CELTICS and LAKERS WON’T REPEAT

Enjoy it while it lasted, Mr. Stern, your dream match up – the Celtics and the Lakers. Or, I should say, mismatch as it turned out.

But nevertheless, they have been there, done that, and won’t be back.

The NBA is not a very kind place, neither on or off the court. And especially in the front offices. Don’t count on any more gifts.

Your NBA gift cards have expired, Danny and Mitch, and they won’t be renewed.

Neither Danny Ainge, the Celtics GM or Mitch Kupchak, his counterpart with the Lakers, can expect any help from other front offices like they got this year.

Ainge was able to wrestle away not only two superstars from Minnesota and Seattle but two future Hall of Fame players. Two in one season! Are you kidding me? Just to finagle a deal for one Hall of Famer is a once in a lifetime achievement.

And Kupchak may have been even luckier. At least Ainge had to give away something to get the two golden geese. But Kupchak didn’t have to give up anything to get Pau Gasol to fill in for the injured Andrew Bynum.

And then there was the little matter of Sam Cassell, who begged and pleaded until the Los Angeles Clippers finally let him out of his contract so he could help the Celtics to the title.

Don’t look for anything like that to happen this coming season.

As far as getting help from the rest of the NBA, and they will need it, the Celtics and the Lakers are through. They are strictly on their own for 2008-2009.

If the Celtics are to sign James Posey, they will have to match high bids from nearly every team with the cap space to do so.

And what about the aforementioned Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown, who was picked up in mid-season? Both contributed to the Celtics playoff victories and dismantling of the Lakers in the Finals.

Even if they decide to return, with another year goes another step or two and on come those nagging aches and pains.

And the same is true for the Lakers with two expiring contracts for Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf. You can be certain a few other teams will drive up their price tags.

And unloading a couple of inconsistent role players like Luke Walton and Vladimir Radmanovic won’t be as easy as unloading Kwame Brown was.

Hated by front office nearly as much as they are by fans across the country, the Lakers cannot expect any of the other teams to go out of their way to give them a helping hand.

So, all of you Celtics and Lakers fans, you can eat your hearts out while you watch teams across the NBA wheel ‘n deal to get stronger. Meanwhile, the two NBA Finalists must wallow in lethargy as their fading superstars and older role players lose a little more quickness, a little more stamina.

And lose their conference titles as well!