Paul Piece of the Boston Celtics is guarded by Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Four of the 2008 NBA Finals on June 12, 2008 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo : Getty Images/Stephen Dunn)
Aside from the vicious dunks, flashy assists, jaw dropping blocks and magnificent plays that make the National Basketball Association a sight to see, it is the animosity between rivalries that make watching basketball more enticing. Here are the top five rivalries in the NBA:
1. New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers
Who would not remember Miller's exploits against the Knicks? Indiana and New York met six times in the playoffs from 1993 to 2000 and those meetings sparked a rivalry between the two basketball organizations. At the tail end of the 90s decade, the Knicks and Pacers faced each other in the Eastern Conference finals with New York advancing in the 1999 finals and Indiana facing the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2000 championship series. Their rivalry is so intense that it had its own documentary.
2. Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons
Before Michael Jordan clinched his first NBA championship, the Pistons always blocked his way from entering the finals. Detroit, which employed the Jordan Rule from years back, eliminated the Bulls in the playoffs for three straight years from 1988-1990. It is only in 1991 that Chicago got over the hump and beat the Magic Johnson-led Los Angeles Lakers for Jordan's first ring.
3. Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns
Steve Nash is one of the greatest point guards in NBA history and was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player but an NBA title is the only thing that is missing in his collection and the Lakers are the reason why. The two teams met in the playoffs for three times from 2006 to 2010 with Suns eliminating the Lakers in the first round in back-to-back years. But when it mattered the most, Los Angeles, behind Kobe Bryant's exploits, sent Phoenix crashing out in the Western Conference finals in 2010. Nash may be ringless but his play transcends time, Bleacher Report reported.
4. Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers
Although LeBron James does not admit it, everybody in the NBA knows that the Warriors and the Cavs have a rivalry going on between them. The Warriors won the championship in 2015 for the first time in the 40 years at the expense of James who reunited with Cleveland at the same year but the Cavs took revenge the following year after Golden State blew a 3-1 finals lead. This year, they are still touted to meet in the finals for the third straight time and NBA.com predicts it would be the Warriors who would take home the title.
5. Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers
This is arguably the toughest rivalry in NBA history. The Celtics are the winningest team in the NBA with 17 titles while the Lakers are second with 16. From Bill Russell against Wilt Chamberlain, Johnson against Larry Bird to the Paul Pierce-led Big Three against Kobe Bryant's own Big Three, the Celtics and the Lakers provide an unmatched atmosphere when they face for the Larry O'Brien trophy. Both teams have faced in the finals for 12 years with the Celtics winning nine of them.
Watch the video below for the NBA's greatest rivalries:
