The Lakers and Celtics Both Do Good in the Community

Boston and Los Angeles are currently engaged in their second NBA Finals battle in three years — and it's the 12th time overall that they've squared off in the Finals. So, yes, you can say there's some bad blood between these two storied franchises. The Celtics have won nine of those first 11 meetings, including the last series in '08, leaving the Lakers hungry for revenge. But, bad blood aside, each squad is taking time away from the series (currently tied up at one game apiece) to make a difference in the community.

Last Friday, current and former members of the Lakers (such as Derek Fisher, above), along with NBA Commissioner David Stern and other basketball notables, dedicated a new NBA Cares Learn & Play Center at the Salvation Army Los Angeles Red Shield Youth & Community Center as part of the NBA Cares Finals Legacy Project. As blogdowntown noted, the center has served the Pico Union neighborhood since 1949, and the center, which was renovated by NBA Cares, HP, State Farm and the Lakers, will include a reading room and a technology area, featuring new HP computers, printers and gaming equipment. Not to be outdone, tomorrow in Boston, current and former members of the Celtics, along with Commissioner Stern and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, will be at the Boston Centers for Youth & Families Tobin Community Center to dedicate another Learn & Play Center.

These centers will be part of the nearly 500 places that the NBA, its teams and players have created for children, where they can live, learn, or play. You can find out more about the league's charitable work at NBA Cares.

Photo courtesy of NBAE via Getty Images.