Heat are Public Enemy #1 in Beantown

Some old-school fans may cringe at this fact, but the Lakers are no longer the C's biggest rival. It's the Heat. Kevin Garnett stirred the pot when he refused to acknowledge Ray Allen's tap on the shoulder during yesterday's game in Miami. It was ice cold, but that's how it should be this season.

The storied Boston-LA rivalry has toned down the past few seasons.. There's no real tension or storylines between the two teams. Russell had Chamberlain. Bird had Magic. Kobe has...Pierce? Garnett? No, these teams don't mirror each other well.

The 2008 and 2010 Finals were good stories, but it's a different era now. Rondo, Pierce, and KG are the only ones left from the Big Three era. LeBron has now led a team to a championship and has established himself as teh league's best player.  The Celtics are hoping to recreate themselves as a run-and-gun team. The Lakers have retooled as well.

It's clear that Boston and Miami are the two best teams in the east. Derrick Rose is out untill January. Brooklyn improved, but not significantly better. And New York just got old. Why should the Celtics care about the Lakers? They only face them twice this season and those two games are in a two week span in February, when the NBA doldrums set in.

The Heat are the Alpha Dog team in the NBA right now. Sun Tzu said in The Art of War, “To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.” The Celtics didn't try and become the Lakers, they got a quicker, higher scoring team that can run with the Heat.

I'm glad KG "lost" Ray Allen's phone number. That animosity provides a better storyline for Celtics fans and basketball fans in general.

Forget Long Beach, South Beach is where Celtics fans should be focusing their hatred.