Which is the biggest NBA rivalry in history?

• Basketball is such an intense and fanatical game
• NBA players will tell you about the insurmountable pressure to win
• The burden to win especially in the playoffs gets to the crowd much as it gets onto the players first

Basketball is such an intense and fanatical game that has had the world captivated for ages now. However, does it ever interest you to know about NBA biggest rivalry in history?

NBA players will tell you about the insurmountable pressure to win which is the single most powerful reason fuelling player and team rivalry. The burden to win especially in the playoffs gets to the crowd much as it gets onto the players first. All these coupled together form an important part of one of the most prestigious sports in the world.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST RIVALRIES IN THE NBA

The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers form the core of NBA biggest rivalry spectacle yet. Beyond any other teams in the league, the two teams have faced off 12 time in playoffs. Of those games, the Celtics triumphed in nine, while the Lakers won three. As a matter of fact, the Celtics and Lakers consistently represented NBA’s two most successful conferences. That’s why their rivalry is frequently referred to as the “East Coast-West Coast” rivalry.

Both clubs have produced some of the best NBA players in history, including Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Kobe Bryant. This further fueled the rivalry.

NBA rivalries. Boston Celtics vs Lakers. Photo/CNN

WHO ARE THE ARCH RIVALS IN THE NBA?

Lakers and Celtics may be the oldest NBA biggest rivalry but not the only one. Here are a few more that add flavor to the game.

Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons

The Bulls and the Pistons met in the Eastern Conference Finals 7 times in the 1990s, with the Bulls winning 6 of those matchups. The rivalry was known for its physical play, and it was one of the most intense rivalries in NBA history.

New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics

The Knicks and the Celtics have met in the NBA Finals 3 times, with the Celtics winning all 3 matchups. The rivalry is fueled by the fact that the two teams are located in the same city, and it is one of the most passionate rivalries in the NBA.

Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Warriors and the Cavaliers met in the NBA Finals 4 times in 4 years, with the Warriors winning 3 of those matchups. The rivalry was known for its star power, as the two teams featured LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving.

WHAT IS THE OLDEST RIVALRY IN THE NBA?

Circling back to the oldest rivalry in the NBA, the Celtics and the Lakers have had it going since 1959 when they first clashed. What followed years later is nothing short of an exhilarating basketball journey for at least 70 years of their existence.

The fact that both teams represent America’s two coasts add to the geographic and cultural divide which power up this rivalry. This divide has created a sense of “us vs. them” mentality between the two fan bases for donkey years now.

DO NBA TEAMS HAVE RIVALS?

Basketball teams have rivals going beyond NBA biggest rivalry. League pundits classify these rivalries into three major categories. These are intradivisional, interdivisional, and interconference. Games between rival teams in the same NBA division are referred to as intradivisional rivalries. There are 30 clubs in six divisions with five teams each as of the 2004–2005 NBA season.

Biggest NBA rivalry. Photo/Dunkest

However, the most common rivalries in the NBA is interconference which often features the big teams such Lakers vs Celtics and others. In the regular season, each team plays each division opponent four times (twice at home, twice away), for a total of sixteen games out of the 82 that are played. Games between rivals from different divisions of the same conference are referred to as interdivisional rivalries.

A team plays three or four times against each opponent from the opposing division in its conference. An NBA team plays a total of 36 interdivisional contests. Conference matchups are frequently crucial because a team’s overall record against its conference as well as its record in common games are sometimes used as tiebreakers for postseason seeding at the end of the regular season.

Many rivals from the regular season have also faced off in the playoffs. A regular season game’s outcome can influence where a postseason game is played because many regular season rivals have already faced off in the playoffs.