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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Cavs, Hayward, LeBron James
CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 17: LeBron James No. 23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers goes to greet Kyrie Irving No. 11 of the Boston Celtics prior to playing at at Quicken Loans Arena on October 17, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

2. Kyrie Irving vs. LeBron James

While LeBron James has plenty of rivals throughout the NBA, none are as acrimonious as the one he has with former teammate in Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving. Irving was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cavaliers out of Duke, in part that the team was so bad after James took his talents to South Beach.

When King James decided to come home, Irving was waiting there for him. While everybody loves to play with James, maybe not Irving so much. Their skill sets overlap, as James loves to create for others, while Irving just wants to take it to the hoop and not pass. Add in the flat Earth nonsense and you’re darn right that Irving would force a trade away from Cleveland.

James did call him a kid a bunch of times. Irving is like 25 years old, so he’s not really much of a kid anymore. Fate would have it that Irving would get traded to the Cavaliers’ biggest threat in the Eastern Conference in the Celtics. These two teams are expected to meet in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight season.

It may not have lasted long, but Irving and James did make the NBA Finals all three years they were teammates together. Odds are one of them will end up losing to the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 NBA Finals. It would have been great to see James hand the keys to the Cleveland castle to Irving, but here we are.

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