Jordan Farmar looks at Ron Artest as he hugs Kobe Bryant at the end of the game. The Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics in game 7 of the NBA Finals 83-79 in Los Angeles, CA 06/16/2010 (John McCoy/Staff Photographer)

The joy and agony still feels like a recent feeling for Luke Walton, who still remembers in vivid detail the conflicting emotions surrounding the Lakers-Celtics rivalry.

Walton first felt the agony when the Lakers lost to Boston in six games in the 2008 NBA Finals. Walton conceded “it still bothers me a lot” that the Celtics celebrated with a Gatorade bath in the waning minutes of their 39-point series-clinching win over the Lakers in Game 6 at the TD Garden. Although he understood and respected the gesture, Walton still found it “pretty painful” it took the team bus about 2 1/2 hours to drive from TD Garden back to the team’s hotel because of rowdy Celtics fans celebrating in the street. Two years later, though, Walton sensed that “nerves were strong” before experiencing “a pretty special evening” when the Lakers exacted revenge on the Celtics by beating them in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals.

Although those memories still sounded vivid, Walton has abstained from sharing stories with his players as the Lakers (19-42) host the Boston Celtics (39-22) on Friday at TD Garden. Instead, Walton has talked about recent memories, including the need for the Lakers to end a five-game losing streak and two straight losses this week at Staples Center.

“They should get to know to respecting the game that treats us all so well,” Walton said. “They should know the history of it and where everything came from. That’s a big part of the history, the rivalry. But it’s not important as far as the way we play for right now. Right now, we’re at the beginning stages of where we need to get to. It’s more we have to come out and compete again and talk on defense. We’re going to play defense without fouling. Those are the type of things our focus needs to be.”

Even though Lakers fans continuously remind Metta World Peace for his role in the Lakers’ 2010 NBA title win, the former Ron Artest has abstained from reminding his teammates about the incident. So instead of talking about his 20 points, five steals and infamous press conference in which he thanked his psychologist, World Peace has embraced the team’s youth movement.

“This is a new time, new music,” World Peace said. “Seven years ago, it was Jay-Z and now it’s Lil Uzi Vert. Seven years ago, it was Mobb Deep and now it’s Chief Keef. It’s a whole new time. So some of these guys were still getting their butt whooped for eating too much candy. It’s a new time and new era of players. The best players ever to play in the NBA are in today’s game. So seven years ago, it’s not important.”

So, World Peace has talked to his teammates less about his Game 7 heroics and more about how Walton helped him during that season. Before the NBA All-Star break, World Peace shared how Walton showed qualities then that he would eventually become the man in charge roaming the sideline.

“Luke was great. He was a major, major part of the team. When he got in the game, he contributed, made big plays and big passes. On the bench, he had great coaching on the bench as a player,” World Peace said. “When I struggled, he always had my back. He gave me the confidence to feel like I was better than I was.”

That mindset carried over in Game 7 against the Celtics. Then, World Peace held Boston forward Paul Pierce to a 5-of-15 clip and also making a key 3-pointer that gave the Lakers a six-point lead with a minute remaining. Even seven years after what World Peace called “a special moment,” he said that Lakers fans approach him and “still talk about that shot.” So did Walton after practice on Thursday.

“I was thrilled. Metta was one of my favorite teammates,” Walton said. “He was great. For him to make that shot, that’s why he came here. That’s why he sacrificed to the role he took playing for us.”

Plenty has since changed then. The former Artest has legally changed his name. Instead of being a starter on a championship-contending team, World Peace has served as a mentor on limited playing time on a rebuilding team. Walton, whose Hall-of-Fame father played on the 1986 Celtics’ championship team, no longer calls the current team he coaches, “The Fakers.”

“My hatred for the Lakers was more repeating what I heard from what my dad and his teammates were saying about them,” Walton said. “I really had no clue what they were talking about. I was six or seven years old. I didn’t really have an understanding of what was going on.”

Now the 36-year-old Walton does. Even if the Lakers-Celtics matchup on Friday will not provide a preview of the NBA Finals as it had in previous decades, Walton still considers it a rivalry that should spark his team’s competitive juices.

“I love it. It’s great. I think it’s great for sports,” Walton said. “With that much history, whether the teams are terrible or great or one team is good and the other team is struggling, that will always be there.”

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mmedina@scng.com. Subscribe to the “We Want Tacos” Lakers podcast on iTunes.