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Pint-size Celtics fans had better schedule an afternoon nap today if they hope to make it through another late night playoff battle with the L.A. Lakers.

Their red-eyed parents might want to do the same.

With an audience reaching coast-to-coast for the exciting rebirth of the legendary Celtics-Lakers rivalry, the NBA made an agreement with ABC to schedule all games in the series for tip-off at 9 p.m. EST.

That gives West Coast audiences the reasonable hour of 6 p.m. to tune-in and cheer on their beloved purple-and-gold. But for parents of Celtics fans too young to have even been alive during the last of the epic Celtics-Lakers matchups, the late nights are starting to take their toll.

"She's been a little tired," admits Attleboro resident and mom Virginia Boyle about her 13-year-old daughter, Savannah. "She missed the bus a few days and I had to drive her in, but she loves it." The Brennan Middle School student left home Tuesday for a school trip to Washington, D.C., but was still able to stay up to watch the disappointing Tuesday night game - text messaging her parents commentary while wearing her BEAT L.A. shirt.

Savannah spent the first two games of the series sleeping on the couch in her parent's living room, refusing to miss a minute of the action.

While some younger fans might not fully appreciate the history behind the 49-year rivalry (starting with the Celtics' first NBA championship title against the then-Minneapolis Lakers in 1959 and only growing more heated when the Celtics claimed six of the next eight championship match-ups between the two teams), that hasn't quelled youth interest in the series.

Tuesday, Willett Elementary School in Attleboro hosted its own Celtics Pride Day, inviting kids to don the green-and-white colors of their favorite hometown heroes.

And while the kids are enjoying the hype, Willett Principal Gaylene Heppe doubts many children that young are staying up for the late-night showdowns.

"I don't think many of the elementary kids are actually watching the games," Heppe said. "Hopefully, parents are using good judgment."

"It's unfortunate," North Attleboro High varsity basketball coach Chris Perron said of the decision to start the games so late. "It should be a fun time for families to get together. It's a great opportunity for anyone who likes Boston basketball to learn about some of the history - especially the kids."

Perron's three children, Justin, 15, Ryan, 13, and Danielle, 11, have all been fighting to make it through to the end of the games, but Dad does make sure they have their priorities straight.

If homework and other responsibilities are done for the night, the avid Celtics fan will cut his kids some slack and let them stay up, putting on a cap for his younger ones of about 10:30 p.m.

The last time the Celtics battled the Lakers in the finals, 1987, a year most Celtic fans would like to forget, 9 p.m. games did happen, but a few afternoon games were thrown in the mix. For devoted Celtics fans, this will be the fourth night in a week's time they'll have to put in those extra hours to watch their team's road to glory.

Thank God for TiVo.