People & Lifestyle
NBA: Ranking the Top 10 Rivalries in NBA History
The NBA has no shortage of exciting storylines, and rivalries have always made watching basketball more exciting than it already is. Some of these rivalries have defined careers and all of them have contributed to the NBA’s illustrious history.
Here are the top 10 rivalries in NBA history:
- Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings
In the early 2000’s, the Sacramento Kings were one of the most formidable teams in the West, and posed one of the biggest threats to the Lakers dynasty helmed by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
The Kings came close to preventing the Kobe and Shaq from ever accomplishing a three-peat in the controversial 2002 Western Conference Finals, where the Sacramento squad led by Chris Webber took the Lakers to seven games but eventually lost. To this day, you can find basketball fans claiming that the Kings were robbed, but the challenge they posed to the Lakers is in itself already an astonishing feat.
- Kevin Durant vs. LeBron James
There’s no dispute that LeBron James is the greatest player of his generation, and the undisputed best player in the league for much of the 2010s. But there’s also no denying that Kevin Durant posed the biggest threat to the King’s throne, and some might argue that Durant has taken the top spot at this point in time.
James and Durant met in the playoffs for the first time during the 2012 Finals, where LeBron’s Miami Heat defeated Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant however got his retribution with the Golden State Warriors, beating LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals. With LeBron’s Lakers and Durant’s Nets now being among the frontrunners for the 2022 Championship, is another NBA Finals showdown in the horizon?
- Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs
The back-to-back NBA Finals bouts between the Heat and the San Antonio Spurs in 2013 and 2014 were among the most compelling playoff series in recent history.
With one team vying to establish a new dynasty and with the other looking to remain dominant, the Finals matchups between the Heat and the Spurs made for multiple career-defining moments, and it seems only right that the teams tied at 1-1 in their Finals matchups.
- Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs
From the end of the 90’s to the end of the 2010’s, the Western Conference were basically owned by these teams. Except for 2006 when the Dallas Mavericks made the Finals, all NBA Finals series from 1999 to 2010 featured either the Lakers or the Spurs.
With seemingly divergent approaches to the game, watching battles between the flashy Lakers and the methodical Spurs was always an experience for any basketball fan.
- Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics
During the earlier days of the NBA, Philadelphia and Boston vied for supremacy in the Eastern Conference, and the rivalry transcended generations.
Whether it was Russell versus Chamberlain or Bird versus Erving, a Celtics and Sixers game always presented thrills, and the tension was always palpable in the building.
- Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
In the late 2010s, it was almost a foregone conclusion that these two teams would face off in the NBA Finals. Both teams traded blows in 2015 and 2016, with the latter year bearing witness to perhaps the greatest comeback in all of sports.
Although the battle eventually became lopsided in favor of Golden State when they signed Kevin Durant, watching LeBron James’s Cavaliers duel with the Warriors made for must-see television.
- Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain
No other two centers were at odds in their generation, or perhaps in any generation, than Russell and Chamberlain. Both players were undeniably the best at their positions during their time.
While Russell wins the championship conversation, thanks in no small part to his prolific supporting cast, Chamberlain was the statistical juggernaut who set records that are yet to be beaten up to this day.
- Michael Jordan vs. Detroit Pistons
Michael Jordan didn’t come out of the gate dominating the entire NBA. The young Jordan had to surmount the Detroit Pistons first before he became the legend that he is.
The Detroit Pistons’ infamous “Jordan Rules” posed a huge threat to Jordan during his early years, but Jordan eventually prevailed and it was after beating the Pistons in the playoffs when Jordan ascended to another level towards becoming the GOAT.
- Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird
Two players whose careers were seemingly intertwined since their college days, Magic and Bird’s fierce duels brought millions of viewers to the NBA, and made the 1980s a great time to be a basketball fan.
Magic and Bird’s battles in the NBA Finals is the stuff of legend nowadays, and their rivalry is only eclipsed by that of their own teams.
- Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics
It’s no surprise that the top rivalry in NBA history is between the two winningest franchises in the NBA. NBA Finals showdowns between these two teams always brought the intensity, and the rivalry has been ongoing for generations.
The Lakers are one ring away from tying Boston’s 17 championships, and although the Lakers are currently favorites for the title, the Celtics’ young core shows a lot of promise, and it’s not far from possible to see a Finals rematch between these two teams in the near future.
