The
Boston Celtics have had a longstanding rivalry, especially throughout
the 80s, with the Los Angeles Lakers. At the height of the rivalry, the
Lakers and Celtics would win 8 NBA Championships in the decade (The
Lakers won 5 while the Celtics won 3), and would play each other in the
NBA Finals 3 different times. The rivalry was cooled off as the Celtics
slipped into mediocrity in the 90s, but Lakers-Celtics is considered by
many NBA fans to be the league's greatest rivalry. The Celtics also have
historical ties with the Philadelphia 76ers, who played with the Celtics
in tense playoff series in the 60s and 80s.
TD Banknorth Garden, named after its
Canadian sponsor, the Toronto Dominion Bank, is often called simply the
Garden, or the traditional Boston Garden and formerly known as the
FleetCenter and the Shawmut Center, is a sports arena in the North End
neighbourhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the home arena for the
Boston Bruins, an NHL team, and the Boston Celtics, an NBA team. It is
site of the annual Beanpot, and hosts the annual Hockey East
Championships. The arena has also hosted many major national sporting
events including the 1999 and 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball
First and Second Rounds and the 2006 Women's Final Four. In addition,
the facility has hosted the 2001 US Figure Skating Championships, the
1996 and 2000 US Gymnastics Trials, the 2004 and 1998 NCAA Men's Ice
Hockey Championship (aka the Frozen Four), the 1996 NHL All-Star Game,
and the World Wrestling Federation's WrestleMania XIV in 1998. Like most
sports arenas, it also hosts other events, such as concerts, shows,
conventions, graduations, seminars, ice shows, circuses, and most
notably the 2004 Democratic National Convention.