[kingofkings]

How come in the NBA today there does not seem to be any rivalries between players anymore. I was just watching a Bulls video and Jordan said that to be the best he had to go through Bird, Magic and Isaiah. The rivalries between Magic and Bird was huge, as well as Magic and Thomas, etc. Why does there not seem to be any rivalries anymore. We really cannot say that Kobe and T-Mac have a rivalry because they hardly play against one another and one team is better than the other. We also had the Olajuwon/Ewing rivalry which was huge back in the early 1990's.What about the rivalry between the old Lakers and the Celtics, or the Pistons and the Celtics. Who can forget those fiery beat em up clashes between the Knicks and Heat, whereby you knew it was going to be a last man standing slugfest to the very end. Once Ewing, Brown, Mashburn, LJ, etc left that rivalry died. Anyway which teams and players have a personal rivalry today?? is it the Lakers and the Kings, other than this one, I cannot see any other rivalry existing. To me when you support one NBA team it is fun to hate another team to the fullest. Remember the Bulls/Knicks games of the 1990's featuring Jordan, Pippen, Grant, Cartwright, Armstrong against the hated tough guys of Ewing Oakley, Starks, Mason, McDaniel, etc. Now that was a true hardcore matchup. Remember that playoff series when the Knicks tried to inflict harm and pain on the Bulls, but the Bulls just overcame that challenge, withstood the pain and came through to win the series?? Now those games were huge and the rivalry was intense between those teams. It seems to me that their is no longer any rivalry in the NBA anymore. it is all about taking one game at a time, winning against all teams. Maybe that is why the game can get just a bit boring at times, when you do not have an adversary, whereby their is nothing better than beating them by one point. Look, I never even followed the Bulls, but those games against the Knicks were huge and I loved the way the Bulls withstood all the physicality of the Knicks and came through in the end. In the end I wanted the Bulls to beat them by one point, not twenty points but just one point, with Jordan hitting a last second game winner! Anyway when teams and players have rivalries the game means a lot more and is more exciting. Who are the rivalries that you all loved? Oh, I forgot Russell and Wilt, now that was huge!!!

 

[Shaqs big toe]

I am hoping that the Lakers-Kings thing continues to simmer until next year's playoffs and then explodes again.

Regardless of who wins there, it'll be a great thing for the game

 

[TO4LIFE]

THeir is potential for a feud between Carter(raps) and TMAC(Magic). Cause I know EVERY single Raptor fans absolutly hates TMAC and the Magic.

We would just have to meet them in the play offs.

If the Raps were healthy and we played 76ers their could be another good feud.....you rememeber game 7 2001 Raps/76ers?

 

[Patrick]

It takes time to build rivalries and fueds, a few years or so maybe. Right now we have a few rivalries though who have already built with alot of emotions already:

Orlando Magic vs Toronto Raptors

Sacremento Kings vs LA Lakers

Oh yeah don't forget about the Heat and Knicks. Please, that rivalry will be forever!

 

[HEATLUNATIC]

Heat/Knicks will be back this season,especially with a determined and PI$$ED OFF Caron Butler!:yes:

 

[TheRifleman]

I think I already saw a renewed rivalry growing between the Pistons and the Celtics this year and that will be great again.

Hopefully, there could actually be a new rivalry between the Nets and the Celtics, too.

Maybe the Kings and the Lakers could develop into a "rivalry". I have felt for a couple years that there is a growing rivalry with the Mavericks and the TWolves.

OH, as for "EVERY" Raptor fan hating TMac, "Every" is so all in-inclusive, don't you think? Try "some" Raptor fans hate TMac and the Magic. It works better.

 

[raptors32]

Originally posted by TheRifleman
OH, as for "EVERY" Raptor fan hating TMac, "Every" is so all in-inclusive, don't you think? Try "some" Raptor fans hate TMac and the Magic. It works better.

I'd change "some" to "most" . Lol :laugh:

 

[Damian Necronamous]

The Lakers-Kings series will begin to shape up as one of the best rivalries ever. I think that the Raptors-Magic series will also become a little heated. I'm hoping that the Clippers will begin one with another team, because they've never had much of a rivalry with any team.:no:

 

[MacDanny 6]

The Raptors vs. Magic feud is the best. I would like to take this time to thank T-Mac for making this feud possible. And for helping the Magic beat the Raptors almost every time they play them.

 

[TO4LIFE]

Wait till next season buddy...wait till next season ))

Wouldn't that be GREAT....Eastern Conference Finals.....Magic vs. Raptors......GAME 7.......the game is 99-98 for Magic, Carter has the ball with 2 seconds left....blamo....gets the buzzer beater...RAPTORS WIN.

Actually...that wouldn't happen....we'd just sweep them )

 

[MacDanny 6]

No, Carter would just brick the 3 just like he did against the Sixers.:grinning:

 

[linus#1]

Like other professional sports, the NBA is a cyclic thing...rivalries are born and sputter out with the different players that come and go....right now the NBA is completing a transition period between groups of superstars....the Jordan, Magic, Bird, Barkley, Olojuwan, Ewing, Stockton/Malone era is giving way to the Shaq/Kobe, AI, VC, TMAC, KG, Timmy D era of stars...with the influx of talent and the rise of new elite teams...rivalries between teams and players will be soon to follow.....

 

[BullsAttitude]

For a rivalry to be established, 2 certain teams need to meet year after year in the playoffs. True rivalries are born that way, they are not born in the season, they are just intensified. Just look back at history from the 80's. You had Celtics-Sixers, Celtics-Pistons, and Celtics-Lakers. The Celtics met the Sixers and Pistons in the Conf. Finals pretty much every year from 80' to 88'. Celtics and Lakers goes back to the 60's and Bird vs. Magic started in the '79 NCAA Championship game.

The Lakers rivals mainly came out of the East, as Houston was the only other team from the West to make it to the Finals in the 80's. Lakers-Celtics, Lakers-Sixers, and Lakers-Pistons were big time rivalries.

The Pistons had the Hawks, the Celtics, and then the Bulls as rivals. Then the Bulls had the Cavs, the Pistons, and the Knicks as rivals.

The Pacers had the Knicks as hated rivals and that lasted from 93' to 00'. See, the reason the Lakers have rivals is cause they have faced certain teams. Such as Portland over the past 5 years, the Spurs the past 3 and the Kings the past 3.

I believe you have the possibility of another Celtics-Pistons, Celtics-Sixers rivalary, Sixers-Raptors, and Kings-Mavs. These could become good fierce rivalaries, all we need is a little gas on the fire to have them ignite.