It has been nine years since the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics took center stage in the NBA Finals. Many of the players who were involved in the 2010 Finals have either retired or are now nearing retirement. One player in particular, Rajon Rondo, who was only 23 years old at the time, is now a seasoned vet and playing for the opposing team these days.

For fans of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry from the 1960s to the 1980s and the recent 2008 and 2010 Finals, the nine-year hiatus is an eternity of basketball. These storied franchises are proud of their heritage, combining for the lion’s share of championships (33) since the league’s inception in 1946. The Lakers have won 16 titles (five as the Minneapolis Lakers and 11 as the Los Angeles Lakers) to the Celtics’ 17. No other team has won more than six, with the Chicago Bulls taking that third spot, all achieved during the Michael Jordan era.

The Lakers and Celtics are at the heart of the NBA’s existence, and they are at the core of why the league has become a global phenomenon. While it may be a long shot this season, here are six reasons why we need to see these two teams play in the NBA Finals again.

6. Bring back the old-school fans

“Back in the old days…”

Have you ever gotten tired of hearing this (or a version of it) from your parents or grandparents? These old folks haven’t followed the NBA much these days because they detest the rules changes and style of play that isn’t exactly to their liking.

The league has changed a lot over the last few decades, from the athleticism of the players to the way the teams play the game. There are high-flyers on every team, 3-point shooters come in all sizes and small ball is the way to win championships.

Not so during the Lakers-Celtics championship eras. Every championship that these teams have won had a dominant big man. Yes, even the 2008 Celtics (Kevin Garnett) and 2010 Lakers (Pau Gasol) had All-Star big men in their lineups.

The Lakers currently don’t have a dominant center or power forward. Al Horford, as good as he is and as important as he is defensively for the Celtics, isn’t the same player he once was with the Atlanta Hawks.

That’s the point.

If these teams make it to the Finals this season while employing small-ball offense, we could win over the folks who have shunned current basketball and get them to appreciate the beauty of today’s game. We need to get them to turn on their TVs to watch the game, and a Lakers-Celtics showdown could do just that.

5. LeBron James vs. Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving, Celtics, LeBron James, Lakers

LeBron James going up against Kyrie Irving in the Finals would be perfect for a national television audience and would generate a lot of interest from fans around the world. Imagine all the subplots from these two alone:

Former Cleveland Cavaliers stars go head-to-head

James and Irving changed teams a year apart and are now playing on teams that have a lifelong rivalry.

It’s the Nike Finals: LeBrons vs. Kyries!

The two are not only linked by their Cavs history, but also by their association with Nike, the shoe company they both endorse. Who would play better and who has the better shoe? No matter the outcome, Nike would be the biggest winner here.

Future teammates battling for the championship? A Celtics title could help Boston keep Kyrie!

If the Celtics win a championship with Irving, their chances of keeping him in green would be that much better, and it could keep him from signing with the Lakers in the offseason.

Mentor vs. Student!

How much did Kyrie really learn from his time together with LeBron, and would he be able to use it to his advantage when it matters most?

4. Magic Johnson vs. Danny Ainge

Magic Johnson and Danny Ainge are combatants in more ways than one. The two executives not only share the same position for their respective clubs (president of basketball operations) and are trying to create rosters that will be good enough to win championships, but they also faced each other on the hardwood floor in the 1980s. Johnson fueled the Showtime Lakers’ five championships, while Ainge was the feisty and hard-nosed shooting guard of the Celtics’ starting lineup.

LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Lakers

They can renew their battles this June if the Lakers and Celtics meet. There could be some mind games played in the media between these two executives, and maybe even a few shots fired about which team was better in the '80s. It would be an all-out war, not just on the floor but also off of it from the management side

One of the battles these two might engage in could even be related to this next reason why we need a Lakers-Celtics Finals.

3. Battle for Anthony Davis

Old wounds from the Lakers’ failed attempt to nab New Orleans Pelicans All-Star Anthony Davis would be re-opened if the Lakers meet the Celtics in the Finals. Ainge unknowingly might just provoke Magic to a response here and lure him into a tampering violation.

The Lakers tried their best to acquire Davis from the Pelicans during the last two weeks of this year’s trade deadline. Meanwhile, it appears that the Celtics won out in convincing the Pelicans to wait until July so they can potentially give them a better deal than what Johnson’s team was offering. If not for Boston’s potential offer, the Lakers might have Davis in a Lakers uniform by now.

Would a championship for either team convince Davis which team he wants to play for when he becomes a free agent in 2020? Perhaps.

Boston may not be one of Davis' preferred destinations, but a championship could change his mind. The Lakers, on the other hand, will want to keep the 6-foot-11 big man interested and not do anything that would make him change his mind about them.

More importantly, a Finals appearance from both teams would help the Pelicans imagine a roster with the pieces that each team has in possible trade scenarios this summer. Many of the young players from both teams could represent the future of New Orleans. Consider a head-to-head matchup as an audition of sorts as the Pelicans weigh their options.

Speaking of these young ones …

2. Lakers’ youth vs. Celtics’ youth

The Lakers and Celtics are bursting with young talent, the likes of which could make or break a franchise. The individual matchups are intriguing enough to warrant headlines:

Jayson Tatum vs. Kyle Kuzma!

Jaylen Brown vs. Brandon Ingram!

It’s second-year player versus second-year player and third-year player versus third-year player. All four of these players have promising futures in the league and could be All-Stars at some point.

Tatum and Kuzma were All-Rookie selections last season and played together in the 2019 Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend. Kuzma won the MVP award of that game, but it was Tatum who came away victorious in a different event: the 2019 All-Star Skills Challenge. Each of these players wants to prove they are better than the other.

LeBron James Jayson Tatum

Ingram and Brown were taken back-to-back in the 2016 NBA Draft, going second and third, respectively. Both players have much to prove and are eager to show that their teams’ decisions to draft them was not a waste. Ingram has taken great strides in becoming a more consistent scorer after the trade reports involving him, but Brown is fighting for playing time in the Celtics’ crowded rotation and trying to find the magic of last season.

Then there’s the battle of the guards with Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart versus Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart. These young guards could very well determine the fate of their teams in a seven-game series.

Expect an epic duel of the league’s future with a Lakers-Celtics series in June if everything falls into place.

1. The Prodigal Son returns as a villain

There’s no question that Rondo would love to win a championship with the Lakers, but to face his former Celtics team for the chance to win another ring would be interesting. Rondo was a loyal member of the 2008 championship team that beat the Lakers for the title. To this day, he bleeds Celtic green and fondly recalls the days when he used to play with Garnett, Paul Pierce, Doc Rivers and the rest of the championship squad.

rajon rondo, jayson tatum, luke walton

But as a Laker, Rondo has shown that he is not above sticking a dagger into the hearts of Celtics fans, as he did when he drilled a buzzer-beater to defeat them on their home floor two weeks ago.

Would he do it again if they face each other with a championship on the line? You bet. Rondo wants another shot at a title and will do anything to get it. But it still would be interesting to see one of Boston’s favorite sons return as an opponent this time around.