LeBron James has a special place in his heart for the Boston Celtics. That place in his heart reeks of hatred and malice. He is now playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, who have a historic rivalry with the Celtics, but even before that, James has had memorable outings against Boston.

James has been one of the Eastern Conference’s best players ever. Experts would rank him alongside Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, etc. LeBron James and his teams represented the Eastern Conference from 2010 to 2018. Whether it was the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Miami Heat, LeBron was sure going to show up against his Eastern rivals.

But fans can rest assured that there is one team that is never going to be on James’ list. That team is the Boston Celtics. He has said, in a 2012 interview, “You put my mother on the floor, and if she were in a Boston Celtics uniform, I’d break her face.”

Now, as a member of the Lakers family, he has an extra incentive to not like them. The Lakers and the Celtics have both won 17 NBA titles. If Boston wins this final, they will overtake Los Angeles again. Hence, securing their spot as the franchise that has won the most number of NBA championships.

LeBron James: His playoff battles against the Celtics

LeBron James faced the Boston Celtics for the first time in the playoffs in 2008. The Cleveland Cavaliers lost the series in 7 games due to the Big 3 of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. The Celtics went on to win the 2008 NBA title. The Big 3 faced the Cavaliers again in 2010 and won the series 4-2. This time around, the Big 3 lost to Kobe Bryant’s Lakers team.

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LeBron going to Miami changed his fortunes against the Celtics. He beat the Celtics in 5 games but lost the 2011 NBA finals. In 2012, they faced each other again. The Celtics were leading 3-2 till LeBron himself changed the tide and won the series for Miami. They went on to win the NBA title that year.

After that result, it was pure domination as James became the king of the Eastern Conference. He won the next 3 playoff series against Boston and lost just 4 games in those 3 series.

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Will LeBron ever face the Celtics again in the playoffs? Only time will tell. If the Celtics win the title, he will indeed be itching to get back at them.