Yikes, Walton grew up a Celtics fan

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- To a lot of people around Southern California, it must sound like the misspent youth of Luke Walton.

Surely it gives Los Angeles Lakers fans the creeps.

You wonder if any of the legions of NBA conspiracy theorists might look at Walton as a "mole," or a "plant" like in "The Manchurian Candidate," groomed from birth by evil foreign forces to undermine the nation -- in this case, Laker Nation.

Walton, see, grew up a Boston Celtics fan.

How could he not?

His father Bill Walton ended his brilliant, but injury-shortened NBA career in Boston, playing the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons with the Celts, but missing his final year in 1987-88 with injuries. He was there just long enough to pick up the second of his two championship rings in 1986, then lose to the Lakers in the 1987 Finals. But he also was there long enough to be smitten with the organization's dynastic legacy.

To this day, Luke's TV analyst dad remains an unabashed admirer of the Celtics, while the son, of course, has grown into a tenacious and effective contributor off the Lakers' bench.

"I was a Boston kid, rooting for the Celtics," admitted Luke Walton, 28, on Monday as his team prepared to take on the Despised Ones on Thursday in a much-anticipated renewal of the NBA's greatest Finals rivalry. "I don't know if I hated (the Lakers), but you never would have seen me wearing a Lakers T-shirt."

Luke would have been in his first few years of elementary school there, influenced by his charismatic dad, who, he said liked to remind family members "playing with Larry Bird was unbelievable."

Naturally, young Luke would take his basketball to the backyard and pretend.

"I'd play these imaginary games with my imaginary nine guys and it would be me and Larry against Magic and those guys," said Walton, smiling at the thought. "Now it's time to switch that up."

Bill Walton has been absent from his ESPN duties for about three months, keeping a low profile at home in San Diego while recovering from back problems that prevent him from traveling and working.

Luke Walton said he's heard encouraging words from his father throughout the playoffs, but not since the Lakers-Celtics matchup became official.

"He's pulling for me," said the Lakers forward. "But I'm sure I'll hear about (the rivalry). We were pretty diehard growing up. I always laughed because he was so over the top."

Walton said that getting teased by his dad about his basketball affiliations is nothing new, not since he went off to play his college ball at Arizona.

Bill Walton, of course, was one of the greatest UCLA Bruins of all time.

"When I was at Arizona, if we'd lose to UCLA, he'd be one of the first ones to call me up and give me a hard time about it," said son of father.

Luke Walton may have grown up fully aware of this Lakers-Celtics stuff, but the on-court rivalry has been dormant for so long that it's hard for a lot of the current players to relate.

"It affects the towns and the fans," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. "But for the players, not at all."

For old-times sake, to stir the pot, some media members have dredged up the 4-year-old Kobe Bryant-Ray Allen tiff, in which the then-Seattle, now-Boston shooting guard openly criticized Bryant as the cause of the 2004 breakup of the Shaquille O'Neal-Jackson-Bryant Lakers.

There was a brief exchange of comments through the media at that time, but the spat didn't really have legs. Bryant has said it's long forgotten.

More telling is that Bryant claimed Monday that he and Celtics star Paul Pierce are now buddies. It went so far -- Pierce told Boston reporters, and Bryant confirmed -- that when they met playing informal games at UCLA early last summer, they joked about who would be traded first.

Instead, they each stayed put, with their respective clubs adding All-Star talent that turned around their fortunes.

"Both of us were in the same boat," said Bryant, referring to the depressed state of the Lakers and Celtics one year ago. "The irony is that now we're both in the Finals."

If may get testy on the floor at some point, like those rivalries of old, but for now, it's only ferocious among the fan bases.

"He's a great guy," said Bryant of Pierce. "We had a great time playing pickup ball. We chatted again at the All-Star break."

For now, the rivalry on the court seems as benign as Bill and Luke Walton having fun with each other's loyalties.

"Now," said the younger Walton and one-time Boston fan, smiling. "I'm trying to take down his team."

No doubt Lakers fans will want proof.

(Contact Gregg Patton at gpatton@PE.com.)

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)