A Laker Fan Remembers

From the Wall Street Journal - a well written article from a Lakers' fan point of view.

I loathed team president Red Auerbach and his victory cigars, but the Celtic who really made my blood boil was Danny Ainge. A whiny, wildly annoying shooting guard with a choirboy face, he constantly complained to the refs -- and had a penchant for making clutch three-pointers. He personified the Celtics' evil hoops empire.

I'm still a passionate Lakers fan -- that is, unless I'm writing a news story about them – but I don't hate the Celtics anymore. After '87, I transferred the ill will to the Detroit Pistons, the Chicago Bulls, the Utah Jazz and all the other teams that vanquished the Lakers over the years. Times have changed: Chick Hearn died six years ago, Mr. Auerbach passed away in 2006, and the Forum is now owned by a church. I like the three best players on this year's Celtics roster -- Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen -- and I even saw Mr. Pierce play in high school.

There is still one villain from the good old days: Mr. Ainge, who's now Boston's general manager and executive director of basketball operations. I'm ready to hate him all over again.