LOS ANGELES — The Celtics have history on their side.
. . . And not much else.
The Green Team was thrashed by the Lakers at Staples Center last night. Playing with none of the urgency and thunder that marked the final two games in Boston, the Celtics were Dropkick Murphyed in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, 89-67.
So now it comes down to a seventh game, on the road, against the West Coast brothers who seem to have been put on this earth to provide the Celtics with a measure of greatness. All championships are sweet, but wins (and losses) against the Lakers are the ones we best remember.
That’s where the history comes in. The Celtics and Lakers are jousting in the Finals for the 12th time since 1959. Boston holds a 9-2 advantage and four times beat the Lakers in Game 7.
The Celtics virtually invented Game 7. Boston owns Game 7 the way McDonald’s owns the Happy Meal; the way Tony Bennett owns “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.’’ The Celtics have never lost a Game 7 in the Finals. Bill Russell won 11 championships in 13 years and went 10-0 in Game 7s. The final game of Russell’s career was an epic Game 7 victory at the Los Angeles Forum in the spring of 1969.
Full story: Title and history are on the line as Celtics head to Game 7 – The Boston Globe