BOSTON – Lakers executive Jeanie Buss and her boyfriend, Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson, disagree on some things but not on one issue: They both hate the Celtics, but for different reasons.
Jeanie, daughter of the Lakers’ eccentric owner, Jerry Buss, said she was delighted recently to find out how much Jackson despises the Celtics – from his days of playing for the Knicks. No wonder Jeanie would like to marry the Zen Master.
“I didn’t really know the depth of it until I went to the Hall of Fame ceremony last September [in Springfield, Mass.] when he was inducted,” Buss told The Post yesterday before Game 1 of the NBA Finals. “He’s walking around, making comments like, ‘This is just a Celtic alumni club, all the people in here.’ All of a sudden I saw his feelings toward the Celtics.”
As a Knick, Jackson faced the Celtics four times in the Eastern Conference finals (1969, 1972, 1973, 1974). Jackson has pointed out often, as he tied Red Auerbach for most coaching championships at nine, the disdain former Knicks coach/mentor Red Holzman had for the Boston patriarch’s cigar-lighting antics.
“Phil’s talked about Red Holzman the last couple of weeks more than in eight years we’ve been together,” Buss said. “I feel there’s a connection right now between his mentor Red Holzman right now and it’s something that is inspiring Phil in a different way than the Lakers’ rivalry with the Celtics. It’s cool to be on same side of the fence with that. This rivalry carries a lot for Lakers fans and Phil brings another element.”
Jackson said he understands the importance of the rivalry.
“Myself, I’ve never been in the Finals against the Celtics [as coach], but with the Knicks we had four of them [conference finals] when I was playing and they were all very intense, very difficult,” he said. “The Lakers faced so many years against this team when they finally overcame it, it was great for L.A. So I know this carries a lot of import to my owner.”
Jackson nearly became the Knicks coach three years ago, but wouldn’t stray from Jeanie or the Lakers.
“I swear Phil would have taken the job had the Lakers job not come open,” Jeanie said.
Last night, Jeanie was back at her father’s house in Marina Del Rey, Calif., to watch the opener at Boston Garden, with plans on ordering in Italian food. Not wanting to sit in a hostile arena amidst “Beat L.A.” chants, the Buss family will take the trip East for Games 6 and 7 if they have to.
Jeanie recalls the thrill of 1985, when the Lakers broke through with a victory over the Celtics after losing the first eight Finals to Boston.
“I remember how much it meant to dad,” Jeanie said. “For him growing up and living in the West Coast, we always felt a West Coast bias and to beat someone from the East was huge.”
Jeanie reports L.A. is buzzing. Hugh Hefner, a friend of her father’s, rarely goes to Lakers games anymore, but he’s coming to Game 3 at Staples Center – and bringing the three blonde stars of the hit show, “The Girls Next Door.”
Jeanie has had to change her voice mail in the Lakers’ offices.
“It says, now, ‘I’m no longer taking orders for Lakers tickets, so I don’t have to call them back,'” she said.
Jeanie runs the Lakers’ marketing department and on Dec. 30 staged a 1980’s night promotion with the Celtics in town, with the players wearing the old short-shorts.
“The Celtics burned us in the first half so Phil had our guys change back to the normal ones,” Jeanie said. “I was disappointed. But the first thing I thought of was I hope we had a chance to play them again this season.”
*
Beantown hasn’t lost its smugness when it comes to the Celtics. Though the Lakers are favored everywhere, all six Boston Herald writers picked the Celts and even called the coaching matchup “even” between Jackson (nine titles) and Doc Rivers (first Finals appearance).