Pivot Points: Lakers, Celtics Set To Renew NBA's Fiercest Rivalry

No disrespect to Cleveland Cavalier fans, but when the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics meet today, you will be witness to what a true NBA rivalry really looks like, with no extra motivation needed.

The NBA, fans, and media have gone to extra lengths to create a rivalry between the Cavaliers and the Lakers, but the game today between the league's most successful franchises represents something which has passed the test of time.

Boston and Los Angeles have 32 NBA championships between them, plus numerous players considered as legendary have donned the colors of the respective teams.

Today's game will include no fewer than five players who will eventually see their names enshrined in the NBA Hall of Fame, and the dislike between the teams is not manufactured and instead is mutual.

In 2008 the Boston Celtics embarrassed the Lakers in the NBA Finals and the image of that thorough beat-down still exists in the minds of many of the Lakers' players today.

Adding insult to injury, Boston forward Paul Pierce intimated that the only reason the Lakers were able to capture the title in 2009 was due to injuries suffered by the Celtics' team.

The Lakers were able to sweep the Celtics in the regular season of 2009, but these are two teams which judge themselves based on their ability to win championships, not regular season success.

Still, this game represents the chance to lay claim to ultimate bragging rights, and for both teams the potential to answer several issues will be realized in what promises to be a grudge match.

Recently the Lakers have been faced with questions surrounding their toughness and passion and the Celtics figure to capitalize on both concerns through their brutal, physical style of play.

Boston has faced issues of their own concerning their age, inability to rebound, and they are coming off losses in which they looked slow and sorely lacking in the athleticism department.

The Lakers, in the midst of an eight game road trip will have to match the energy which will accompany Boston in their return home after facing consecutive defeats on the road.

The Celtics have fared poorly against the NBA's elite teams which include being swept by Atlanta, while the Lakers have fared little better, with a sweep by the Cavaliers included on their resume.

All of that goes out the window though in this game which means so much to the fans and players from both teams and is really the only regular season game with playoff-like implications.

The contest means more to the Celtics because they are in danger of slipping to the fourth seed in the East, but the Lakers want to prove last season's sweep was no fluke, plus they will gain confidence by winning on Boston's home floor.

Kevin Garnett is still working his way back from injury and Kobe Bryant is still bothered by his fractured finger and the pain of back spasms, but those injuries will assume secondary status today.

There is no room for excuses, and fans of basketball will be treated to perhaps the most spirited contest of the NBA season; that is until the two teams meet again later in Los Angeles.