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This is inspired by the comments Lebron James made about the NBA having no real rivalries. I do think NBA rivalries as a whole are not on the same level as other sports leagues like the NFL, MLB and NHL.
I think the NBA should have some sort of rivalry week, where all of the team rivalries play in the same week. Maybe have it 2-3 times during the regular season. This is how I would market the team rivalries.
NBA Rivalries
Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Simply "The Rivalry")
New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers (The Liberty Rivalry)
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Milwaukee Bucks (The Great Lakes Rivalry)
Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons (The Midwestern Rivalry)
Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (The Rust Belt Rivalry)
Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets (The International rivalry)
Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz (The Mountain West Rivalry)
San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (The Great Plains Rivalry)
Charlotte Bobcats vs. Atlanta Hawks (The Old South Rivalry)
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns (The Sun-Belt Rivalry)
Miami Heat vs. Orlando Magic (The Florida Rivalry)
Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks (The Texas Rivalry)
Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings (The Northern California Rivalry)
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Memphis Grizzlies (The Deep South Rivalry)
Portland Trailblazers vs Washington Wizards (Sorry but this one is the odd one out as Seattle and Baltimore would be their true rivals but neither of them have NBA teams.)
Last edited by gwillyfromphilly; 12-21-2013 at 03:06 PM..
The Cavs? Pacers' biggest rivals are the Bulls, Knicks, and Pistons, and here in the last couple years Miami.
"Cavs-Pacers" makes a lot more sense do to them sharing the same division and being in close proximity of each other. The Bulls already have the Pistons as a main rival and the "Heat-Pacers" isn't a real rivalry. "Knicks-76ers" is a bigger rivalry than "Knicks-Pacers" will ever be. So that leaves the "Cavs-Pacers" as the most logical choice.
I get what you are saying, the MLB tries the geography thing too but it doesn't work that way. The NFL did a decent job keeping rivals together in the same divisions especially the AFC and NFC East. JET, PATS, DOLPHINS AND BILLS are all rivals and so are the Cowboys, Giants, Redskins and Eagles. But IMO geographic rivalries don't work for the NBA. There are historical rivalries like Celtics Lakers but even then when the teams are not doing well no one really cares.
If the Heat had one franchise rival it would be the Knicks or maybe the Bulls, certainly not the Magic. NBA rivalries are made in the playoffs and playoffs only. In the NFL regualr season games are so important that rivalries can be made during the season without playoff meetings.
"Cavs-Pacers" makes a lot more sense do to them sharing the same division and being in close proximity of each other. The Bulls already have the Pistons as a main rival and the "Heat-Pacers" isn't a real rivalry. "Knicks-76ers" is a bigger rivalry than "Knicks-Pacers" will ever be. So that leaves the "Cavs-Pacers" as the most logical choice.
The Bulls and Pistons are also in the same division, are both closer in proximity to Indy than Cleveland is, and both have a lot more history with the Pacers.
You know teams can have more than one rival?
As a Pacers fan I can guarantee you no one gives a flying f about the Cavs and no one ever has except for a year or two when Lebron was there. We have about as much of a rivalry with the Cavs as we do with the freaking Golden State Warriors.
The spurs already have one of the biggest rivalries with Dallas.
San Antonio is right on the outer fringes of what is considered the Great Plains Region.
The Spurs and Thunder rivalry is better and who lives in Texas knows that Dallas and Houston are each others biggest rivals. Even on citydata you can clearly see that on the "city vs city" and "Texas" sub-forums.
The NBA, unlike the NHL, MLB and NFL, is the youngest of all the professional sports. You don't have rivals going back 70, 80 or 100 years in the NBA.
NBA feuds are created in the postseason. It's why the Lakers-C's has become so storied over the years. If you ask the Pacers who their main rival is, they'd say the Heat because of their recent battles in the playoffs. If you polled the Bulls, they'd say Miami, too, not the Pistons.
And a lot also has to do with the competitiveness of the teams. The Magic are not very good right now. They can't be the Heat's rival because Miami beats them almost every time. Same with Pistons-Bulls. Before Detroit won in Chicago two weeks ago, the Bulls had beaten the Pistons 14 straight times.
These rivialries in the NBA happen organically.
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Pacers' biggest rivals are the Bulls, Knicks, and Pistons, and here in the last couple years Miami.
