LOS ANGELES — When Stephon Marbury signed with Boston in late February, he thought he was signing a contract to play in the NBA finals.
Marbury did not anticipate Kevin Garnett missing the playoffs with an injury, so Marbury settled Thursday night for a courtside seat at Staples Center for Game 1, courtesy of his new buddy, Lakers executive Jeanie Buss.
Marbury, whose Celtics was ousted by the Magic in seven games of the second round, again will be courtside tonight for Game 2. Though the part-time LA resident had been to a finals game before, Marbury, who chatted up Denzel Washington at halftime, said, “This was different.”
“It felt better,” Marbury told The Post. “I felt like I was once competing for that championship and it felt good to compete for that. It was important because I wanted to see what I was competing for, feel like what it’s like.”
Marbury faces an uncertain future — a free agent who may or may not return to the Celtics as a backup. Marbury, who will train in the Hollywood Hills again this summer, will consider another team for a starting position.
As former point guards in New York, ABC commentator Mark Jackson and Marbury have been friends for many years. Jackson now lives in the San Fernando Valley, and they got together for dinners last spring.
Marbury was rooting for Jackson to get the Knicks’ coaching job. Mike D’Antoni was hired and exiled Marbury before giving him a chance.
“I didn’t agree the way it was handled in New York,” Jackson said yesterday at an ABC breakfast in Hollywood. “In New York, I’m very proud of the way he handled it, kept himself ready, the way he was a professional. The way he quieted a lot of critics.”
Marbury played a modest role in Boston off the bench. Though he was too tentative offensively, he played solid defense and lifted the Celtics to a victory over the Magic in Game 5 by scoring 12 fourth-quarter points.
“Doc Rivers raved about him as a player and teammate,” Jackson said. “The Celtic players raved about him as a teammate. And he won a playoff game for them, a big one. He did great job of keeping his career alive. He’s proven he can still play.”