Kevin Garnett and the Celtics hope they are able to rise above the Lakers in the NBA Finals as they did against Tayshaun Prince and the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals.

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AP / Paul Sancya

BOSTON –– Boston coach Doc Rivers gave the Celtics Saturday and yesterday off to both celebrate their Eastern Conference finals victory over Detroit and rest up from a grueling past three weeks where they have been playing games almost every other day.

Today they get back to work and will prepare to take on the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in a matchup between the two most storied franchises in NBA history.

The Celtics have an NBA-best 16 NBA championships, and the Lakers have won 14 NBA titles. This will be the 11th meeting between the two teams in the Finals. Boston owns an 8-2 record over Los Angels in NBA championship meetings, but the last time Boston reached the Finals, 21 years ago, the Celtics lost to the Lakers in six games.

“It means everything to Boston fans,” Boston guard Paul Pierce said of the Celtics/Lakers rivalry. “To me, I think that’s what pretty much got me started in basketball, growing up in Los Angeles, watching the Lakers and the Celtics, and it’s ironic, just being a Celtic, growing up, now you’re playing against the Lakers in the Finals. As a kid, I hated the Celtics.

“I’m going back home to play against my team that I grew up watching. It’s a dream come true, man, just thinking about it. I think that rivalry really revolutionized the game of basketball, and now I’m a part of it.”

roblee@projo.com