LOS ANGELES — The Lakers-Celtics rivalry is one of the greatest in sports. From the moment the doors to the Crypto.com arena opened, its weight could be felt. The media presence at the arena exceeded that of a high-profile playoff game, not a regular season game in January. Every seat in the building was filled.
And, Lakers head coach JJ Redick shared his perspective on participating in the deep-rooted rivalry.
“The preparation, approach, mentality — none of that changes,” Redick said pregame. “I think it’s more just the feeling of gratitude that you get to participate in this rivalry, which goes back a long, long time, and you get to be part of this current generation of players and coaches.