NBA: 5 best rivalries in 2015-16
By JT Tomiyama
Rivalries are awesome to watch and Embrace. Here are the five of the best the NBA has to offer.
The NBA has seen some great team rivalries. In the past the NBA had rivalries like that of the Lakers and Celtics or Bulls and Pistons, but there are some great new rivalries developing.
The physicality of those Rick Mahorn and Bill Lambeer days are over and the NBA has shifted from rivalries being all about fights or trash talk to skill battles. Whether it be Kyrie Irving and Steph Curry dueling or LeBron James trying to dethrone the Spurs, there is always something new.
Teams are even battling over players in free agency through social media and using emojis. Social media is part of the new era of rivalries in everything, not just sports, and it makes everything that much more exciting. The access fans have because of social media allows them to follow their team or player that much closer.
Ten years ago, people would have looked at you crazy if you were to say a Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors playoff series is must-see TV. The Kobe Bryants and Kevin Garnetts of the world are moving on which is allowing new player rivalries to emerge. Positionless players such as Draymond Green, Kawhi Leonard allow teams to be more dynamic. Seeing Green involved with positions one through five by guarding everyone on the floor makes you love or hate guy.
Fans have to give the new teams a couple of years to acquire that hate for each other, it doesn’t just happen over night. There has to be multiple playoff series or certain trash talk that allows that hate to increase but these new rivals will be must-see TV for a long time to come.
First up is The King vs the Spurs.
Next: 5. LeBron James and the Spurs