I'd like to think that the nature of the two teams - Boston being a championship team over the years and the Lakers, same thing - was a lot bigger than Larry Bird or Magic Johnson.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Boston is a very proud franchise. The NBA misses them when they are not in the mix. They, along with teams like the Knicks and 76ers are a big part of the heart, soul and history of the league.
Just soaking up the history of the Boston Celtics has been the best thing that's happened to me as a player.
In 1979, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird entered the league. I remember that. Soon after this, the story began to be repeated ad nauseam: the NBA, a tottering mess in the seventies, was saved in the eighties by these two.
It find it funny how people from Boston and New York hate each other because of pro teams.
The Celtics don't celebrate anything but championships.
I'm a Laker fan, always have been. And the New York Yankees, for sure.
Every NBA player, every athlete, I think once you get to this level in life, whether you have kids or you're about to have kids, understands that this is so much bigger than this sport.
The NBA playoffs have the highest ceiling in all of sports.
Michael Jordon may have been the best basketball player in history, but he couldn't have won six NBA titles without a team.
Boston is really a small town, and the pro sports here are almost like a college sport.