Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
Rivalries of any kind are one of the special things that make sports so great, especially when it comes to the NBA’s greatest rivalries of all time.
The idea that a game means more than what the final score may indicate can bring out so much in an athlete — both positive and negative — which in turn can and has created some truly memorable moments throughout time.
Ever-forming storylines will always play a part, but what makes a rivalry more than anything is repetition. To match up with the same opponent over and over does bring out something different on both sides.
The NBA‘s history is ripe with this type of hatred, but of course, not every team is in a constant battle with the other 29, only a select few, if any. A difference in direction could keep a rivalry dormant, while the right conditions and circumstances bring back the chance to re-ignite a once extinguished flame.
When it comes to these rankings, you are sure to notice three distinct groupings. The first grouping sets up a few teams whose mutual bitterness is attributed mostly to their geographical circumstances. A second grouping consists of the many rivalries that begin and end with a specific — albeit highly entertaining — time frame.
The third is the cream of the crop, those with an innate hatred that, if not currently present, festers at the surface until both sides rediscover their relevancy. It’s a distinction that may place some above others, but shouldn’t ultimately take away from the tremendous level of basketball excellence each level has provided the fans.
NBA‘s history is ripe with this type of hatred, but of course, not every team is in a constant battle with the other 29, only a select few, if any. A difference in direction could keep a rivalry dormant, while the right conditions and circumstances bring back the chance to re-ignite a once extinguished flame.</p>
<p>When it comes to these rankings, you are sure to notice three distinct groupings. The first grouping sets up a few teams whose mutual bitterness is attributed mostly to their geographical circumstances. A second grouping consists of the many rivalries that begin and end with a specific — albeit highly entertaining — time frame.</p>
<p>The third is the cream of the crop, those with an innate hatred that, if not currently present, festers at the surface until both sides rediscover their relevancy. It’s a distinction that may place some above others, but shouldn’t ultimately take away from the tremendous level of basketball excellence each level has provided the fans.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 30 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363937 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2132,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F157458147.jpeg" alt="Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks, Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets" width="3200" height="2132" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/157458147.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/157458147-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks, Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>30. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Brooklyn Nets vs. New York Knicks</h2>
<p>When you think about what both the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets have accomplished on the court since the turn of the century, whatever bad-blood they may share as intercity rivals shouldn’t exist at all.</p>
<p>Despite the lack of championships from either side, Brooklyn — previously in New Jersey — has made 10 trips to the postseason, including consecutive NBA Finals outings in 2002 and 2003. The Knicks, meanwhile, have made just five playoff appearances, only one of which resulted in a second-round advancement.</p>
<p>The tension does not come from the players because there isn’t any argument to be made given New York’s incompetence. It’s fans of the Knicks who continue to stoke the fire, mocking a fanbase that always seems to live in the shadows.</p>
<p>Even upon moving to the more populated borough of Brooklyn, the Nets have never seemed to receive their proper dues as an organization. No matter what they accomplish or how much success they have, the focus of the local media has always been on the Knicks, a flagship franchise known around the globe.</p>
<p>This has, in turn, led to a rallying cry from Nets fans in search of their just dues as the more successful franchise of the two, despite whatever they may be lacking in stature. Knicks fans don’t seem to care, content instead to sit on a faulty throne with little substance to back up their claim to it.</p>
<p>The 2012-13 NBA season was perhaps the peak of this rivalry on the court. Of their four games played in what was the Nets’ inaugural run in Brooklyn, two were decided in the final seconds and one went into overtime — both won two apiece.</p>
<p>With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving now in Brooklyn, the Nets will assuredly be considered contenders for coming NBA championships. What that does to the balance of power in the Big Apple is certainly something to keep an eye on.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 29 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363938 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1228,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F159007575.jpeg" alt="Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers" width="1600" height="1228" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/159007575.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/159007575-768x589.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>29. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers</h2>
<p>The battle for the city between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers hasn’t been much of competition over the years in large part due to their complete opposite standing on the competitive spectrum.</p>
<p>The Lakers are regarded as arguably the greatest franchise in NBA history, with 16 NBA championships obtained across 31 NBA Finals outings. The Clippers, however, are synonymous with dysfunction, having yet to even qualify for the conference finals during their existence as a franchise, which includes brief stints as the Buffalo Braves and a few years in San Diego.</p>
<p>It was a hierarchy as clear as day, but every little brother has his moment of triumph. For the Clippers, that came in summer 2011, where they not only acquired NBA All-Star point-god Chris Paul from the then-New Orleans Hornets but essentially stole him away from the Lakers after a vetoed trade would’ve had him draped in the purple and gold.</p>
<p>From then on, the Clippers would begin to stake their claim in the City of Angels while the Lakers would become the laughing stock of the town. The Clippers rattled off six consecutive playoff appearances with a realistic pursuit of their first NBA title.</p>
<p>At the same time, the Lakers were forced to ride out the remaining years of a broken down Kobe Bryant. This was followed up by several years in the cellar of the Western Conference, their first attempt in a long time to build from the ground up.</p>
<p>Clippers fans did their best to take Los Angeles for themselves, but that’s a mighty challenge going up against a team with as much history and success as the Lakers. Still, it made for an interesting sub-plot when such hadn’t been the case for most, if not all, of their shared time at Staples Center.</p>
<p>The two teams have always seemed to be on different timelines. That is no longer the case. Anthony Davis linked up with LeBron James on the Lakers, while Kawhi Leonard orchestrated a pairing alongside Paul George with the Clippers.</p>
<p>Whatever sizzle this rivalry may have lacked over the years is sure to be remedied, as these two juggernauts are set to take the league by storm. They are now two of the favorites to take home the 2019-20 NBA Championship and will likely find the other in their path to get there.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 28 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363939 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1065,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F487376209.jpeg" alt="Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers, Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors" width="1600" height="1065" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/487376209.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/487376209-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers, Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors. (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>28. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers</h2>
<p>By 2014, the battle for California didn’t involve the purple and gold. Instead, it was the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers going back and forth, a rivalry that originated with one of the best first-round series of the decade.</p>
<p>Then, the Clippers were viewed as legitimate contenders for the NBA championship. That was ultimately their goal. Despite heading into the playoffs once again as the No. 6 seed, the Warriors were looking to take the next step forward following a surprising second-round appearance the previous year.</p>
<p>Despite the terrific on-court production, the series was pretty much overshadowed by the Donald Sterling saga that eventually led to his permanent banishment from the NBA. This unique circumstance added a new level of emotion on the Clippers’ side. It was easy to see given their reaction during some of the biggest moments.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fun with old quotes: Mo Speights discussing the Clippers & Chris Paul during the Warriors' 2014 playoff series <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://t.co/Av0UTztUpS">pic.twitter.com/Av0UTztUpS
<p>— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://twitter.com/sam_amick/status/751443325413056512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>July 8, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>The series went seven games, but even that doesn’t do its level of entertainment justice. Chris Paul still widely held the title as the best point guard in the game, while Stephen Curry continued to inch closer to that elusive crown with every 3-point bomb.</p>
<p>A similar battle was held between Blake Griffin and Draymond Green, the former an established perennial NBA All-Star and the latter a young upstart trying to find his place as a positionless big man. The Clippers managed to escape with a win, but it was only the beginning.</p>
<p>In the years that followed, the two teams would head in opposite directions — and sadly never again face off in the playoffs. Golden State developed into a dynasty, while Los Angeles fought hard to shake off the pretender-status that grew larger with each postseason failure.</p>
<p>Whatever shortcomings the Clippers may have had didn’t slow down their intensity against the Warriors, especially inside a Staples Center filled with more of Dub Nation than any home team should have to deal with.</p>
<p>Golden State had always had the swagger but eventually garnered the results to back it up, fueling an already bitter opponent that so desperately coveted what it already had: championship pedigree.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 27 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-280408 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2832,w_4256/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F635012104-nba-feb-11-warriors-at-thunder.jpg.jpg" alt="Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors" width="4256" height="2832"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:4256px;">Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors. (Photo by Torrey Purvey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>27. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder</h2>
<p>The rivalry between the Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder found its origins on the court. Here were two teams built mostly through the draft, each with a legitimate chance to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals during the 2015-16 NBA season.</p>
<p>Their regular-season battles were thrilling, highlighted by a late-February game that had Stephen Curry bomb a 40-foot game-winning three in overtime, tying what was then the single-game 3-point record with 12. As fate would have it, the two squads found each other in the conference finals with far more implications to come than the average series.</p>
<p>Oklahoma City would take a surprising 3-1 series lead only, to sputter out of control and lose the next three. This was thanks in large part to Klay Thompson’s record-breaking 11 3-pointer performance in Game 6 to keep the Warriors’ historic 73-win campaign alive that could only be validated with an NBA championship.</p>
<p>Whatever hard feelings were harbored only grew larger in free agency. Fans of the Thunder would’ve been disappointed to see prodigal son Kevin Durant leave, if that’s what he decided to do, but also understanding and respectful of a guy who gave so much to the organization.</p>
<p>It was because he went and joined the Warriors that set Chesapeake Energy Arena on fire. Golden State had embarrassingly eliminated the Thunder following a historic collapse. To go and join an already historically dominant team, one where his presence did nothing more than to stack the deck in their favor, angered Oklahoma City diehards to the point of no return.</p>
<p>The games that followed were as blatant a showing of hatred as one side could have for another. Durant’s return to Oklahoma City was as hostile an environment as the NBA had seen in recent years, fueled by the fire of one of the best fanbases in the league that felt betrayed by a home-grown superstar.</p>
<p>The tension was not eased by Russell Westbrook, only elevated. He always wears his emotions on his sleeve and wasn’t shy about doing so in front of his former Thunder Buddy. It brought to the light a very public on-court back-and-forth between the two including several verbal altercations that only elevated their level of play.</p>
<p>None of this even mentions the point-guard battle between Westbrook and Curry, or the hard-feelings Steven Adams may have towards Draymond Green for the specific placement of his leg. Most rivalries are born between the lines. While that was the case here originally, it became personal over time, spilling out in very entertaining fashion.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 26 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363940 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1195,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F143152332.jpeg" alt="Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks, Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics" width="1600" height="1195" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/143152332.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/143152332-768x574.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks, Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>26. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks</h2>
<p>The Boston Celtics have 18 championships to their name. The New York Knicks have only two. It’s a stark gap that hasn’t, nor will it ever stop these two teams from going after each other with battles dating back to the 1950s.</p>
<p>Across the entire sports world, it’s programmed into the minds of everyone that New York and Boston are synonymous with mutual hatred. From the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox to the New England Patriots and the New York Giants, these are two cities with passionate fanbases who have gone to war on many occasions.</p>
<p>When it comes to basketball, the two teams have rarely competed for titles at the same time, but have still gone on to face off in several postseason battles. Across 15 playoff matchups, the Celtics hold a slight 8-7 edge all time.</p>
<p>They faced off three straight times from 1972 to 1974, with New York coming out on top the first two occasions, the latter of which came during a run to the franchise’s second-ever NBA championship. Boston swept the Knicks in the first round in 2011, but the Knicks came right back in 2013 to put an end to the Big Three era in six games.</p>
<p>Surprisingly enough, of the 18 championship banners hanging in TD Garden, only three have forced them to eliminate the Knicks along the way. The 16 title advantage is what matters the most, of course, a level of dominance unmatched in the NBA.</p>
<p>The success of these two teams matters very little when the schedule brings them together. Even a meaningless regular-season matchup affords one city the slightest of bragging rights in a never-ending battle between two sports-crazed towns.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 25 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363941 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1231,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F168534787.jpeg" alt="Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls, LeBron James, Miami Heat" width="1600" height="1231" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/168534787.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/168534787-768x591.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls, LeBron James, Miami Heat. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>25. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat</h2>
<p>By the time the 2010s rolled around, the Miami Heat had shocked the NBA world with an assemblage of talent never put together on the free-agent market before. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were set to dominate the rest of the NBA en route to multiple titles and a spot among the greatest dynasties ever.</p>
<p>The Chicago Bulls, however, took a slower approach to relevancy. Led by the ever-improving Derrick Rose and with the addition of head coach Tom Thibodeau, Chicago set off to play the role of upset whenever it could with an unparalleled level — at that time — of toughness and physicality.</p>
<p>Rose became an MVP but wound up suffering several long-term injuries that kept this rivalry from reaching its full potential following an exciting duel in the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals. Luol Deng and Joakim Noah were part-time NBA All-Stars, but one would think that given what the Heat brought to the table, Chicago didn’t stand a chance against the latest super team.</p>
<p>Rarely did it matter who was on the court for the Bulls. Whatever Miami managed to take from them was something they had to earn every single night out. Thibodeau’s implementation of a defensive identity was a hand-in-glove fit that led to some of the best defensive efforts of the decade.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Joakim Noah: "People in this city, they don't like (the) Miami Heat. We don't like the Miami Heat. It always feels good to beat them."</p>
<p>— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://twitter.com/NickFriedell/status/408840461495717888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>December 6, 2013</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>LeBron James was at the top of his game down in South Beach but took a beating every time he faced the Bulls. That didn’t stop him from imposing his will on any given game, but a simple viewing of the tape shows a far bigger challenge to accumulate those same numbers compared to any other team.</p>
<p>They faced off just a single other time after 2011, a 4-1 second-round victory for the Heat in 2013. There were still statement victories sprinkled throughout the years for the Bulls like that one win in 2013 where Nate Robinson dropped 27. Or who could forget about Miami’s memorable 27-game winning streak coming to an end in front of a howling United Center crowd?</p>
<p>There may have been a discrepancy of talent, but certainly not in effort. Chicago was down a franchise point guard more often than not, but it was a fire and desire that helped them compete against the NBA’s Goliath.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 24 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363942 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1209,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51546661.jpeg" alt="Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers, Vlade Divac, Sacramento Kings" width="1600" height="1209" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51546661.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51546661-768x580.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Shaquille O’Neal, Los Angeles Lakers, Vlade Divac, Sacramento Kings. (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>24. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings</h2>
<p>The Sacramento Kings have rarely if ever been fond of the Los Angeles Lakers. Located less than 400 miles apart in the state of California, the purple and gold have always been the kings of the land, while the actual Kings have struggled to earn their dues.</p>
<p>Their battles date as far back as the 1950s. The Lakers — then in Minneapolis — would win four of their five playoff matchups with the Kings — then the Rochester Royals — throughout seven seasons. The one time Rochester managed to come out on top was during the glorious 1950-51 campaign that wound up bringing the franchise its first-ever NBA title.</p>
<p>It’s the modern-day adaptation that comes to mind for most, one that took place in the early 2000s with each team playing into their persona quite nicely. Sacramento was a scrappy and hard-fought bunch, as the Lakers dominated with arguably the greatest dynamic duo ever in Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">May 26, 2002: Western Conference Finals. Game 4 vs. Sacramento Kings. Robert Horry wins it at the buzzer.</p>
<p>Legendary Moments in Lakers History, Presented by <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://twitter.com/budweiserusa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@Budweiserusa <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://t.co/pJFjQpDteB">pic.twitter.com/pJFjQpDteB
<p>— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/967519512139481089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>February 24, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Three straight physical playoff battles led to three hard-fought consecutive losses for the Kings, but the wound cuts deeper than that. It was the 2002 Western Conference Finals and Sacramento had taken a 3-2 series lead heading into Game 6 at Staples Center. What followed was a black mark on the NBA that lives on in infamy.</p>
<p>The 40-25 free-throw advantage in favor of Los Angeles doesn’t do it justice, nor does the 25-9 in the fourth quarter either. Go watch the tape and you’ll see fouls both called and not that even the worst set of eyes could see for what they truly were.</p>
<p>It was later revealed that ex-referee Tim Donaghy essentially rigged the game in favor of the Lakers. Sure, the Kings had their chance in a Game 7 on their home court, but that doesn’t take away from an opportunity stolen right under their feet, a feeling that’s still no-doubt harbored to this day.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 23 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363944 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1087,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F486995075.jpeg" alt="Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder, Tony Allen, Memphis Grizzlies" width="1600" height="1087" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/486995075.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/486995075-768x522.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder, Tony Allen, Memphis Grizzlies. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>23. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder</h2>
<p>From 2011 to 2014, it seemed as though the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies were always in each other’s way come playoff time. Oklahoma City was the more glamorous and flashy of the two teams, but that never really meant anything to a Memphis squad with an on-brand style of play that helped shape a defining era.</p>
<p>These two originally met in a surprising conference semifinal in 2011 after the Grizzlies had dismantled the No. 1 seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round.</p>
<p>Most had assumed Memphis’ luck would run out against the burgeoning elite team. Instead, Oklahoma City required some heroics after falling 2-1 to eventually win in seven games, including a triple-overtime thriller to tie the series back up again at two apiece.</p>
<p>After a one-year hiatus, the battle would recommence, this time in the absence of Russell Westbrook. The Grizzlies would show no mercy in swarming Kevin Durant with every defensive option in the book, giving the superstar more than he could handle in what wound up being a five-game series victory for Memphis.</p>
<p>The following year was the rubber match and peak of this rivalry with several memorable moments that stick out of this decade. Durant hit a wild 4-point play late to help Oklahoma City come back and win Game 2. Reggie Jackson’s heroics helped the Thunder stave off a 3-1 deficit.</p>
<p>There was a one-point victory for Memphis in Game 5 with an MVP-level performance from the MVP himself in Game 6 to avoid elimination. If not for a Zach Randolph suspension for Game 7, the 120-109 win for the Thunder may have been a lot more dramatic.</p>
<p>In a way, the two teams were like opposites. The Thunder had the headliners with two megastars in Durant and Westbrook leading the charge. The Grizzlies were more of a well-rounded elite defensive bunch that could have any guy lead the way on any given night. It seems like opposites do attract and make for some very entertaining basketball in the process.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 22 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-316937 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1955,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F963431172-1.jpeg" alt="Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, James Harden, Houston Rockets" width="3200" height="1955" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/963431172-1.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/963431172-1-768x469.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, James Harden, Houston Rockets. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>22. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets</h2>
<p>Upon reaching the 2015 Western Conference Finals, both the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets looked to be headed down the same path towards title contention. Soon after the Warriors won in five games, it was made clear that each team was heading in opposite directions.</p>
<p>A fractured locker room had Houston underachieve in finishing with just the No. 8 seed the following season. Their opponent was once again Golden State, this time looking to defend their 2015 NBA Championship having just finished off a 73-win regular season. Even in Stephen Curry’s absence, Golden State routed Houston in five games.</p>
<p>The Rockets let Dwight Howard walk in free agency, while the Dubs would welcome in none other than Kevin Durant. The Warriors wound up going 16-1 on their way to the 2017 title with the wholehearted expectation of more to come in a similar dominating fashion. Daryl Morey wasn’t content to wait out the dynasty, instead, actively opting to challenge head-first with moves made that summer.</p>
<p>Morey’s never been a guy with a particular interest in the fit of his roster. It’s why when Chris Paul became an option, the general manager leaped at the opportunity to bring him in. His fit next to <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hardeja01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">James Harden</a> — along with the efforts of the newly signed P.J. Tucker — worked better than most had expected with a league-best 65 wins.</p>
<p>Fate would bring these two together, only now it was the Rockets with home-court advantage with a spot in the NBA Finals on the line. If there were a team to dethrone the Dubs, it was this team carefully constructed with the champs in mind.</p>
<p>Through five games, everything seemed to be according to plan with a 3-2 lead until Paul strained his hamstring in the closing minute of that Game 5 win.</p>
<p>Houston would not win again, losing a Game 7 on its home court without Paul. His injury is as big a what-if as we’ve seen this decade, one that may have very realistically cost the Rockets an NBA title.</p>
<p>After that gut-wrenching loss, the magic was no longer there. Some thought they maybe had a chance against Golden State in the 2019 Western Conference Semifinals, but even after Durant went down, it wasn’t enough to stop Houston from being eliminated at the Toyota Center once again.</p>
<p>Morey was driven to near insanity to beat a team that many viewed as unbeatable. The Warriors may have had Houston’s number, but if not for an unfortunate late-game injury that cost the Rockets a shot at vindication, who knows how we’d view the dynamic between these two?</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 21 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363945 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F81244509.jpeg" alt="Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics, LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/81244509.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/81244509-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics, LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>21. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers</h2>
<p>There are two distinct points to this rivalry, one where the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers each had their stretch of dominance. One came slightly before the start of the new decade and the other mid-way through it. The one factor in all of it was LeBron James, whose growth vastly swung the pendulum.</p>
<p>This was originally a battle between Boston’s Big Three against the lone warrior that was James. Such a gap in the overall talent between the two teams surely wasn’t enough for Cleveland to make up. Even at a younger age, James proved otherwise, doing all he could to give his Cavaliers a chance, even if it wasn’t enough.</p>
<p>The closest he ever got came during Boston’s run to the 2008 NBA Championship. It was Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, a scenario no opponent should want to be in matched up against arguably the best team in the world at the time.</p>
<p>James did his best to step up to the gargantuan task in front of him, but right there to match “The King” was Paul Pierce. The two went at each other, as James finished with 45 and Pierce with 41. Ultimately, the Celtics pulled out a five-point victory in one of the greatest one-on-one duels in league history.</p>
<p>They would meet again in 2010 with the results unchanged sans for a seventh game. The ramifications were different, however, prompting James to take his talents to South Beach in pursuit of greater reinforcements for this roadblock constantly in his path.</p>
<p>When these teams next met again in 2015, everything had changed. Gone was the Big Three, while James was a new player having won two titles with the Miami Heat. It was the Cavaliers who now had the dominant superteam, one that wound up bullying the Celtics in that first-round series, along with an utter thrashing in the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals.</p>
<p>Come 2018, James’ superteam had crumbled, but that didn’t stop his newfound championship-level greatness from elevating his Cavaliers back to the conference finals. In his way was an upstart Boston team that had lost two of its best players, yet still managed to power through.</p>
<p>The result was a back-and-forth seven-game series with just a single road victory by Cleveland in that final game. It was James’ eighth straight appearance in the NBA Finals, having pushed the knife further into the team that once had his number all those years ago.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 20 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363946 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1025,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F145777789.jpeg" alt="LeBron James, Miami Heat, Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics" width="1600" height="1025" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/145777789.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/145777789-768x492.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">LeBron James, Miami Heat, Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics. (Michael Laughlin/Sun Sentinel/MCT via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>20. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat</h2>
<p>After the Miami Heat easily fell victim to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2010 postseason, Dwyane Wade went to work. Having experienced the mountaintop once before, he was tired of early playoff exits and was hell-bent on making sure that never happened again, especially not to those Celtics.</p>
<p>In a move never seen before, he recruited Chris Bosh and LeBron James — who had fallen victim to the Celtics more than once — to come and join him in South Beach. They rocked the NBA with a level of talent never accumulated in that way before, with the purpose to not only compete for championships but to specifically keep Boston from adding to its total as well.</p>
<p>Whatever scrutiny the Heat felt throughout their inaugural season felt well worth it by the time a matchup with the Celtics came in the conference semifinals. There, Miami overwhelmed the reigning Eastern Conference champions in what was ultimately as tough a five-game series as one could have in the postseason.</p>
<p>The two sides would meet the following year, this time in the Eastern Conference Finals. There was little reason to suggest the same results wouldn’t materialize, but the Celtics tried to make sure that wasn’t the case, going up 3-2 in the series headed back to Beantown.</p>
<p>Boston was on top of the world, set to topple a team built with the sole intention of taking it down. It was due to an all-time 45-point performance from James that the Heat lived to see another day and eventually win in seven, stamping out the Celtics’ swagger rather quickly.</p>
<p>Throughout both their regular and postseason matchups, these two went at each other, with the Celtics fully taking on the challenge to remain on top and humble “The Heatles”. Miami was, of course, the young up-start doing its bet to usher in a new era of dominance, the likes of which required the passing of the torch Boston wasn’t ready to hand over.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 19 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363947 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2113,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F169684679.jpeg" alt="LeBron James, Miami Heat, Paul George, Indiana Pacers" width="3200" height="2113" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/169684679.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/169684679-768x507.jpeg 768w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/169684679-850x560.jpeg 850w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">LeBron James, Miami Heat, Paul George, Indiana Pacers. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>19. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat</h2>
<p>Upon acquiring both LeBron James and Chris Bosh to pair with Dwyane Wade, the Miami Heat were expected to run roughshod over the rest of the NBA. One team that constantly stood in their way was the Indiana Pacers, who may not have pulled off the upset, but certainly made the Heat sweat on more than one occasion.</p>
<p>Miami may have preferred a faster, 3-point centric style of play, but across three consecutive playoff matchups, the Pacers managed to slow down the tempo with a defense-first mentality. Those Indiana teams were reminiscent of those in the 1990s with swarming perimeter defense, alongside bruising physicality inside.</p>
<p>After Bosh had gone down in Game 1 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Pacers managed to seize control going up 2-1. The Heat were on the brink of a massive upset. It took all-time great performances from both Wade and James across multiple games to have them sneak past a young and hungry team on the rise.</p>
<p>The next season saw the stakes raised with a spot in the NBA Finals on the line. It was a back-and-forth war with neither team winning consecutive games. In averaging 19.4 points per game while going toe-to-toe with “The King”, it was a series that brought Paul George into the national spotlight as possibly the next great superstar and a threat to James’ legacy.</p>
<p>In claiming the No. 1 seed the following year, it looked as though the time for the Pacers was coming. Unfortunately, a late-season internal collapse compromised an overall fantastic season. Despite reaching the conference finals for a second straight season, they were once again taken out by a Heat team firing on all cylinders in pursuit of a third straight title.</p>
<p>The Heat were an established elite constructed in a matter of days across NBA free agency, while the Pacers were a slow-bred team built mostly through the NBA Draft constantly trying to earn its respect.</p>
<p>That Indiana team was the competitor that happened to resonate with fans as the underdog looking to take out the all-world conquerors of the NBA with a star many had hoped could seize the throne.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 18 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363949 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1063,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F83990655.jpeg" alt="Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns" width="1600" height="1063" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/83990655.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/83990655-768x510.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>18. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns</h2>
<p>The tension between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers originally began to form during the 1980s. Back then, the NBA belonged to the “Showtime Lakers” headlined by the dynamic duo of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Phoenix was a long-suffering victim to the dynasty, bounced from the playoffs on four separate occasions.</p>
<p>In the following decade, the Suns would bounce back some against a Los Angeles team without much of a direction in the fading and ultimately post days of a dynasty. It wasn’t until the mid-to-late-2000s where both sides would rise to prominence once again, the perfect stage for Phoenix to enact some revenge.</p>
<p>By that time, Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant were at the peak of their basketball powers. Nash would go on to claim back-to-back NBA MVP awards, while the “Black Mamba” would average a career-high 35.4 points per game in the 2005-06 campaign.</p>
<p>Nash and Bryant wouldn’t necessarily guard each other, but that didn’t take away from the individual offensive showcase each would put on in an attempt to lead their team to victory.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for Los Angeles, Bryant was just about all they had then. The two teams would meet up in consecutive first-round matchup in 2006 and 2007. The Lakers wound up blowing a 3-1 series lead the first time and succumbing to a dominant 61-win Phoenix squad in five games the following year.</p>
<p>The Lakers would bounce-back in 2010 with a tough six-game victory, advancing to their third straight NBA Finals, while putting an end to a run for a Suns organization that hasn’t been back to the playoffs since.</p>
<p>Both sides hold vastly different spots in NBA history with Los Angeles holding more than enough championships and Phoenix still looking for its first. The Suns having their moment of dominance against the more glamorous franchise was a slight consolation prize that was fun while it lasted.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 17 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363950 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F93208090.jpeg" alt="Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks, Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/93208090.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/93208090-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks, Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs. (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>17. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs</h2>
<p>Part of what makes the relationships special between the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs is no doubt their proximity to one another. Each would like to assume rightful ownership over the state of Texas, which every game providing the winner a sense of bragging rights, if only for a bit of time.</p>
<p>Should they have been scattered across different states, the rivalry would still hold up. It’s what happens when you face off in six separate postseasons over 14 years with a foundation on each side being held largely intact.</p>
<p>Dallas was never able to figure San Antonio out. The Spurs were champions and understood what that meant, while the Mavericks were still searching for the right recipe to get it done. It’s why across those six playoff matchups, the Mavericks only managed to come out victorious just once back in 2006.</p>
<p>That one win was quite the nail-biter. Not only did it take seven games, but also some truly miraculous luck on the part of Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki got fouled on a made bucket with under 30 seconds remaining to tie the game up. The Mavericks would then go on to win in overtime in a run that wound up leading to their first-ever NBA Finals appearance.</p>
<p>These games weren’t just a matchup between two highly competitive teams, but there was a game within the game between the leaders of each team. Nowitzki and Tim Duncan were arguably the two greatest to ever suit up at the power forward position nestled comfortably in their prime years.</p>
<p>It was a recipe for high-level basketball that played out over and over. In that Game 7 in 2006, Duncan had 41 points and 15 rebounds as the two-way proven champion, while Dirk poured in 37 and 15 with a unique toolbox offensively not many believed could lead a team to the promised land.</p>
<p>They matched up well at times with Tony Parker and Jason Kidd — Steve Nash before him — along with Jason Terry and Manu Ginobili. San Antonio was hard to stop during its numerous runs to the title, but the Mavericks never proved to be an easy out along the way.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 16 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363951 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1066,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F97320731.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks, Washington Bullets" width="1600" height="1066" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/97320731.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/97320731-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">New York Knicks, Washington Bullets. (Photo by Dan Farrell/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>16. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: New York Knicks vs. Washington Wizards</h2>
<p>These days, a rivalry may pit two teams against each other in a couple of playoff matchups. If they’re lucky, they will come within consecutive years of each other. More often than not, however, a distance is created that kicks the tires on whatever momentum may have already been established.</p>
<p>From 1969 to 1974, the New York Knicks and the Baltimore Bullets — now known as the Washington Wizards — were as intertwined as two NBA teams could be. They each had their own small/big dynamic duo — New York with Walt Frazier and Willis Reed. Washington with Earl Monroe and Wes Unseld — that made for some great basketball.</p>
<p>These two didn’t just meet sporadically during this time frame. They met in six consecutive postseasons, an unheralded streak even during a time where the number of NBA teams was under 20. New York would take claim to five of the six victories, the exception being Washington’s run to the 1970-71 NBA Finals where they would ultimately come up short.</p>
<p>To stir the pot a bit more, the Bullets traded who was then a two-time NB All-Star in Monroe to the Knicks for the little-known Mike Riordan and Dave Stallworth. It was a move that netted the Knicks a star-studded backcourt alongside “Clyde” Frazier, one the team in the Nation’s Capital would have to watch impose their will in another three straight playoff battles, all losses.</p>
<p>As far as a competitive balance goes, this isn’t the shining example. Even so, to face off against the same opponent that many times makes the game more mental than anything. It’s a battle of wills after so much familiarity, limiting what one can physically on that court to out-best their opponent, a challenge the Knicks emerged victoriously from more often than not.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 15 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363952 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F145704358.jpeg" alt="Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder, Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/145704358.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/145704358-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder, Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs. (Photo by Evan Gole/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>15. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs</h2>
<p>Every time the San Antonio Spurs matched up against the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was a dogfight between two of the best in the west. The Spurs had won championships and they were trying to extend the dynasty, while Oklahoma City was attempting to kick off one of its own.</p>
<p>Having originally met in the 2012 Western Conference Finals, San Antonio would go up 2-0, putting the upstart Thunder in their place with much more to learn. The Thunder disproved the idea that its time was in the future, rattling off four straight victories to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since the franchise’s move to Oklahoma City.</p>
<p>San Antonio found itself in a similar situation once again in 2014, having given up a 2-0 series lead to the Thunder in the conference finals once again. This time, they’d finish the job in bouncing back with two consecutive victories and would go on to win the 2014 NBA Championship.</p>
<p>Then came perhaps the strangest matchup between the two in the second round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs. San Antonio had won 67 games that year, while the Thunder had somewhat underachieved with 55.</p>
<p>Following a 32-point drubbing in Game 1, many doubted whether Oklahoma City had the necessary tools to beat such a disciplined Spurs team. The Thunder wound up taking the series in six games, prompting Tim Duncan’s retirement.</p>
<p>What made this rivalry so intriguing was the constant imbalance of power at each end. At times, the Thunder’s star power and athleticism would overwhelm the Spurs, while San Antonio’s precision and unselfishness would carve up Oklahoma City’s defense. No matter who held the baton at any given time, watching them was always a must for even the most casual NBA fans.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 14 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363953 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1054,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F170960875.jpeg" alt="Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs, LeBron James, Miami Heat" width="1600" height="1054" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/170960875.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/170960875-768x506.jpeg 768w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/170960875-850x560.jpeg 850w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs, LeBron James, Miami Heat. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>14. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs</h2>
<p>When it comes to most rivalries, there tends to be a certain level of disdain for the opposition. The Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, were different, always seeming to have immense respect for the other’s craft, despite going to war with a championship on the line in consecutive seasons.</p>
<p>We begin in 2013 where the Heat were looking for back-to-back titles and the Spurs were looking for their fifth if the Duncan era after eight years of waiting. San Antonio was always in control, building up a series lead their opponent was forced to climb out of with constant heroics, none more thrilling than in Game 6.</p>
<p>After LeBron James led a furious double-digit comeback late in the fourth, the Spurs — up 3-2 in the series — managed to pull away late by five points. The now infamous neon ropes began circling the court at the American Airlines Arena with full expectations of a forthcoming championship celebration.</p>
<p>A couple of missed free throws and made shots had Miami down just three points. James missed a 3-pointer, Chris Bosh got the rebounds and Ray Allen etched his place in postseason lore with a huge corner triple that tied the game.</p>
<p>The Spurs were devastated but were forced to carry on following an improbable collapse. Unfortunately, the Heat proved to be too much at that point, winning Game 6 in overtime and going on to win the title in a slugfest of a Game 7.</p>
<p>Comeback stories are all too prevalent in sports and San Antonio made sure to be no different. The Spurs came into the following season as focused as ever, hell-bent on righting such a terrible wrong from the year prior.</p>
<p>They wouldn’t just return to the NBA Finals and face off against Miami once again. As a small ounce of payback for the emotional lows they faced, the Spurs embarrassed the two-time defending champs by a record margin to take home the NBA championship in a convincing five-game series.</p>
<p>Both teams showed incredible amounts of respect independent of where they sat once the series was over. It wasn’t your traditional back and forth, but the basketball was all the same, played at the highest level by two of the league’s best.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 13 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363954 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1062,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F98942378.jpeg" alt="Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns, Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs" width="1600" height="1062" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/98942378.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/98942378-768x510.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns, Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs. (Photo by D.Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>13. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Phoenix Suns vs. San Antonio Spurs</h2>
<p>The playoff matchups between the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns date back as far as the early 1990s. Then, it was an absolute slugfest between David Robinson and Charles Barkley, two NBA MVPs with physically imposing styles of play that allowed them to dominate at the highest level of competition.</p>
<p>As the years passed, the two teams would continue to find each other come playoff time. They mostly met up in relatively low-stakes, first-round matchups. It wasn’t until the likes of Steve Nash and Tim Duncan were thrown into the mix that the games between these two began to mean just a little bit more.</p>
<p>The two teams may have been directly competing against each other in pursuit of championships during the mid-2000s, but how they went about it couldn’t have been more different. The Spurs were a well-oiled, proven title-winning team. Phoenix was constantly trying to prove its innovative offense could result in the ultimate prize.</p>
<p>Time and time again, that gap in experience would be the difference in series that mostly went to the Spurs. There may have been times when the Suns had the edge on paper. Come crunch-time, though, San Antonio was confident and precise in its playcalling, having executed such sets on the games grandest stage many times.</p>
<p>San Antonio’s 3-1 advantage during the Duncan and Nash era didn’t come without certain asterisks. Joe Johnson broke a bone in his eye socket in 2005, while Amar’e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw were suspended for a crucial Game 5 in 2007 after stepping leaving the bench following an on-court skirmish. Both instances took place during their respective Western Conference Finals.</p>
<p>In fairness to the Spurs, neither of these incidents were their doing. Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game. While Robert Horry’s hip-check of Nash was certainly dirty, San Antonio’s bench seemed content to remain in place.</p>
<p>It was that same championship discipline that showed up again, a difference no amount of points the Seven Seconds or Less offense could make up for.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 12 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363955 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2089,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F485934081.jpeg" alt="Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers, Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons" width="3200" height="2089" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/485934081.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/485934081-768x501.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers, Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons. (Photo by NBA Photos/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>12. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Lakers</h2>
<p>The battles between these two stretch back farther than most NBA fans realize. From 1950 to 1962, the Los Angeles Lakers matched up with the Detroit — previously of Fort Wayne — Pistons in nine out of 13 postseasons, losing just once. Fast forward a couple of decades to the more modern adaptation of this rivalry.</p>
<p>During the 1980s, Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas were kings of the point guard position, but couldn’t be less alike in how they went about. Johnson was a 6-foot-9 flashy highlight reel unto himself, where Thomas stood just 6-foot-1, the quicker and more gritty of the two whose competitive personality wasn’t masked behind a smile like the maestro of Showtime.</p>
<p>Despite their differences, the two developed a bond, going so far as a little pre-game peck on the cheek before they tipped-off against one another. Upon meeting in the 1988 NBA Finals, their friendship was put to the test as Thomas was in a position to capture what Johnson had experienced several times before, this time at the expense of his friend.</p>
<p>Aside from their stark geographical distinctions, the Pistons and the Lakers brought vastly contrasting styles of play to the court. Los Angeles ruled the West Coast with its high-octane offense, while Detroit embraced its Bad Boy persona, a physically imposing style that didn’t draw many fans.</p>
<p>Their first NBA Finals matchup went the distance, but could have — and arguably should have– ended in six. Thomas badly sprained his ankle in a way that would’ve kept most mortals on the bench. Instead, he returned to score 11 of his team’s final 15 with 25 in the final frame overall.</p>
<p>If not for what Pistons fans refer to as a phantom foul call on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by Bill Laimbeer in the final seconds, Detroit all but claims the title. Abdul-Jabbar hits both free throws to give Los Angeles the lead and ultimately the win. The Lakers would go on to win the series in seven.</p>
<p>This, however, wasn’t the end for the Bad Boys. They fought back the following season to face off against the purple and gold once again in the Finals. This time, it was Los Angeles that was compromised by injuries, a fact the Pistons felt no sympathy in exploiting on their way to a clean sweep and the first championship in franchise history.</p>
<p>The 2004 NBA Finals had a Lakers starting lineup with four future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers, while the Pistons had but a single NBA All-Star from that season. Despite the gap in talent, Detroit cruised to one of the more shocking upsets in league history with a five-game series victory with a similar brand of physicality to its teams of the past.</p>
<p>Thomas and Johnson’s friendship took a turn for the worst after the little brother finally earned a seat at the table. The 2004 NBA Finals ended up being Shaquille O’Neal’s final games in a Lakers jersey.</p>
<p>In a battle between two sides that weren’t supposed to be equals, the Pistons’ hard-fought victories altered their perception at the expense of the gold standard NBA franchise, as sweet a victory as there is for both the city and its fans.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 11 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-331590 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2618,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F99997443.jpeg" alt="Larry Bird, Boston Celtics, Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks" width="3200" height="2618" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/99997443.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/99997443-768x628.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Larry Bird, Boston Celtics, Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks. (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>11. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics</h2>
<p>Bob Pettit is a name not commonly recognized by the casual NBA fan, but he’s an 11-time NBA All-Star big man who averaged 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds a game throughout his Hall-of-Fame career. The reason he flies over a lot of people’s heads is due to his career overlap with the great Bill Russell, a player widely regarded as one of the all-time best.</p>
<p>Everyone knows about the great battles between Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, but rarely do people bring up the history of Russell vs. Pettit and the then-St. Louis Hawks. It’s a rivalry that goes way back but doesn’t lack in theatrics.</p>
<p>The Hawks and the Boston Celtics faced off in four NBA Finals in five seasons. Like most teams of the era, St. Louis suffered mightily at the hands of the Celtics, losing four out of five. It didn’t stop Pettit and company from coming right back each season in trying to dethrone the ultimate dynasty of the NBA.</p>
<p>The Hawks would eventually leave for Atlanta, but that didn’t help their chances against Boston. By then, new forces had come to the surface for each’s respective team in the form of Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins.</p>
<p>It was a battle of contrasting styles, “Larry Legend” an athletically limited sharp-shooter shot creator and “The Human Highlight Film” a powerful leaper and showstopper.</p>
<p>Bird would be the death of Atlanta on three separate occasions, including a legendary Game 7 in the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals where his 34 — 20 in the fourth — was enough to offset Wilkins’ 47 on 19-of-23 shooting.</p>
<p>Revenge was nearly had in 2008 when the No. 8-seeded Hawks took the super-team Celtics to seven games, but it was ultimately for nothing, as the Celtics would go on to claim the title that same season.</p>
<p>These two teams were rivals not because of their equal stature. After all, Atlanta is still searching for its first title since the move. But the Hawks never backed down and brought the house along with them, fighting tooth and nail to make the Celtics earn whatever they may have wound up taking.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 10 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363956 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2106,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51790792.jpeg" alt="Jerry West, Los Angeles Lakers, Walt Frazier, New York Knicks" width="3200" height="2106" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51790792.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51790792-768x505.jpeg 768w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51790792-850x560.jpeg 850w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Jerry West, Los Angeles Lakers, Walt Frazier, New York Knicks. (Photo by Focus on Sport via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>10. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks</h2>
<p>Despite residing on opposite coasts of the country, the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers will forever be intertwined. One may have a 14 championship edge over the other, but the battle to claim ownership of the biggest market is one that rages on.</p>
<p>These two historic teams go way back, having faced off in consecutive NBA Finals in 1952 and 1953. This was when the Lakers resided near the Great Lakes by Minneapolis, but they still had enough to claim both championships in the early stages of their league-wide dominance.</p>
<p>It would take close to 20 years, but New York would not go silently into the night, fighting back to inflict some payback. The two teams were at it again in the 1970 NBA Finals, where the Knicks looked to be in control before star center Willis Reed went down with a torn muscle in his leg, all but taking the team’s title hopes with it.</p>
<p>As history would show us, that would not be the last time Reed would step foot on an NBA court that season. He limped onto the hardwood for Game 7 in one of the most inspirational moments in league history. After two made buckets he exited the game, but the adrenaline he provided his teammates with was enough to help carry them to their first-ever title.</p>
<p>Following a one-year hiatus, the two sides would face off once again in consecutive NBA Finals, this time splitting the pair. Since then, they’ve never crossed paths in the postseason.</p>
<p>When the Knicks rose to prominence in the 1990s, the Lakers were recovering from Magic Johnson’s sudden retirement. Once Los Angeles began to prosper at the turn of the century, the Knicks began spiraling out of control.</p>
<p>According to Forbes, the Knicks and the Lakers are the two most valuable franchises in the NBA, valued at $4 and $3.7 billion, respectively. By residing in the two biggest U.S. media markets, it’s not much of a surprise. Imagine the type of revenue they’d draw in if their competitive streaks could just cross paths if only for a couple of seasons.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 9 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363958 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1600,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1390908.jpeg" alt="Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks, Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat" width="1600" height="1600" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1390908.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1390908-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1390908-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1390908-400x400.jpeg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks, Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat. (Photo by Fernando Medina/ NBAE/ Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>9. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks</h2>
<p>The rivalry between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks didn’t just happen on accident. Aside from their numerous playoff battles, layers were residing beneath the surface you may not have been able to see, but always knew were present.</p>
<p>Each time these teams faced off, it pitted two of the game’s best centers against each other in Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning. Both physically imposing men in the middle who hailed from Georgetown University, the two perennial NBA All-Stars were in a constant battle to assert dominance over the other.</p>
<p>Mourning had been teammates with then-Knick Larry Johnson for three seasons as members of the Charlotte Hornets. It’s easy to say these two didn’t split on the nicest of terms after Mourning had publicly complained about Johnson’s contract, a big no-no in any profession.</p>
<p>Pat Riley had helped amass an average of 55.8 wins during his four seasons in the Big Apple, including one NBA Finals appearance. That level of success didn’t stop him from heading down to South Beach after the Knicks had failed to offer him more control, despite what was then the biggest contract offer to a head coach ever.</p>
<p>As was the case with most 1990s matchups, these two teams bullied each other whenever they met. They matched up in four consecutive postseasons, which certainly didn’t help to smooth over their mutual animosity. If anything, the constant repetition only served to accentuate the bad blood that wound up spilling onto the court many times.</p>
<p>There was a fight between Mourning and Johnson. Charlie Ward and P.J. Brown took their beef into the photographers’ section of the stands. Things got so feisty that during a brawl in the 1997 NBA Playoffs, one could see Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy clamped to the leg of Mourning after a failed attempt to break up a skirmish.</p>
<p>It wasn’t just about winning. When the No. 8-seeded Knicks won their opening-round matchup with Miami in 1999 on a series-clinching buzzer-beater by <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/houstal01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Allan Houston</a>, they reveled just as much in sending the Heat home in a colossal upset.</p>
<p>With so much drama behind this relationship, tempers were bound to flare at one point or another. That they met on numerous occasions in the playoffs was a gift from the basketball gods of sorts, a way for each to release their anger towards each other with the ultimate bragging rights on the line.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 8 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363960 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1280,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F97297974.jpeg" alt="Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, John Starks, New York Knicks" width="1600" height="1280" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/97297974.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/97297974-768x614.jpeg 768w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/97297974-600x480.jpeg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, John Starks, New York Knicks. (Photo by Keith Torrie/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>8. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks</h2>
<p>It’s no secret the Chicago Bulls were the darlings of the NBA back in the 1990s. With six championships in six tries — in two three-peats — they owned the decade in ways not seen in the modern era, dominating every competitor with a fire and desire that never seemed to diminish.</p>
<p>One such opponent that constantly stepped up to the challenge was the New York Knicks, a team desperately trying to take advantage of its talent and bring home a championship for the first time since the 1970s. Led by Patrick Ewing, they were as physically draining an opponent as there was with a hard-nosed identity fostered by the players.</p>
<p>The battles between Ewing and Michael Jordan go beyond the confines of the NBA. When the two met in the 1982 NCAA Championship game, it was Jordan who hit the game-winning shot to give his North Carolina Tar Heels a victory at the expense of Ewing’s Georgetown Hoyas.</p>
<p>At the pro level, nothing changed at a time when Jordan was at the peak of his powers. From 1989 to 1996, Chicago and New York faced off six times in the playoffs. The only time the Knicks managed to win came when Jordan was off playing baseball in 1994, and even that took seven games.</p>
<p>The Bulls’ dominance shouldn’t mask the competitive nature of these all-out slugfests. Guys like John Starks and Anthony Mason weren’t afraid to go after Chicago’s superstars. It may have been to their detriment in aggravating some truly talented players, but it created an entertaining back-and-forth between both sides with an increase in effort and intensity.</p>
<p>New York had its chances, most notably in 1992 when it was up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Alas, the Bulls were a train nobody could stop, but each time back around, the Knicks certainly didn’t feel that way and played like it.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 7 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363961 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2144,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1815365.jpeg" alt="Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs, Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers" width="3200" height="2144" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1815365.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1815365-768x515.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs, Shaquille O’Neal, Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>7. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs</h2>
<p>When two powerhouse trains find themselves on a collision course, it’s bound to make for must-see TV. That was the case between the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers, two juggernaut franchises that dominated the 2000s — and the 1998-99 NBA season — most of the time at the other’s expense.</p>
<p>From 1999 to 2014, they would win 10 out of a possible 15 NBA championships. Of those 10 — split down the middle at five titles apiece — four required an all-ought battle with the other to advance, including five out of six playoff matchups from 1999 to 2004.</p>
<p>The NBA is a game of narratives, and this rivalry certainly wasn’t lacking in storylines. In Gregg Popovich and Phil Jackson, you had arguably the two greatest coaches to ever roam the sidelines. Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan are two of the greatest big men ever, while the latter and Kobe Bryant are widely regarded as two of this century’s best players regardless of position.</p>
<p>The rivalry was not short on exciting moments, ones that stick out in NBA history. With the 2004 Western Conference Semifinals tied at two games apiece entering Game 5, Duncan knocked down a tough fall away from the top of the key with O’Neal draped all over him. With just 0.4 seconds remaining, victory looked all but certain for San Antonio.</p>
<p>You probably know the rest by now. Derek Fisher, of all of Los Angeles’ players, catches and flings towards the bucket a wild prayer that was answered to give the Lakers a W. They would then go on to win the series in the following game.</p>
<p>Two of the greatest NBA franchises came across some of their most prosperous seasons at the same time. It was the perfect set of circumstances that all came together at the perfect moment to pit two basketball titans against each other at a level only a few could reach.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 6 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363962 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F102151405.jpeg" alt="Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons, Larry Bird, Dennis Johnson, Boston Celtics" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/102151405.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/102151405-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons, Larry Bird, Dennis Johnson, Boston Celtics. (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>6. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons</h2>
<p>The Boston Celtics managed to keep hold of the Eastern Conference for the better part of the 1980s, during which they advanced to five NBA Finals and won three of them. Towards the end of the decade, however, a new challenger emerged, one looking to take the throne away from a dynasty still chugging along.</p>
<p>That team was the Detroit Pistons, a hungry bunch built on one of the stingiest defenses the league had ever seen. Their prowess at that end of the floor stemmed from an overwhelming level of physicality bordering on illegal, a fact Boston took exception to as the rivalry began to heat up.</p>
<p>As most teams were back then, the Celtics weren’t any different when it came to making an opponent feel their presence, but the Pistons took things to a whole other level. They didn’t just foul to stop a potential bucket, they hacked any and everybody to make sure nobody would even think about driving to the basket ever again.</p>
<p>This was not a style the Celtics appreciated nor respected, and it showed with several fights to send a retaliating message. In the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, that didn’t seem to matter, as Detroit had the lead with seconds left in a pivotal Game 5 with the series tied at two.</p>
<p>What followed was as clean of a choke job as there is. Inbounding the ball, Isiah Thomas’ pass was stolen by Larry Bird who then flipped it to Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup. Boston would go on to win the series in seven games, crushing the Pistons after they had come so close to changing the NBA’s landscape.</p>
<p>The following year, Detroit would finish what had been started with a six-game victory over the Celtics in the conference finals. For the Celtics, it marked the end of four consecutive NBA Finals appearances, while the Pistons kicked off a string of three straight.</p>
<p>Boston grew to despise the Pistons due to a style of play that broke some of the unwritten rules of basketball. This assumes that Detroit cared, which the Pistons didn’t. What mattered to the Pistons was winning a championship, which to them meant slaying the true beasts of the East in whatever way necessary.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 5 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363963 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F521399250.jpeg" alt="Reggie Miller, Indiana Pacers, John Starks, New York Knicks" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/521399250.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/521399250-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Reggie Miller, Indiana Pacers, John Starks, New York Knicks. (Photo by Keith Torrie/NY Daily News via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>5. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks</h2>
<p>Madison Square Garden has long been regarded as the most iconic venue amongst NBA arenas. Aside from its location in the biggest media market in the country, there’s a certain history and aura that’s present for every game. It’s not tangible, but through the years it’s brought out the best from most of the top-level players.</p>
<p>Guys relish the opportunity to perform on the grandest stage, possibly none more so than Reggie Miller. A sweet-shooting two-guard for the Indiana Pacers, Miller was a showman in the Big Apple, bringing to light performances that helped shape Indiana’s rivalry with the New York Knicks.</p>
<p>Miller and New York’s Patrick Ewing were the headliners and made sure to dominate as best they could. One was a shooting guard, the other a 7-foot big man. Rarely if ever did they match up against one another, but each team countered with a guy they trusted to slow down these two NBA All-Stars.</p>
<p>Rik Smits was a ridiculous 7-foot-4 center Ewing couldn’t simply overpower. John Starks made up for his lack of stature with an unrelenting mouth to go along with his tenacity in guarding Miller. He was never one to back down from a confrontation, even if it wound up egging on his matchup more often than not which, in the case of Miller, was a bad idea. Just ask Spike Lee.</p>
<p>It was Game 4 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals with the Knicks up 2-1. In his customary courtside seat, Lee was wildly audible throughout the game, with his words mostly directed at Miller. Most players tend to block out the noise, but Miller used it to fuel one of the most iconic playoff performances.</p>
<p>He finished the game with 39 points, 25 of which came in the final frame. In response to Lee’s antics, Miller threw up the universal choke symbol to the superfan, taunting him on his way to an 83-77 victory.</p>
<p>Neither team ceded ground in this rivalry and it’s what made their battles epic. The Knicks still managed to claim that series in 1994, despite falling down 3-2. As the No. 8 seed in 1999, they took down the No. 2-seeded Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Who can forget Miller’s eight points in nine seconds, as well as Ewing’s missed bunny layup in Game 7?</p>
<p>They were locked at three apiece during their six playoff battles of the 1990s, a tie that was broken after Indiana took down the Knicks in 2013. There’s a distinct off-court difference between markets both small and big, but the Pacers proved no pushovers when the bright lights were upon them.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 4 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363966 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F695359310.jpeg" alt="Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/695359310.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/695359310-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>4. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors</h2>
<p>We know the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers faced off in four consecutive NBA Finals, a feat never seen before in the modern era. In examining the yearly matchups, though, it’s interesting to note all the moving parts that came in and out during a four-year period that served to freshen up what many had become bored over.</p>
<p>These two teams first happened upon each other in 2015, both relatively new to the NBA Finals scene. It was LeBron James’ first season back in Cleveland, but by the end of Game 1, the superteam he formed before the year was gone.</p>
<p>Kevin Love was already out for the year and Kyrie Irving had suffered a season-ending injury in overtime. This left James a challenge he couldn’t overcome despite his best efforts.</p>
<p>The following year was the rematch that brought along the necessary reinforcements to help James take on the team that won a record 73 games during the regular season. Even with both teams relatively healthy heading into the series, a Draymond Green suspension and Andrew Bogut injury added just the smallest of asterisks.</p>
<p>Golden State historically lost those 2016 NBA Finals after going up 3-1, the first team ever to lose after building such a lead in the NBA Finals. Conventional wisdom would suggest a simple return of that same team to finish the job. The Warriors would instead opt for a little extra, bringing in Kevin Durant to help catapult the scales in their favor for a five-game series victory in 2017.</p>
<p>The Warriors would keep that same dominant core for the following year, but the Cavaliers were fundamentally different, having traded Irving the prior summer. Cleveland was already behind in the talent department against four NBA All-Stars, but Irving’s absence made those NBA Finals a no-contest in favor of Golden State.</p>
<p>Every rivalry has its iconic moments, but four battles with a title on the line spoiled the NBA audience. James had his team up 2-1 with an underwhelming cast of teammates and led the charge in an epic 3-1 comeback the following year; that’s an entirely different article in and of itself.</p>
<p>Durant sealed both of his titles in Golden State with near-identical shots in similar scenarios. J.R. Smith’s all-time blunder in 2018 amid an all-time performance by James will, unfortunately, live on in infamy.</p>
<p>Throughout their years spent dominating their respective conferences, subtle jabs were thrown off the court and skirmishes had to be broken apart on it. Durant put the Warriors on a pedestal even “The King” couldn’t touch, which sucked most of the competitive nature out of what previously was always a nip-and-tuck matchup.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the Cavaliers and Warriors pressured each other to new heights every summer in ways never seen before in the NBA. The final scores were rarely pretty, but the subplots are what had everyone coming back each year.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 3 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363967 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2160,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F53032630.jpeg" alt="Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers, Larry Bird, Boston Celtics" width="3200" height="2160" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/53032630.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/53032630-768x518.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers, Larry Bird, Boston Celtics. (Photo by Focus on Sport via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>3. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers</h2>
<p>Not only has the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers been around since the 1950s, but it’s a flame that has continued to be re-ignited at various points in time since with intense postseason battles.</p>
<p>It was a rivalry between two teams centered around two of the games greatest players. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain defined an era with their dominance around the paint. As Chamberlain found his way to Philadelphia, the two squared off in four consecutive playoff battles, a spectacle even back then.</p>
<p>Chamberlain would continue his ownership of the stat sheet in ways only he could accomplish but ultimately come away victorious only once on his way to one of his two championships. Like most teams back then, Boston was simply too much to handle even with one of the most dominant low-post presence on your side.</p>
<p>It wasn’t until the 1980s where destiny locked these two up together again, this time headlined by Larry Bird and Julius Erving. Both were two of the best at the small forward position but operated in vastly different ways. Bird was best as a shot-maker from every inch of the court, while “Dr. J’s” high-flying abilities made him a tough cover in transition.</p>
<p>From 1977 to 1982, they would see each other four times — although Bird didn’t arrive until 1979, missing out on one meeting. Those battles included three conference finals and three series that stretched to a seventh game. Philadelphia took three of four from a Celtics team on the cusp of greatness, but to insinuate a distinct advantage would be false.</p>
<p>The rivalry was sparked in a seven-game series in 2012, as well as another in 2018. It never gained traction, but for two teams that always seem to find each other, history has shown that the bad blood is sure to rekindle eventually.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363968 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2118,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51763644.jpeg" alt="Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons" width="3200" height="2118" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51763644.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51763644-768x508.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons. (Photo by Focus on Sport via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>2. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons</h2>
<p>Early in his career, Michael Jordan showed a level of greatness rarely before seen at the NBA level. He scored in bunches and took home many awards, but team success always eluded him, most notably at the hands of the Detroit Pistons.</p>
<p>The Pistons had come to rule the Eastern Conference with their unrelenting physical punishment on the basketball court. As great as Jordan was, he alone couldn’t tip the scales in favor of the Chicago Bulls with the beating he took on a nightly basis, losing out to the Bad Boys in three consecutive postseasons.</p>
<p>When matched up against Chicago, the Pistons’ method was simple: They believed success for the Bulls began and ended with Jordan. That meant a psychotic level of pressure whether he had the ball or not along with numerous mid-air altercations that put Jordan on his backside.</p>
<p>As one would imagine, the Bulls took exception towards watching their superstar take a beating and retaliated as best they could. It didn’t help that they couldn’t manage to get over the hump come playoff time. Detroit had their number during three straight NBA Finals appearances, but its run would only last so long with each series extending an extra game.</p>
<p>Chicago had just narrowly avoided victory in the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals after Scottie Pippen dealt with a migraine for the entirety of Game 7. The following year, the tables flipped on their heads. Jordan was stronger and the Bulls more cohesive, leading to a clean sweep of Detroit to advance to their first of six NBA Finals appearances for the decade.</p>
<p>As the clock ticked down on that Game 4 victory, the Pistons walked past Chicago’s bench without so much as a sliver of eye contact. It fit their Bad Boy persona and the Bulls weren’t surprised. They’d never respected Detroit even after two titles, always labeling them a dirty team that operated outside the fundamentals of the game.</p>
<p>Jordan’s hatred of the Pistons kept Isiah Thomas off the US Olympic “Dream Team”, as Detroit’s run came to a screeching halt. There was no mutual admiration or respect, just one team that slowly worked towards taking down a long-standing rival.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-363973 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/08/05/30-greatest-nba-team-rivalries-league-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1065,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F102153724.jpeg" alt="Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics" width="1600" height="1065" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/102153724.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/102153724-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics. (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>1. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers</h2>
<p>Across 12 NBA Finals matchups that have stretched from the late 1950s to this decade, the rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics isn’t just the best the NBA has to offer. Even when matched up against those from other sports, it stands as arguably the greatest among them all.</p>
<p>There isn’t a single era that best encapsulates what the Celtics and Lakers mean to each other. It’s a rivalry that’s been rekindled at various points throughout the NBA’s existence, changing the characters, sure, but the motives behind those who don the jerseys never change.</p>
<p>The origins began way back in the late 1950s and through most of the 1960s. The Celtics, led by the likes of Bill Russell and John Havlicek, plowed through the entirety of the league on their way to nine titles in 10 seasons. Not even the great duo of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor for Los Angeles could slow them down, falling victim to Boston in seven of those series.</p>
<p>Magic Johnson and Larry Bird will always be synonymous with each other for their back and forth battles as members of the league’s two iconic franchises. Having begun their careers at the same time, the two legends would intertwine with eight of the 10 championships in the 1980s.</p>
<p>Rarely does the NBA get the picture-perfect matchup on the games biggest stage with its two premier players. That would occur three times in four years. The battles were well worth the wait of a regular season with none finishing in less than six games and a 2-1 edge in favor of Los Angeles.</p>
<p>The Lakers housed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar along with James Worthy, while Boston trotted out Kevin McHale alongside Robert Parish. Bird and Johnson stole the show on a nightly basis, but it was a battle of two superteams more than anything that produced nerve-shaking theatrics every time these bitter rivals clashed.</p>
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<p>Los Angeles and Boston wouldn’t meet again until 2008, where Kobe Bryant set out to slay the new Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. He was unsuccessful then but came back in 2010 to finish the job in what was a draining seven-game series.</p>
<p>There is no single image with which to remember this rivalry. Some of the elder statesmen on earth may invoke memories of Russell’s interior dominance and some will never forget Johnson’s beautiful sky-hook over the outstretched arms of Parish and McHale.</p>
<p>A younger generation may vividly recall Boston’s 39-point thrashing to win the 2008 title or the joy on Bryant’s face as he sprinted down the court with the clock ticking down on his fifth championship.</p>
<p>It’s open to interpretation, and that’s the beauty of this historic rivalry. No matter which era you come from and the images that come to mind, the Celtics and the Lakers always lived up to the hype. They had some of the game’s best players on a stage that only served to accentuate their talents, creating lasting moments forever woven into the fabric of the NBA’s rich history.</p>
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