Lakers, Celtics set to face off on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics added another memorable game to their historic rivalry.

With just a second left on the game clock, Rajon Rondo was able to get a shot off over Marcus Morris and break the hearts of his former team with a buzzer-beating game-winner. Lakers, 129; Celtics, 128.

Next season, the Lakers and Celtics will go head-to-head on one of the biggest nights in the NBA, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic,

Unfortunately, next season’s matchup isn’t expected to be as highly anticipated as last season’s.

Last season, all of the buzz surrounding the Lakers-Celtics rivalry had to do with the teams’ exciting young cores and the bad blood between their superstar players, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Since then, Irving left to play for the Brooklyn Nets, he and James made up, and the Lakers traded nearly their entire young core for Anthony Davis. The Celtics also went through a bit of a makeover in the offseason.

Not only did Boston lose Irving for nothing, but they also lost a few of their core role players including Al Horford, Marcus Morris, Terry Rozier and Aron Baynes. While they were able to add three-time All-Star Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter to a roster that already features a rising star in Jayson Tatum, their depth still leaves a lot to be desired. For example, their backcourt in the second unit could feasibly be Marcus Smart and rookie Romeo Langford.

That’s not to say the game won’t still be entertaining, but when looking at the two rosters there’s a clear favorite and it’s not Boston. You’re telling me Hayward or Kanter is going to be defending Davis in the post?

Good luck.

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