I just recently saw a post on Adam Schefter's twitter (ESPN NFL insider) where he asked his followers what was the best rivalry in sports? The question was mainly asked because of that Duke-Carolina thriller last night.  It was a link to his facebook page, and i browsed through the comments - and it was what you would expect.  Duke-Carolina, Sox-Yanks, Bears-Packers.  I think I ever saw a few Ravens-Steelers thrown in there (really?)  From 2008-2011, every Celtics-Lakers regular season game made the NBA world stop.  So this year, is a little different, as both of these teams right now are just scrapping to stay above .500 (Lakers 3 games over, Celts 4.)

However, this game, as will the game in LA will still mean a lot to the fans. Here are the simple reasons why this is the best rivalry in sports:

-No rivalry in any American professional sports league has two teams as the only royalty in their sports.  The Celtics have 17 championships and the Lakers have 16, and the rivalry has taken on even new meaning since the 2000s as the Lakers have made it Jerry Buss' life wish to catch and pass the Celtics in championships.  Back in the early 90s, the Cowboys and Niners (another great rivalry, esp from 92-96) used to be like this.  However, the NFL there really is no trademark franchise (or in the case of the NBA with its Lakers and Celtics dual monarchy.)  Everyone at the top (Giants, Steelers, Cowboys, Niners) is kind of cluttered in there with 4-6 Lombardis and there are tons of other teams behind them with three.  The NBA is Lakers v Celtics and everybody else.

-This is the only rivalry in their sport.  Every other league has multiple rivalries.  Baseball has Sox-Yanks, Yankees-Mets, Cubs-Cards, Giants-Dodgers, Dodgers-Angels, and even Phillies-Mets.  The NFL is cluttered withdivisional rivalries.  The major ones alone are Bears-Packers, Redskins-Cowboys, Giants-Eagles, Steelers-Ravens.  But just about every team in the league has a rivalry, Patriots-Jets, Raiders-Everyone, etc etc. The NHL has plenty of rivalries.  Everyone matched up in the Original 6 is a rivalry.  Wings-Blackhawks is huge, Bruins-Canadiens, Canadiens-Leafs.  The Flyers are not Original Six, but they have major rivalries with the Bruins and Rangers.  However, there's only one rivalry in the NBA, period.  Every rivalry we've seen has faded overtime.  Boston's rivalries with the Knicks in the 70s and Sixers in the 80s used to be HUGE, but that doesn't mean crap anymore.  Bulls-Pistons - faded.  Heat-Knicks, faded.  Lakers-Kings - gone.  Now the media department of the league is trying to sell everyone on Bulls-Heat based on one five game playoff series (only because they know these teams will meet up in the playoffs a lot these next 3-4 years.)  But that's another one that doesn't make me drop everything I'm doing to catch those two teams square off.  No matter if the Lakers and Celtics are both lottery teams, no matter where these two teams play, they will sell out the arena, and everyone of their fans will trade every other win in the regular season just to win that game.

-Lakers v. Celtics is the ONLY rivalry where when these two teams meet in the playoffs - the championship is always on the line.  The Celtics and Lakers have faced each other in the championship round TWELVE times.  No other head to head matchup in American sports is close, and its even more amazing because the NBA has been around half as long as the NHL and MLB, and even the NFL has had championship games going since the 30s.  The Lakers and Celtics don't play playoff series that decide who's going to advance to the second round of the playoffs.  ONLY for the championship.  Nothing else.

-It's the only rivalry in the NBA where the players have any sort of disdain for opposing players and the opposing franchise.  We've seen now in the NBA with all the man love going on during games.  Then guys hanging out at the same nightclub, and partying at the same parties after games.  Doesn't happen with LA-Boston.  It can't.  Not only would those fans run any of their players caught doing it out of town, but they couldn't bring themselves to do it anyways.  Remember Trevor Ariza and Vujacic freaking out whenever they saw green after the 08 Finals? Or Jerry West giving away a luxury car for winning the '69 Finals MVP because it was green? (and that meant a lot back then because guys in the 60s made crap, so having a nice car is like owning a zip code for these guys nowadays.)

-This fans still hate the crap out of eachother.  Moreso with LA fans v. Boston than Boston fans v. LA.  Boston fans hate the Lakers and their fans, but Lakers fans to Boston are like space aliens.  We know the exist, they are probably really bad people, but we just don't communicate with them because they live way over there on the left coast, and thank God for that.  We may have to deal with a few of those from LA who go to our colleges here in the Boston area, but we try to ignore it.  Plus, they're only here for the school months.  They go to school here in Boston for  4 years, hate the cold weather, and they're gone.  Good riddance.  Lakers fans usually have to deal with Celtics fans.  A lot of Boston transplants are out in LA, and LA folks HATE that.  A lot of people who move out of Boston don't even like the Celtics that much, but then become huge Celtics fans when they get to SoCal just to agitate Lakers fans.  If anyone has even been Staples, and you sit up in the 300s and wear green - you are not welcome there, let me tell you that.

And most importantly,
-Does anything look cooler than when the Celtics play in LA and the Celtics have their green jersies and the Lakers are wearing their yellows?

I'd like to see anyone give any reasons as strong as those to argue against Celtics-Lakers, Lakers-Celtics, Boston-LA, whatever with any other rivalry.