Karalis: Boston played Los Angeles, but this wasn't a 'Celtics-Lakers' game

A Celtics-Lakers game is always supposed to be a thing. The league’s two most successful franchises facing off. Historical rivals in a constant battle for bragging rights.

Russell and Wilt.

Larry and Magic.

Pierce and Kobe. 

Yeah, there were some, shall we say, less star-studded affairs along the way, but it didn’t matter. When the Lakers and Celtics face off, the people filling the jerseys almost don’t exist in some ways. 

Brad Stevens played along with the narrative before the game, saying “It doesn't matter who plays, right? ... I have a great deal of respect for who they have on their team that are playing, how they've been playing regardless of who is available, how they're coached, and certainly the tradition of the rivalry. Everybody understands what's in play in that.”

Yeah, that all sounds good, but this time around I just couldn’t buy it.

NBC Sports Boston tried like crazy to play it up, playing multiple Lakers-Celtics montages of great moments, but none of what rolled across the screen matched up with what we were seeing. 

Part of why it didn’t feel like Celtics-Lakers is that it didn’t look like Celtics-Lakers. Part of the fun of this ancient basketball rivalry is that the aesthetic of it all hasn’t really changed much. Look...