Santa Monicans pledge hometown loyalty in Lakers-Celtics rivalry
By MICHAEL MIDDLEHURST-SCHWARTZ Special to the Daily Press
WILSHIRE BLVD Demetri Panos sits at his usual seat at the bar in Sonny McLean’s, hoping to drum up some luck for his Boston Celtics a full day before tip-off.
Born and raised in Boston, Panos previously had made the bar his “fortress of solitude” for Red Sox games.
But as the NBA season progressed, Panos began to stop in to follow the Celtics’ rise to the top of the league standings.
After three closely contested series, Panos said he is relieved to see Boston reach the finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, the team he despises most.
“It’s classic east coast versus west coast,” Panos said. “It’s the series everyone wanted to see.”
Panos is just one of many impassioned Santa Monicans preparing for tonight’s opening game of the NBA Finals set to tip-off in Boston at 6 p.m. The rebirth of the bi-coastal rivalry has already excited both Lakers fans and transplanted Celtic fans in Santa Monica alike.
At Yankee Doodle’s sports bar on the Third Street Promenade, manager Jairo Hernandez has prepared to overstaff for each game.
Lakers playoff games always bring out crowds, Hernandez said, but the addition of the Celtics has the bar prepared to have standing room only throughout the series.
“This is a Laker town, but there’s going to be even more to this with Boston and all of the passion their fans bring,” Hernandez said.
With tickets starting at $350 each for opening night, many Santa Monicans will be priced out of attending the games at the Staples Center when the series returns to Los Angeles.
But some of even the most fervent fans would prefer to watch the series at the bar among their friends.
“We have people in here two hours before the games start so they can save seats and have the same arrangement from the last Celtics win,” said Sam Fusaro, bartender at Sonny McLean’s and a lifelong Celtics fan. “We’re going to be a hundred Celtics fans deep for the first game with four or five Lakers fans sprinkled in there.”
Despite having home-court advantage, Fusaro said the Celtics were playing the underdog role after several sports personalities chose the Lakers to win. While the Lakers needed 15 playoff games to reach the Finals, the Celtics played 20 games, including two seven-game series, before winning the Eastern Conference.
While Boston won both regular season match-ups, Lakers fan Garry Rolen is quick to point out that Los Angeles was without newly-acquired star Pau Gasol for each game.
“I think the Lakers are going to win,” Rolen said. “They have the experience advantage and I don’t think the Celtics can stop Kobe Bryant.”
But not all Lakers fans share Rolen’s optimism. Despite being a season-ticket holder, Santa Monica resident R.J. Cipriani said this was the Celtics’“year of destiny.”
“They haven’t won in a long time, so you know they’re going to be hungry,” Cipriani said.
Despite the animosity between the two teams, fans from both sides said the rivalry was one of respect.
Since moving to Santa Monica in 1996, Panos has had to hear his share of heckling at work for being a Boston fan. After watching the Celtics reach the playoffs and fall short of the Finals each year since his move, Panos said he is content his team has made it this far.
“It’s going to be fun no matter what the outcome is,” Panos said.
And while a long running series may be better for his bar, Hernandez admits he has other allegiances.
“As a business man, I’d love a game seven,” Hernandez said.“But as a Lakers fan, I’d love to see a four-game sweep.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 5, 2008. Read the original PDF.