Saturday’s forthcoming matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics has developed into a must-see matchup courtesy of Luka Doncic and LeBron James’ instant on-court chemistry. Approximately a month ago, the Celtics were in another stratosphere, tuning up for a repeat bid while the Lakers were swimming upstream against the NBA's S-tier competition. 

However, the shocking acquisition of Doncic from Dallas has changed the entire tone of their season. An eight-game-winning streak has thrust the Lakers into the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed. In the process, they’ve elevated their clash with the Celtics into the biggest test yet for their new-look roster.

That gust of wind you felt originating from the New England area last night was the anxious groaning from Celtics fans dreading the familiar sight of a LeBron-led team beginning to resemble a playoff contender after the trade deadline. James leading a Laker resurgence adds an extra element of anxiety for Bostonians.

A 40-year-old invigorated James pairing with Doncic has pumped new life into the purple and gold and potentially into a rivalry that has laid dormant for a league that lacked in storylines and taken a hit in the ratings.  No matter what city James has settled in, he and James and Boston have been each thorns in each other's sides for nearly two decades. 

James’ final series before joining the Miami Heat in free agency was a 4-2 Eastern Conference Semifinals loss against the K.G.-Paul Pierce Celtics. In that series, James seemed distracted, played sloppily, and appeared to have one foot out the door as he committed nine turnovers in the deciding game. During the final three games of that series, Boston held James to 18-of-53 shooting from the field.

In the 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals, James exacted his revenge en route to his first title by burying that iteration of the Celtics’ under the rubble of 45 points in a Game 6 performance that will be etched onto his basketball epitaph. After returning to the Cavaliers, Boston quickly resurrected itself as a championship contender.

During his second Cleveland stint, James was the bulwark against a young Boston team vying for a Finals return. James blew by the Celtics in a 2015 first-round sweep that ended with Kevin Love's shoulder dislocation in the closeout game. In 2017, the Cavaliers traded James' sidekick Kyrie Irving to Boston. However, in the 2017 and 2018 Eastern Conference finals, Boston was eliminated by James’ Cavaliers in consecutive years.

The idea of the Lakers and Celtics meeting in a Finals series was previously an absurd notion. Luka Magic popping up in L.A. has made the implausible plausible though. The two greatest force multipliers in the league have gelled together seamlessly. Boston should be wary after watching James bend the basketball universe to his will time and time again. 

At 40, James is still playing at an All-NBA level, but Boston is once again the top dog James is attempting to conquer. However, Saturday’s showdown is a benchmark for how seriously these Lakers can be taken as a title contender and whether they are a threat to Boston in the West.