Fansided

30 best personal rivalries in the NBA today

By John Buhler

OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 18: Kevin Durant No. 35 of the Golden State Warriors and Russell Westbrook No. 0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder point in different directions after the ball went out of bounds at ORACLE Arena on January 18, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 18: Kevin Durant No. 35 of the Golden State Warriors and Russell Westbrook No. 0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder point in different directions after the ball went out of bounds at ORACLE Arena on January 18, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 20: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Jeremy Lin No. 17 and Carmelo Anthony No. 7 of the New York Knicks in action against the Toronto Raptors on March 20, 2012 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Raptors 106-87. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 20: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Jeremy Lin No. 17 and Carmelo Anthony No. 7 of the New York Knicks in action against the Toronto Raptors on March 20, 2012 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Raptors 106-87. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

15. Carmelo Anthony vs. Jeremy Lin

According to Michael Rapaport, there was a time that the Garden was Eden. Back then, Phil Jackson was coming off the bench in the early 1970s and wasn’t making horrible personnel decisions on the regular. Just a few years before “how’s it goink?”, the Garden was Eden-Like for like a fortnight. Then Carmelo Anthony just had to ruin it.

Why did Melo have to ruin it? Well, because it wasn’t about him. He got hurt and some amazing Asian-American point guard from Harvard named Jeremy Lin took over New York City. He was a bigger star in New York than Melo for almost a month.

When Anthony got back, everything fell apart obviously. Lin would take a backseat to unathletic, isolation, old-man basketball Melo style. New York was no longer the best basketball team in the NBA. Lin would leave for the Houston Rockets and the Knicks became arguably the biggest joke in the Eastern Conference for the next five years.

Lin would bounce around the league before landing back in the Big Apple with the Brooklyn Nets. Except he keeps getting hurt all the time, which is sad. Anthony and his hoodie got traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Linsanity was the greatest thing that ever happened on the hardwood and Anthony’s ego ruined it like Tyler Durden did to Jared Leto’s face in Fight Club. He destroyed something beautiful.

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