It isn't June, but it's still a matchup to swoon for

Yes, it's only February. It's also never too early to start the hype. That actually started the day the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol.

Immediately, there was a whisper. Softly now.

Lakers-Celtics in the NBA Finals.

Then the Lakers started winning, started looking dominant, and suddenly had the best record in the Western Conference, 39-17. We knew the Celtics were good, and they still are, with the best record in the East, as well as the league, 43-12.

The whisper became a roar, a crescendo of anticipation, helped along by daily screams of delight from the NBA offices in New York.

Valium and cold showers, David Stern. It'll be June soon.

The Celtics played the Clippers at Staples on Monday night and won't get any closer than two time zones from L.A. the rest of the season.

Unless.

Lakers-Celtics. It still has that ring, probably always will.

The Lakers played the Celtics in the Finals six times in the 1960s and lost them all. It was the era of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor and, at the end, Wilt Chamberlain, against Bill Russell and the Joneses, Sam and K.C., as well as John Havlicek.

The Lakers lost again in the Finals to the Celtics in '84, but then won in '85 and '87. Those were the Magic-Bird years, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Kevin McHale, et al. It was Lakers Showtime and an era and rivalry often credited with sending the league to its current high levels of wealth and popularity.

The Celtics went away then, as Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dominated the East and the league, and in the early part of this decade, Kobe and Shaq got the Lakers three more titles. None, however, against the Celtics.

Now, the sense of here-we-go-again has Beantown and Hollywood getting giddy.

Yes, the Celtics will have a few hurdles to clear in the playoffs in the form of Detroit and/or Cleveland, maybe even Orlando.

And yes, the Lakers' playoff task will be daunting, just to get to the Finals. Right now, San Antonio has the second-best record in the West, followed closely by Phoenix, New Orleans and Dallas. If it were a NASCAR race, they'd say they were separated by a coat of paint.

Even more intriguing is the side story of a Lakers-Celtics Finals. Phil Jackson, Lakers coach. Has won a record nine NBA titles, six with the Bulls and three with the Lakers. It is a prestigious record, but he shares it with the late Red Auerbach, who was not always kind in his assessment of Jackson's coaching success.