Celtics
The Celtics simply did not look like they had the legs to compete with the Lakers.
The Celtics looked like a team on the second night of a back-to-back on Thursday, falling in a 117-96 blowout to the Lakers.
Here are the takeaways.
LeBron James was up for Wednesday’s game.
Love him or hate him – and we say that acknowledging that most readers of the website Boston.com probably tilt towards the latter – LeBron James continues to defy complex existential concepts like “physics” and “time.”
James, somehow, is still doing it. He controlled the game, running the Lakers’ offense both as a scorer and as passer, and his 14 rebounds had the dual effect of ending the Celtics’ possessions and jump-starting the Lakers’ possession at a brisk pace since he tends to bring the ball up himself. James also finished with 20 points and six assists.
The rivalry between James and the Celtics seems to have cooled a bit as James’ career winds down (or at least, as we assume it’s winding down), which is a little ironic given that he joined the Celtics’ historic rival.
But an important component of the animosity between James and the Celtics was their proximity – when the Celtics faced James three times a year in the regular season and once in the Eastern Conference finals or semifinals, the rivalry built like a pressure cooker. Now they see each other twice a year in regular-season games that simply don’t matter as much to either the Celtics or James, especially given the relatively small chances of a postseason showdown.
Still, James did seem to have a little throwback energy for his old rival on Thursday.
The Celtics looked exhausted.
Blame the schedule-makers for giving the Celtics a grueling stretch of games,…