, he predicted that they will have things turned around by the time their archrivals arrive.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how they answer that challenge,” Bryant said. “Every time we go back to Boston, it’s special, because that’s where we lost the (2008) championship. All those memories come back.” With 47 points Sunday—a total he’s hit 29 times in his career in the regular season, but never against Boston—he would pass Jerry West as the Lakers’ all-time leading scorer.
