One of the greatest rivalries in the NBA will be renewed tonight as our beloved Los Angeles Lakers visit the Boston Celtics. Both squads entered the season with more questions than answers, and both have struggled in games. Recently, however, Boston appears to have found some answers en route to five straight wins, and a 10-2 record since starting 5-9.

The Lakers' struggles are well documented, and it goes without saying that a win tonight means more contribution from anyone outside of our Big 3. Much needed practice time was welcomed yesterday, as Coach Mike Brown used the time to go over defensive adjustments.

He was a little chippy today," said Kobe Bryant. "He’s such a defensive-oriented coach, there were a lot of things that he saw that we needed to go over, because this was only really our third practice of the season.

A Kobe quote! Guess what that leads to? A Kobe article, where he thinks the Lakers are not done changing, and some tweaks will be made. May I suggest, Kobe, Adam Morrison?

Some names might have come and gone and these teams may not be clear Contenders, but dammit it's still L.A vs Boston, no matter what people think.

↓ Much more after the jump ↓

Lakers News

• Steve Blake Back in Action?
• Lakers Practice at Garden
• Kobe Bryant will miss Billups | ESPN LA
• Driven Kobe Bryant thinks Los Angeles Lakers will 'tweak' team | ESPN LA
• Los Angeles Lakers' Steve Blake returned to practice | ESPN LA
• Steve Blake practices, game-time decision vs. the Celtics | ESPN LA
• Kobe & Pau: Lakers teammates, Olympic opponents | ESPN LA
• Kobe Bryant, historical rankings, and incredible success in L.A. | ESPN LA
• Despite Lakers' issues, Kobe Bryant 'obsessed' to win another title | LA Times
• Lakers FYI: Lakers-Celtics isn't quite the same | LA Times
• Lakers visit Boston Celtics on Thursday | LA Times
• When will Father Time catch Kobe Bryant? Ask him | LA Times
• Steve Blake will probably return Thursday vs. Boston | LA Times
• Kobe declares right wrist healed: ‘I got through it’ | OC Register
• Lakers Thursday preview: at Boston Celtics (14-10) | OC Register
• Steve Blake (rib) likely to play Thursday night | OC Register

NBA.com

• Heat vs. Magic
• Knicks vs. Wizards
• Spurs vs. Sixers

ESPN

• Jeremy Lin dazzles again as Knicks rip Wiz for 3rd straight win
• LeBron James won't apologize to Kendrick Perkins, tired of blame game

Yahoo! Sports

• Lin shines as NBA's newest star
• Rockets G Kyle Lowry leaves game against Blazers
• Lin, Chandler lead Knicks over Wizards 107-93
• Wilson Chandler intends to sign with Nuggets
• Kendrick Perkins rips LeBron for dunk tweet

ProBasketball Talk

• Kobe says he and Shaq were not built to last together
• Magic owner: "I don’t want to trade (Dwight Howard)"
• Kobe says wrist injury now healed, "I got through it"
• Sacramento one vote away from losing the Kings last night, but still in control of their destiny
• Kenyon Martin to make debut for Clippers Wednesday
• Warriors coach Jackson says "no excuses," then blames refs
• Larry Bird says he’d play with LeBron for fun, Kobe to win
• Photos: All-Star edition shoes for Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James

Dime Mag / SLAM Online

• Watch Monta Ellis' 48-Point Barrage Against the Thunder | Dime Magazine
• Hear Kevin Durant’s New Rap Song: "Worried Bout Tomorrow" | Dime Magazine
• Blake Griffin Leads All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars | Dime Magazine
• NBA Video: Stephen Curry With the Sick Fake and Dime | Dime Magazine
• Kendrick Perkins Criticizes LeBron for Reaction to Blake Griffin Dunk | SLAM Online
• City of Houston to Host 2013 NBA All-Star Weekend | SLAM Online
• Video: Jeremy Lin Crosses Up John Wall, Throws it Down | SLAM Online

Blogs and Other Links

• Shooting Star | Searching For Slava
• Great News from Lakers Kobe Bryant - Wrist is Fully Healed | Lakers Nation
• Rookie/Sophomore Game Contestants Named – No Lakers Rookies Selected | Lakers Nation
• Steve Blake is a Game-Time Decision for Boston vs. Lakers Game | Lakers Nation
• A look at Jeremy Lin | NBA Playbook
• Reflecting On Kobe | Forum Blue & Gold
• Video: Jeremy Lin crosses John Wall and dunks | Eye On Basketball
• LeBron responds to Perkins, won't apologize | Eye On Basketball
• DeVos on Howard: 'I don't want to trade him' | Eye On Basketball
• A study in Lin-ear progression | Eye On Basketball
• Report: Cavs want first-round pick for Sessions | Eye On Basketball
• Kyrie Irving out with a concussion, day-to-day | Eye On Basketball
• Jeremy Lin Is Such A Legend | Shaky Ankles
• Power Ranking: Sorting The All-Star Reserves | Shaky Ankles

The Basketball Jones

• Believe it or not, Stephen Jackson is unhappy in Milwaukee
• 2012 Rising Stars challenge mock draft, version 1.0
• Perkins on LeBron: ‘He’s always looking for attention and he wants the world to like him'

Multimedia

• Fan Night's Top 10 | NBA.com
• PodKast w/Gary Oldman: 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,' 'Batman,' 'JFK,' and baseball | ESPN LA
• Ep. 757: Achilles Overwhelmed
• Video: The old Rubio-to-Williams-to-Johnson alley-oop
• Video: Jeremy Lin crosses John Wall, then throws it down | ProBasketballTalk
• Video: Will Ferrell with the best team introductions ever | ProBasketballTalk