Lakers games continue to attract huge television ratings for the NBA, a league that has been struggling with low ratings and bad publicity.

In fact, this matchup between the two historic franchises was the most-watched regular season game in seven years. The Lakers and the Celtics are two of the most recognizable franchises in all of sports. When those two teams are good and are facing off against each other, fans want to watch.

Could we realistically see a Boston Celtics - Los Angeles Lakers NBA finals this season? Not too long ago, such a proposition would have seemed dubious at best, with the Celtics repeat champs but Los Angeles struggling to put the right pieces around an aging but still excellent LeBron James.