The Lakers and Celtics’ rivalry ranks among the biggest in sports. The two franchises have battled 12 times in the NBA Finals, which is six more than the second-most common matchup in the championship series. The feud between the two teams hasn’t been as heated today as it was until the 1980s. However, icons like Michael Cooper still deeply hate the other side.
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On an episode of Showtime with Coop, the Lakers legend showcased his disdain for the Celtics when he answered a ‘start, bench, cut’ question involving Jayson Tatum, Scottie Pippen, and James Worthy. He made it clear that he was basing his choices on his hatred for his team’s arch-nemesis. He said,
“I’m starting Scottie Pippen and I’m benching Worthy and I’m cutting Tatum… I’m hating on the Celtics. No, Tatum is a hell of a player, I’ve got to give him that. You know, that’s a tough three. All of them are good players.”
Cooper made it clear that he doesn’t rate Pippen and Worthy above Tatum but his contempt for the Celtics left him with no choice but to cut the forward. His dislike of the franchise is justified considering he was right in the thick of things when the beef between the two was at its peak.
The Lakers and Celtics have been rivals since the beginning
The rivalry between the two teams started during the late 1950s when Bill Russell and the Celtics ran the league. They won eight straight titles and beat the Lakers five times in the Finals during that run. The beef went cold for a while until it was reignited in the 1980s with the arrival of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
The guard led the Lakers to their first title in 1980, and Bird responded by helping the Celtics win it in 1981. From 1980 to 1989, LA or Boston played in every NBA Finals, and even faced each other thrice. Cooper, who played for the Lakers from 1978 to 1990 won five championships in the 1980s, while Bird and the Celtics won three. Their head-to-head duels in the Finals finished 2-1 in LA’s favor.
Every series between the two teams was heated, which caused animosity among the players. Some, like Cooper, have never let it go. Judging from his answer about Tatum, it seems he’ll harbor disdain for the Celtics as long as he lives.
