BOSTON - The Los Angeles Lakers held shootaround at TD Garden on Thursday morning ahead of tonight’s primetime matchup with the Boston Celtics. When asked about the historic rivalry, LeBron James downplayed the narrative. “Does it mean anything to me to be a part of history or a rivalry? Yeah absolutely,” said James. He was also asked about the NBA All-Star draft, as he and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the two captains. There’s lots of speculation about whether or not he will choose Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving, but James said his lips are sealed after making his picks Thursday morning. “I did it this morning,” said James. When asked if he would tell us more, he quickly responded, “No, of course not,” with a smile. “I think I selected my team to the best of my ability and the best of my knowledge of the players I got, so it should be a fun weekend.” Rajon Rondo also returns to TD Garden tonight in purple and gold. The veteran guard said it’s a little strange, but it’s not his first time back. “A little strange,” said Rondo, “But I’ve been back in other uniforms as well, so it’s still always home.” Head coach Luke Walton also spoke to the media about LA’s blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers earlier this week and how the team is dealing with the never-ending trade rumors. The Celtics and Lakers tip off tonight at 8:00 PM EST.<doc-sep>The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers renew their East-West rivalry on Thursday when the Lakers visit the Celtics at TD Garden, hoping to snap a 6-game losing streak to their old rivals. The Celtics survived the absence of point guard Kyrie Irving (hip) to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-96 on Tuesday. Irving has just been cleared to go tonight while hosting the Lakers. Lakers at Celtics Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free – no contracts required) When: Thursday, February 7 Time: 8 p.m. ET TV: TNT Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Kyrie and the Lakers have been closely linked of late, with recent rumors that he and LeBron James have healed their relationship and could reunite on the west coast. One thing for certain right now is that Boston, third in the Eastern Conference, look the more powerful predator at present. Days after the New England Patriots edged the Los Angeles Rams to lift this year’s Super Bowl trophy and gain some east coast bragging rights, the Celtics will look to follow suit at The Garden. The Lakers have lost in their last two trips to Boston but won 108-107 in their most recent clash. James will be an obvious difference-maker this time around, though. Head coach Luke Walton is happy to have his headliner back in the lineup after injury, although morale will be at a season-low following Tuesday’s 136-94 hammering at the hands of the Indiana Pacers who are fourth in the Eastern Conference. The Lakers have lost two games or more in a row on nine occasions this season; they’ve lost three consecutive games three times and will make it a fourth if they fall in Boston. Celtics coach Brad Stevens spoke to the media earlier this week and sounded positive regarding the fitness of Irving, who may have simply been rested against Cleveland. Of him missing that fixture in midweek, Stevens said: “Just making sure that it feels great as we move into the next week.” He’ll rely on Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and co. to pick up the slack. How to Watch More NBA with fuboTV The first meeting of the season between these two teams promises to bring fireworks, with LBJ’s Lakers hoping to keep the game as competitive as they can. You can watch every major NBA game live on fuboTV, including Celtics games on NBC Sports Boston. Sign up today for a free trial so you don’t miss any key games – no contracts required. You’ll also be able to stream the entire NCAA Tournament, MLB, NHL, and much more. fuboTV is available on all of your devices, including web, iPhone, Android, Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.<doc-sep>Boston -- The Los Angeles Lakers are in town for a basketball game tonight against the Boston Celtics, but drama of the NBA trade deadline is what’s driving just about every conversation around the league. “The suspense and the excitement around the trade deadline is always kind of pretty crazy. But it’s always been like that," James said that Lakers shoot-around at the TD Garden this morning. "Sometimes things happen where guys and players and teams exchange players, and sometimes it don’t happen. But the conversations and the speculation is always there every year.” This year is obviously different for LeBron and his Lakers. They’ve been at the center of a massive push for Anthony Davis for the past two weeks; one that has involved so many leaks of trade packages and who’s called whom and when that it might as well be streamed on Magic Johnson’s Instagram live. The toxicity of the negotiation is part intentional, part collateral damage. Leaks always serve someone’s purpose, whether it’s an agent trying to muddy the waters or the team trying to discredit someone or sent public negotiating signals. Whomever is responsible for the numerous leaks here, it’s obviously taking its toll on some of the players involved. The Lakers are limping into Boston after a 42 point loss to the Pacers. The obvious question after such a loss, after all those public rumors, in a game that featured LeBron’s return, is whether the players are being adversely impacted by what’s happening. “I don’t know, that’s a question for those guys,” LeBron said. “It’s just all part of the business, and when you truly understand that, and you truly know this is a business, but you give 110 percent to whatever situation you’re in, then you’re able to live with it. But I know this has to be tough on guys that for the first time in their career, especially if you’re a young guy, to hear your name in trade rumors when you’ve been somewhere for a few years.” “It’s different for everyone, I remember my first time through it was very challenging." said head coach Luke Walton. “We got rid of Jannero Pargo. It’s a strange feeling. It’s tough, and then the longer you stay in the league, you get used to it, being part of it. But it’s different for everybody." The challenge is magnified by social media. Young players spend a lot of their lives online, scrolling through social feeds full of rumors. Former Celtic and current Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo is no stranger to being involved in rumors, but admits its tougher for the young players of today. “I navigated throughout without looking at the media, without watching TV,” he said. "When I played, I don’t want to sound too old, there wasn’t so much social media. But I had positive people around telling me to stay positive. " It might be difficult to stay positive for the young Lakers. They are not only inundated with the constant barrage of rumors involving them, but also assumptions that this drive is partly a LeBron James-driven push to build a championship contender around him quickly because the end of his career may be in sight. LeBron scoffs at this notion. “There’s nothing I need to get in this league that I don’t already have. Everything else for me is just like icing on the cake,” he said. “I love the process of everything I go through to be able to compete every single night and put teams in position to compete for championships. But there’s nothing I’m chasing or feel like I need to end my career on.” James is 34-years-old, but he’s remarkably avoided the types of nagging injuries that suggest there’s an end to his run. “I’ve never put a cap on how many years I want to be a part of this league or how many years I want to play the game of basketball," he told reporters. "I think the time will tell itself, you know, when it’s time for me or I feel like it’s time for me to stop playing. But I don’t see it in the foreseeable future.” There is a question, though, about the foreseeable future of his franchise. It seems the pursuit of Davis will now linger past today’s deadline, and it’s unclear if that’s good or bad for the franchise. Will they settle into more comfortable roles knowing they are all still teammates, or will animosity build amongst young guys who feel they are temporary human hangers for jerseys someone else will wear next season? It’s now on Walton, who has been the subject of many rumors himself, to keep the team together behind a simple message to his team: control what you can control and just come in and work hard. “That’s what our message has been, that’s what it will be,” he said. “Whenever the trade deadline passes today it’ll stay the same. It’s about our group, and whoever that group is getting better.”<doc-sep>
It was a rather awkward scene Thursday morning at TD Garden. LeBron James was surrounded by the media on his first trip to Boston with the Los Angeles Lakers, and many of his young teammates were nowhere to be seen. By 3 p.m., much of the young core could be ex-Lakers as the team attempts to pry Anthony Davis out of New Orleans before the trade deadline. It’s no secret that James wants to play with Davis and has no issue with players such as Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball, and Ivica Zubac being shuttled out of LA in the deal. So the awkwardness will continue until a decision is made. James said his younger teammates just have to understand it’s part of the NBA business. “That’s a question for those guys,” he said after Lakers shootaround in preparation for Thursday’s game with the Celtics. “I’m not sure. I think at the end of the day, it’s a business and there’s going to be speculation throughout your whole career as far as where you’re going to go and as a free agent where possibly you could go, if you were in trade discussions or if a team was going to buy you out or waive you. It’s all part of the business, and when you truly understand that and know this is a business and you give 100 percent to whatever situation that you’re in, but I know it has to be tough on guys that for the first time in your career, especially if you’re a young guy.” Related: Washburn: Blowing up the Celtics roster to get Anthony Davis is a bad idea James expressed his disdain on Wednesday evening after Dallas traded Harrison Barnes to the Sacramento Kings during the Mavericks game with the Charlotte Hornets. Barnes was sitting in the bench as the trade was being consummated. James said players like Davis should have more control of their career fate and not be criticized if they seek a trade. “It’s not hard to understand the two sides,” he said. “I understand the one side. I understand if a guy gets traded or a guy gets waived or cut, it was for the best of the franchise, which I agree. The team has to do what’s best for the franchise to set them up for the near future, for the present, but at the same time the players have the ability to do as well. “If a player wants to be traded because he feels like it’s for the better of profession or the better of his career or if a player decides as a free agent he wants to leave, then that should be the same conversation, that should be the same narrative, not that this guy or this kid is selfish or ungrateful or he didn’t appreciate where he was from or appreciate what he got. You do what’s best for your career. “Besides, at the end of the day, we only have so many years to play the game and you want to try to maximize as much as possible, so I like it on both sides. I see it from both angles, both franchise and players, but it’s the narrative that we would like to be able to be changed, and I think it’s unfortunate that Harrison Barnes [situation happened].” Lakers at a glance ■ When, where: Thursday, 8 p.m., at TD Garden. ■ TV, radio: TNT, WBZ-FM (98.5). ■ Scoring: LeBron James 26.9, Kyle Kuzma 18.6, Brandon Ingram 17.1. ■ Rebounding: James 8.4, JaVale McGee 6.8, Tyson Chandler 6.1. ■ Assists: Rajon Rondo 7.7, James 7.3, Lonzo Ball 5.4. ■ Head to head: This is the first of two meetings. The teams split the series last season. ■ Miscellany: Ball (ankle) is out . . . The Lakers have dropped six of their last eight . . . James has averaged 29.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.8 assists in 49 career games against the Celtics . . . Rondo is averaging 9.5 points and 9.8 assists over his last six starts with Ball out. Gary Washburn can be reached at gwashburn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GwashburnGlobe.