5 Greatest NBA rivalries of all time
Rivalries are common in professional sports, and you could even say that they are necessary. NBA rivalries have adorned The Association since its first decades. Whether it was Bill Russell's Boston Celtics against any team Wilt Chamberlain was playing or the Celtics facing the LA Lakers in almost every NBA Finals during the 1960s, rivalries have always been there.
NBA rivalries reached an all-time high level with the Celtics-Lakers duels in the 1980s, and Magic Johnson's and Larry Bird's particular fights.
5 Greatest NBA rivalries of all time
In this article, we will review the five biggest rivalries in the history of the NBA.
When we discuss NBA rivalries, the Boston Celtics vs. LA Lakers will always be at the top of the scale.
NBA rivalries were not built based on NBA Finals matchups only. There are big rivalries on the Western and Eastern Conference, which grew over the years due to several postseason matchups and intense seven-game battles.
On that note, let us take a look at the greatest NBA rivalries between franchises.
Honorable mention NBA rivalry - Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors
LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014, and he guided the team to four consecutive NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018. In the process, they became one-half of one of the biggest NBA rivalries of the NBA Finals.
The Golden State Warriors played in five consecutive NBA Finals from 2015 to 2019, and the first four series were matchups against James and the Cavs. Golden State won the first duel and lost the second one in 2016.
The Cavs won the 2016 championship after being down 3-1 in the series against a Golden State team that won 73 games in the regular season. The Warriors won in 2017 and 2018 after Kevin Durant joined them.
The streak ended after James signed with the LA Lakers in the 2018 offseason. However, this one is one of the biggest NBA rivalries in the modern era.
#5 Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks
The Chicago Bulls entered the NBA in 1966, but they were part of the West Divison back then. Despite several postseason appearances during the 1960s and early 1970s, they never met the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.
The Knicks won their two championships in the early 1970s, but the first playoff matchup of one of the biggest NBA rivalries ever came in 1981, just a year after the Bulls went to the Eastern Conference.
From that point on, they saw each other in the NBA Playoffs seven times.
This became one of the biggest NBA rivalries in history during the Michael Jordan era with the Bulls. As the Bulls had their dynasty in the 1990s, the Knicks were one of the teams who suffered the most.
They played on six occasions between 1989 and 1996, and the Knicks won only once (in 1994, with Jordan playing baseball).
This was one of the greatest NBA rivalries ever.
#4 Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons
In the 1980s, Michael Jordan came into the NBA and clearly showed he was an elite player. As the Detroit Pistons became one of the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference, guided by Isiah Thomas and coach Chuck Daly, the two franchises clashed.
The Pistons earned the reputation of being the league's 'Bad Boys' for their physically intimidating game, and Jordan was arguably their favorite 'victim.'
They faced each other in four straight postseason series from 1988 to 1991, with the Pistons winning the first three and the Bulls sweeping the Bad Boys in 1991.
Before the Bull's first three-peat from 1991 to 1993, the Bad Boy Pistons ruled the NBA with back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990 and three consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals.
This matchup was further established as one of the biggest NBA rivalries ever thanks to Jordan's and Thomas' own individual rivalry. This one was short compared to some other NBA rivalries, but the intensity was immense.