The best personal beefs in the Jazz-Thunder series

In a series with so many different storylines and possible narratives, the feuding and squabbling between the Jazz and Thunder, both on and off the court, have pushed the rest of the stories in this series to the backseat.

The youthful, up and coming Jazz lead the Thunder 3-1 after last night’s Game 4 rout in Salt Lake City.

Donovan Mitchell is blossoming into a superstar before our eyes. Ricky Rubio, in his first playoff appearance in seven seasons, is reaching the potential many saw when he was a top five pick in 2009. And his hair… alluring, sultry, flowing, lethal.

Russell Westbrook’s style of play and need to dominate the ball is proving ineffective and unsustainable in the playoffs, yet again. Paul George’s future, given his impending free agency, is hanging in the balance. Whether or not the Thunder’s playoff success (or lack thereof) will determine his decision, the overall perception is that Oklahoma City needs to make some kind of a run in the post-season to have a shot at keeping him for 2019 and beyond.

These are all pieces of the Jazz vs. Thunder collage, but with a Game 4 that featured seven technical fouls, an ejection, and plenty of back and forth jeering, tensions, hostility, and their by-products have become the biggest story.

With intensity dialed up and stakes raised in the playoffs, beefs between players and teams are about as common as travels that don’t get called. But rarely do we see as many individual feuds, subplots, or as much conflict as in this series. At this point, with at least one more game to play, we have the makings of a pretty good fight night on our hands — several good undercard match-ups and an intriguing main event. Oh and a basketball game.

Here are the top five beefs in this series: