Of the 22 teams that will resume the 2019-2020 NBA season in Orlando, Florida this summer, only a handful have a realistic chance to compete for the championship. The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are on that shortlist, making it a realistic possibility that the sport’s biggest rivalry could be renewed in the NBA Finals.

With a 5.5-game lead atop the Western Conference and just eight games left on the schedule, the Lakers are all but guaranteed to be the No.1 seed. Los Angeles is the betting favorite to win the West with +160 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Boston is the No.3 seed in the Eastern Conference and likely to remain there for the postseason. The Milwaukee Bucks are the overwhelming favorites to win the East. Boston is considered to be their top competition with +700 odds, even ahead of the defending champion Toronto Raptors.

FanDuel sets the odds of a Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals at +1900. Those odds are better than the chances that teams like Toronto (+2400) or the Philadelphia 76ers (+2700) will win the title.

Los Angeles would likely be a heavy favorite in a series with Boston. LeBron James was having an MVP-caliber season before play was suspended on March 11. He eliminated the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals in each of his last two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Boston’s championship hopes are linked to the emergence of Jayson Tatum as a superstar. Tatum was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for February with averages of 30.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 12 games.

James was the West’s Player of the Month for February after averaging 26.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 10.1 assists in 10 games.

One of those contests was a 114-112 Lakers’ victory over the Celtics at Staples Center. James barely missed a triple-double with 29 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Tatum was spectacular in defeat with 41 points on 20 field-goal attempts.

The Lakers rank fourth in offensive rating, and the Celtics are right behind them at fifth overall. Los Angeles has the third-best defensive rating, and Boston ranks fourth.

The Lakers defeated the Celtics in seven games in the 2010 NBA Finals. In the 2008 NBA Finals, Boston needed six games to eliminate Los Angeles.

Since the Lakers moved to Los Angeles, the two franchises have met in the Finals 11 times. Boston went 6-0 against L.A. in the 1960s. Los Angeles had a 2-1 record over Boston in the 1980s.

The Celtics lead all franchises with 17 NBA titles. The Lakers have 16 championships in 31 Finals appearances.

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers plays a pre-season game in Shanghai in October 2019
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers plays a pre-season game in Shanghai in October 2019 AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL
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