What really makes the NBA fun to watch, especially the post season, is the rivalries. Some are minor while some cause players to go out for blood. What do you guys think is the most intense rivalry?
I'll go with 1980s Lakers - Celtics
this past decades suns-spurs rivalry was fun to watch. someone was always bleeding.
but most intense would def be 80's lakers-celtics. jordan-pistons was intense too.
if you think about it has anyone had more rivalries than Jordan?
They only played 3 times. They should have played more, but there were four upsets in the conference finals:
1980 Celtics lose ECF with HCA to Sixers who lost to Lakers in finals
1982 Celtics lose ECF with HCA to Sixers who lost to Lakers in finals
1986 Lakers lose WCF with HCA to Rockets who lost to Celtics in finals
1988 Celtics lose ECF with HCA to Pistons who lost to Lakers in finals
1981 Lakers were defending champs, but lost in first round to Houston. not close to happening.
1983 Celtics were swept in 2nd round by the Bucks, but it didn't matter. No one was getting by Philadelphia that year. Milwaukee managed only win against Sixers that year in the playoffs in ECF.
So, I suppose it's fair to say had the played the 7 times they should have, Lakers would have won 5 and Celtics 2. Still, the rivalry was there, even when they didn't play you could feel it's presence.
Seems to me, like the Lakers and Spurs had a bigger rivalry last decade. Same with Spurs vs. Mavs, just to name another.
Wilt v. Russell
Besides Pistons/Knicks ...what other rivalry did MJ have? and doesnt another team have to at least win one for it to be considered a true rivalry? once MJ beat the Pistons only time he lost was to the Magic once?
Recent years:
1. Lakers/Celts
2. Mavs/Spurs
3. Spurs/Suns (which even without a "win" before a few seasons ago I would still count, since Stern screwed them in one of 'em)
All-time (no order):
1. Lakers/Celts (80's) #1 for sure
2. Sixers/Celts (80's) These 2 ranchises hated each other (Dr. J/Bird fight!! LOL)
3. Lakers/Sixers (80's) Underrated 3 Finals in 4 years, lakers win 2 of 3
4. Pistons/Celts (80's) Parish beats down Bill!!!
5. Pistons/Bulls (80/90's) Jordan rules, no shaking hands
6. Lakers/Spurs (2000's) basketball at it's best but usually never at sametime
7. Jazz/Sonics (90's) Payton vs. stockton, Kemp vs. Malone
8. Knicks/Pacers (90's) These fans/teams hated each other
9. Rockets/Suns (90's) some great games here
10. Heat/knicks (90's) Ugly ball but intense ...
Bulls-Pistons
I'm going to go with the Clippers/TWolves both fighting for the 1st overall pick every year.
The Pacers - NYK rivalry is really underrated
Those 93-94-95 series were bloodbaths
Metta World Peace
there was jordan vs reggie, bulls cavs, i think their was somewhat of a rivalry with larry bird in the 80's. yea guess i overthunk.
mavs-spurs rivalry since Mark MF'N Cuban took ownership of the team. although spurs won more rings during this period, the mavs were more likely to win a head-to-head matchup between the two teams therefore the mavs were slightly the better side just as my name tells tbh
Not here. They been suckin' on your ass since you swept us right on thru the ringage & to this very day.
lol mavs-spurs wasnt even the most intense rivalry of the last decade. spurs-suns & lakers-kings were the most intense of the last decade.
At least not since they swept us and you latched onto their asshole with both lips.
There's no rivalry from the past decade that's really intense, largely because the players love each other too much these days. The NBA has basically become a fraternity of monkeys (white or black) who don't take anything at all seriously but know they'll get paid millions in the process.
In today's NBA, a lot of players are friends or acquaintances, but there have been plenty of players from rival teams who didn't like each other much at all. The early 2000 Lakers and Kings did not like each other, and we saw it manifest itself in their games against one another and for example the Rick Fox and Doug Christie scuffle. The mid 2000 Pistons and Pacers did not like each other. And it wasn't just the brawl. Corliss Williamson threw the basketball at Jermaine O'Neal's head after a hard foul. Kobe and Raja Bell. Bowen and Ray Allen. Bulls and Celtics a few seasons ago.
There's something to be said about a lot of players at least being cordial with one another because a lot of them have known each other since their AAU days, but when the compe ion gets heated, animosity can develop. KG and Kobe used to be pretty friendly, and once KG was a Celtic, I think the two stopped talking to each other. But that goes back through the history of the game. Isiah and Magic were really, really close. But once Isiah and the Pistons become le contenders, after the 1989 series, they two grew apart. Wilt and Bill Russell were close and we all have heard how they had a falling out. Compe ion can make enemies out of friends. I wouldn't be surprised to see a rift between LeBron/Wade and Carmelo if the Knicks can actually become legit le contenders.
Ultra compe ive guys don't want to be friends with guys who always beat them. I don't know how Charles Oakley remained such good friends with Jordan after Jordan beat the out of his Knicks teams all the time. At some point, if you're compe ive and you know you're good, you'll have to be sick of losing to the same guy all the time. It's something LeBron should work on. He's so concerned about his image and his global iconic status and being best buddies with everyone that I think he loses his edge sometimes. I'd love to see there be more animosity between players, if the NBA ever starts up again...
Amen Jamstone you are missed around these parts ...
I never got that about Oak, chuck and ewing dont get me wrong .. Im sure all 3 guys gave 100% effort to beat MJ that they had. but sometimes the intensity or a dislike (hatred is too strong) in an intense rivalry could have swung some games the other way. As physical as the Knicks were with the Bulls ...they never were AS physical as the Badboy Pistons were, at least with MJ ...and Ewing should of at least took one good shot at MJ or especially Pippen, with the way they dunked on his ass ... but they never did. Sure, they fouled them hard especially by today's standards ...
But as Riley put it MJ was a con man taking those to gamble and to strip clubs because he knew he would not lose his edge by being buddies ...and those fools fell for it ...MJ was a "G".
Like a in' headache.
Heat and Mavs.
2010 Heat and everyone else.
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