What’s been the best rivalry in the NBA since magic/Bird?

[Bklynborn682]

What has been the best rivalry in the NBA since Magic vs Bird. (Either individually or teams)

[Homer38]

I voted for Chicago Detroit but it would been likely Cavs vs warriors if Kd don’t make a weak move....The part III would been epic

[tsherkin]

Can you put an option for none? None of these have seemed really compelling to me, and certainly most of them don't have the longevity to be really similar at all. There isn't a great rivalry in each era. We saw Wilt/Russell, and there were little runs of narratives in the late 80s and 90s like Jordan v Detroit/New York/Utah but nothing that was a career-long thing and relevant every year. There are always little things which happen year to year or for a couple adjacent seasons, you know?

[Bklynborn682]

Can you put an option for none? None of these have seemed really compelling to me, and certainly most of them don't have the longevity to be really similar at all. There isn't a great rivalry in each era. We saw Wilt/Russell, and there were little runs of narratives in the late 80s and 90s like Jordan v Detroit/New York/Utah but nothing that was a career-long thing and relevant every year. There are always little things which happen year to year or for a couple adjacent seasons, you know?

I get what you mean. I think personally either a Shaq or Duncan team being in the finals between 99-07. having a feeling whichever one outlasted the other would be the favorite during that timeframe as they faced off 5 times in the playoffs as well is similar if not longer than most rivalries. Though the fan fare was certainly not as high as it would have been if 2 wing players with the same clout were going at it.

[tsherkin]

I get what you mean. I think personally either a Shaq or Duncan team being in the finals between 99-07. having a feeling whichever one outlasted the other would be the favorite during that timeframe as they faced off 5 times in the playoffs as well is similar if not longer than most rivalries. Though the fan fare was certainly not as high as it would have been if 2 wing players with the same clout were going at it.

Yeah, I mean I guess they met in 99, 01, 02, 03 and 04. I don't recall a lot of talk about them specifically, though. There was always something else to discuss, so it never really struck me as a 'rivalry,' per se. I guess the fairly intimate connection of Magic and Bird from even before the NBA sort of changes the texture of how the rest of these things are perceived relative to that, so maybe I'm just being too picky.

[70sFan]

Duncan vs Shaq should have been much louder, but Timmy wasn't flashy, didn't have big personality and he didn't play on a big market.

[tsherkin]

Duncan vs Shaq should have been much louder, but Timmy wasn't flashy, didn't have big personality and he didn't play on a big market.

Yeah, maybe. And they didn't really match up directly all the time either. They didn't go after one another in the media a lot. Duncan is one of the dudes for whom Shaq usually had nothing but respect, which is odd, because he's usually a mouthy little provocateur in the media.

[70sFan]

Duncan vs Shaq should have been much louder, but Timmy wasn't flashy, didn't have big personality and he didn't play on a big market.

Yeah, maybe. And they didn't really match up directly all the time either. They didn't go after one another in the media a lot. Duncan is one of the dudes for whom Shaq usually had nothing but respect, which is odd, because he's usually a mouthy little provocateur in the media.

Bird and Magic didn't guard each other either, so it's not necessary.

[tsherkin]

Bird and Magic didn't guard each other either, so it's not necessary.

I mean, both Shaq/Duncan and Bird/Magic matched up at times, but you are correct, it isn't necessary. It was more an idle observation about some of the extra reasons why it wasn't so noteworthy in the mind.

[Bklynborn682]

Bird and Magic didn't guard each other either, so it's not necessary.

I mean, both Shaq/Duncan and Bird/Magic matched up at times, but you are correct, it isn't necessary. It was more an idle observation about some of the extra reasons why it wasn't so noteworthy in the mind.

I think that it boils down to 2 main things Duncan had no interest in spotlight/brand building off the court as well as being somewhat boring (although incredible). And they were 2 bigs meanwhile if it had been Kobe vs mcgrady or lebron vs Denver melo in the same scenario for example the media coverage would have been huge due to a preference of not only wings but high usage offensive highlight guys.

[tsherkin]

I think that it boils down to 2 main things Duncan had no interest in spotlight/brand building off the court as well as being somewhat boring (although incredible). And they were 2 bigs meanwhile if it had been Kobe vs mcgrady or lebron vs Denver melo in the same scenario for example the media coverage would have been huge due to a preference of not only wings but high usage offensive highlight guys.

Duncan was the perfect Pops guy like that, yes. And as you say, the flashier, high-usage guys would grab the attention more for sure.

[CumberlandPosey]

i liked knicks vs heat when it was on.bloodbaths without scoring.

[Bklynborn682]

i liked knicks vs heat when it was on.bloodbaths without scoring.

That’s a good call I forgot about them. For some reason with the knicks I thought about Chicago and Indy. But Miami had to be their biggest rival not only because of the on court playoff craziness. fights, 8 seed beating a 1 seed etc. you had The whole Riley situation as well.

[tsherkin]

i liked knicks vs heat when it was on.bloodbaths without scoring.

I thought that was some of the ugliest basketball I have ever seen and hated it, but they were certainly an emotionally-charged rivalry. And there is very little in NBA history like watching Jeff Van Gundy on Mourning's leg in 1998, lmao.

[LAL1947]

Bird and Magic didn't guard each other either, so it's not necessary.

I mean, both Shaq/Duncan and Bird/Magic matched up at times, but you are correct, it isn't necessary. It was more an idle observation about some of the extra reasons why it wasn't so noteworthy in the mind.

I think that it boils down to 2 main things Duncan had no interest in spotlight/brand building off the court as well as being somewhat boring (although incredible). And they were 2 bigs meanwhile if it had been Kobe vs mcgrady or lebron vs Denver melo in the same scenario for example the media coverage would have been huge due to a preference of not only wings but high usage offensive highlight guys.

Duncan vs Shaq should have been much louder, but Timmy wasn't flashy, didn't have big personality and he didn't play on a big market.

I think it mainly boils down to how dominant Shaq was as an individual... not Duncan's lack of interest in spotlight or brand building or that he didn't play in a big market (the media would have made it one regardless of how he felt). Duncan was great and consistent but Shaq was the incredible one at that size. Besides, it was mainly Robinson guarding Shaq, with Duncan generally ignoring Horry (and other scrubs we used at PF) and always close by to help Robinson... whereas the Lakers defended Duncan with Horry and Robinson with Shaq. The silly story that Shaq made up about not liking Robinson for snubbing him as a kid didn't help either. So instead of a Shaq vs Duncan rivalry... it was more of a Shaq vs Robinson + Duncan rivalry.

Now I wish Robinson had retired early so we could have had a real Shaq-Duncan rivalry. It would have been fun to see them matched up head-to-head on both sides of the court when Shaq was younger. Duncan would make Shaq look bad when they're away from the basket with his mobility and skill, but then Shaq would've dunked on Duncan's head a lot more and given us plenty of memorable highlight clips.

[Jaivl]

Hard disagree on Duncan vs anybody.

I am a big fan of more random rivalries between two players of different status, like Gasol vs Garnett, Kobe vs Battier or Ricky vs Westbrook.

[Texas Chuck]

Lebron/Warriors probably has to be the answer just because of the 4 straight Finals.

Duncan Spurs vs Dirk Mavs is a pretty nice undercard. Same division, met in the playoffs a bunch, some classic series, both upset the other as a significant underdog. Obviously a big brother/little brother thing with Timmy and the Spurs largely having the upper hand, but I can't think of another two teams/players with a decade plus long rivalry over this period.

[eminence]

Anybody appreciate the ridiculousness of the Cavs/Wiz rivalry of the mid 00s?

[SK21209]

Even though the Lakers and Spurs traded off going to the Finals during the 2000s with the exception of 2006, the rivalry never really hit for me. I think it’s because they never really met on even terms. One of them was always ascending while the other was reaching the end of that core’s run.

1999 - Lakers were young and not ready to win yet
2000 - Duncan injury robbed us of a great series
2001 - Lakers had become all-time great while the Spurs cast around Duncan had fallen off
2002 - same as 2001
2003 - Spurs had retooled, Lakers were a worn out shell of themselves after the three peat
2004 - This is probably the most “even” matchup. That series was a toss up.
2008 - Lakers were back, Duncan had declined a bit and their supporting cast around the Big 3 was pretty washed.

We never really got a 2016 Warriors/Thunder type of series, where the cores of both teams were peaking at the same time. That’s why the Kings in 2002 and the Celtics at the end of the decade felt way more like rivals.

[falcolombardi]

the lebron vs durant and curry era always felt weird in thst lebron teams lost most of those but he came of that era (deservesdly) as the best of the 3

proof that general public still can apply deeper analysis than ring counting or looking at which team won when evaluating players

it was a really awkward rivalry in that sense