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There’s no greater rivalry in basketball than the one between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.
East Coast vs. West Coast. The two most successful franchises in the NBA. And two distinctly different styles of basketball and roster building. Where the Lakers lean into the glitz and glamour of Hollywood – seeking out as many superstar names as possible, the Celtics build through grit, hustle, and hold a willingness to develop their own stars where possible.
Neither path to contention is better than the other, of course – they’ve both yielded 17 championships over the years. And now, Boston and Los Angeles are in a race to win banner 18 and regain bragging rights over their most storied of opponents.
“It’s important to me, to finish what he (Jerry Buss) started. Which was to have the most championships in the NBA. We are now tied with the Celtics. I’ve gotta get number 18 before they do,” Buss said during an episode of the latest Lakers documentary: The true story of the LA Lakers.
Interestingly, it is the Celtics who are closest to winning banner 18, having come within two games of an NBA championship last season, only to improve their roster over the summer and be viewed as one of the true goliaths’ in the NBA at present. Whereas, the Lakers suffered a first-round playoff exit in 2021, and missed the playoffs completely in 2022, despite having three superstar players on their roster.
Celtics Could Sign Noah Vonleh
Boston might be seen as the more complete team between them and the Lakers, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t areas the front office can’t look to improve upon. With that being said, Noah Vonleh – who has been with the team during training camp and pre-season, is widely expected to earn himself a full-time contract with the team before the new season begins.
On October 7, Vonleh was given his opportunity to shine for the Celtics, as he started their game against the Charlotte Hornets at the center position – something which he thanked Boston for by dropping a double-double performance, helping lead his team to a 112-103 victory.
“(Vonleh) finally showed how his face-up game can be used in an offense that isn’t going to give him clear-outs in the high post. Vonleh had a few athletic finishes off the bounce and showed he can be aggressive to get to spots where he has leverage without turning the ball over.
That gives him a distinct advantage over Mfiondu Kabengele in earning minutes at the five, especially given how Vonleh’s defensive intensity and positioning looked much better Friday. With Kabengele already on a two-way deal, Vonleh appears to have the inside track on the 14th roster spot,” The Athletic’s Jared Weiss wrote on October 7.
Still, should the Celtics opt to add Vonleh to their 15-man roster, that would mean the Celtics have six big men under contract, and that could be seen as overkill – especially once Robert Williams returns to full health.
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