Our Rival?

[Eoghan]

Do we even have a rival? If not, what team could it be? Arguably the best part about being a football (soccer) fan are the derby matches. As a Liverpool fan, I take great joy in seeing the Reds kick Everton's ass pretty much every year no matter how poorly Liverpool is doing, lol. I'd love it if we had something similar for the HornCats.

I tried to view New Orleans as that team to hate since Shinn stole my Hornets and moved them there but it never felt legit, especially now that they were nice enough to give us the name back. The Pistons are our little RealGM rivals but outside of this nobody cares. We owned the Lakers for some reason, that was weird.

[lmcguir5]

I would consider the Wizards one of our bigger rivals. We play in the same division, we're in similar franchise stages (we even dedicated a thread to this) and I feel like its a race to see who gets out of the cellar first. We're pretty even in talent and it usually makes for good games.

Another team I feel like we rival ourselves with is the Pistons like you BD. We've had some recent trade rapes and we seem to argue about who is better. If it makes for an example, I always love to beat the Pistons.

[vorbis]

i think with the change to the hornets this could shift but as the bobcats i have felt the main rivals were detroit and toronto due to synchronized suckage, and an inexplicable but amusing dominance of the lakers, which led to high-quality twitter trollfests. i never thought the bobcats settled into any divisional rivalries, because the season goals never seemed to align such that there was real competition. several western conference franchises just destroyed the bobcats in the all-time series count, IIRC.

[Robot Rock]

I think there's more respect between Charlotte and New Orleans now, but it's still our biggest rivalry. I think Orlando would actually come next.

[Liver_Pooty]

Its by far the Pistons on here. Some of their fans get annoying, and Im sure they feel the same about us. Outside of that I don't think we have a rival, at all. Rivalries are born in the playoffs, which..... Yeah...

[HornetJail]

Whichever team makes us slip to number 2 in the draft lottery next year.

[TheKingofSting]

As Bobcats it is hard to say like Liver_Pooty said about the playoffs...

The Lakers thing.
It also seems like we always gave LeBron's Cavs a lot of trouble.

On here it is 1000% Detroit but on other websites I see Bobcats and Pistons fans get along fine.

As the Hornets I always viewed the Hawks as our main rivals but in the (7-59) year I ran into some Hawks fans talking trash about beating us (it took OT for crying out loud) and we just stared at them like really? LOL

[AttitudeAjusta]

I would have to say Orlando seeing our brief, and slightly embarrassing playoff series where they stomped us to the ground.. F@&k 'em

Next I think would be Wizards mainly for the reasons lmcguir5 stated; same division, franchise progress, similar talent. Maybe some butthurt feelings because our owner used to have something to do with their front office for a while. And it's true, the most competitive Bobcats games i saw last year were the ones vs. Wizards. Definitely remember at least 1 double-overtime win over them.

I don't know why everyone keeps saying Detroit would have any interest or rivalry with us?

Anyway, I say Orlando is our current rival

[Elden Payton]

@AttitudeAjusta

People say the POStons because their fans on Realgm troll us at every opportunity.

I would actually say Toronto is our biggest rival after Bankruptroit.

[LamarMatic7]

And it's true, the most competitive Bobcats games i saw last year were the ones vs. Wizards. Definitely remember at least 1 double-overtime win over them.

Nobody deserved to win that game. I don't think I've ever seen two teams **** up so much to the point that it seemed like neither team wanted to win.

[Snidely FC]

ORL
For instance, they out-tanked us at the end of last year!
This one just makes sense. Starting from the bottom. Ugly pinstripe uniforms. Southeast regional brothahs.

[Elden Payton]

And it's true, the most competitive Bobcats games i saw last year were the ones vs. Wizards. Definitely remember at least 1 double-overtime win over them.

Nobody deserved to win that game. I don't think I've ever seen two teams **** up so much to the point that it seemed like neither team wanted to win.

Sorry Lamar my main man, I beg to differ

I've never seen a game quite like this, this is the game noone deserves to win

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riFqSF_R6ys[/youtube]

[Benjamin Linus]

Orlando is the first team that comes to mind. Same division, the only team we've played in the playoffs, and we're both rebuilding at the moment. Even from the beginning it was Dwight vs Okafor. Plus is there a player we've boo'd more than JJ Reddick?

Atlanta should be more of a rivalry, but I guess we're both such boring franchises, neither of us have any real beef with anyone.

Washington never felt like much of a rivalry until very recently. Should be plenty of interesting match-ups going forward though - Wall vs Kemba, Porter vs MKG, Jefferson vs Nene, Beal vs Henderson?

[fatlever]

hard to say any team is a rival at this point. we just dont have the history.

[mrknowitall215]

I think the Orlando Magic are the Charlotte Bobcats immediate rivals, but you can make a argument that the Lakers, Hawks, Wizards, and Pistons share somewhat of a rivalry to them as well

[countryboi]

to have a rival dont you have to win some of the time?

[fatlever]

and rivalries have to be a two-way street. there is not a team or a fanbase (outside of the kemba walker haters on the pistons board) in the NBA that would list the bobcats as a rival.

[JDR720]

Im thinking our main rivals are the Wiz and Magic, dont really know tho, i dont really consider the Bobs to be rivals to anyone but i guess those two are the closest things to rivals....might have a rivalry with the Pelicans after the Hornets are back in Charlotte

[Marvel]

We haven't been good enough to be anyone's rival.

My prediction as a future rival would be Orlando. Got some history there in the playoffs and both teams currently at the bottom that could be EC powerhouses in 4-5 years.

[JDR720]

If we lose our 1st round pick next year to the Bulls they can be our rival