Bodog Beat

NBA superstars Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant have sparked renewed interest in the Lakers-Celtics rivalry. (AP Images)

It's been reported that the NBA Finals have attracted an outstanding 38% more viewers than last year's disappointing series thanks in part to superstars Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett, the drama that inherently follows both, and the revitalization of the league's greatest rivalry.

When the Los Angeles Lakers took the floor in Boston on Thursday night it marked the 11th time these two teams had met in the finals over the past fifty years. Celtics fans can delight in the fact that, before Magic Johnson's Lakers stole the final two matchups with Larry Bird in the mid-80s, the Celtics had won the first eight.

With an 8.7 rating on ABC, up from 6.3 the year before, the NBA is in the midst of enjoying their most watchable final since the Lakers met – and were dealt a shocking defeat – by the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

Though Celtics captain Paul Pierce hobbled his way out a wheelchair and into the spotlight in Game 1, giving hometown Boston a distinct momentum advantage with two timely three-pointers at the end of the third quarter, the Lakers look poised to even things up in Game 2 on Sunday.

Feeling confident that the team you loathed as a child is going to blow it once again? Put your money where your hatred is with NBA playoff odds.