I enjoyed when the Utah duo from Stockton to Malone perfected choices and role-playing under coach Jerry Sloane, and when Larry Bird was "The Man" for the Boston Celtics. And who can forget the hardcourt duel between Boston and Los Angeles, about Bird and Magic Johnson, Robert Parish and Kareem Abdul Jabbar?

Being someone who once played the sport, I was amazed at both of these teams, their player skills, their coaches' tactics and the way they played the game with so much determination and basketball skills. Such qualities have made both teams the most successful teams in the NBA when it comes to the number of championships they have won. The Lakers have 14 with the final in the final year of the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O'Neal partnership in the 2001-2002 season, while the Celtics won last year after a 22-year drought. And as a Celtics fan, it was just a sweet, sweet triumph to enjoy.

The triumvirate of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett has shown that superstars can put down their huge egos, get along quite well and work for the team's common goal, namely to win the championship. They have proven their critics wrong, and the big three want more, much more. And the man in charge of bringing them in? Coach Doc Rivers must be credited for having the vision to accomplish this feat.

At the start of this season, expectations have been high. Now that they have tasted what it felt like to win a championship, the next item on their agenda is to defend their title successfully. They started impressively after accumulating an 8-2 record during their first 10 games of the season, with their last loss coming from the Denver Nuggets. Then they went on a franchise record 19 games winning streak that ended on Christmas Day when Bryant and the Lakers finally played well to get a good basketball result. Boston still owned the best win-loss record in the league with 27-3.

It suddenly changed as the next game they were beaten by a fighting Golden State Warriors team. It was the first time Boston suffered a back-to-back defeat this season. However, it did not end there. The team suddenly found itself unable to win as they suffered defeats from low-ranked teams like the New York Knicks and Charlotte Bobcats, apart from the losses against possible title providers like the Portland Trailblazers, Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers. Now their record is 31-9 through 40 NBA games.

I can not believe the accident that the team is in recently. Gone is the stingy Boston defense that limits its opponents' ability to score. Gone is the Celtic pride that Garnett used to have when the team had its win in 19 games. They seem to be like an average team playing an average game. And I hope rivers can solve the mystery and quickly. The season is now in its middle part when teams strike out victories and the team begins to shape itself to decide which team is going to the playoffs. And if the Celtics really want to defend their crown and win the title, they better show it on the basketball court day in, day out and not just by plain lipstick, https://www.livescorebkk.com.