NBA's Best Rivalries

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Oct 6, 2011

NBA's Best Rivalries

Celtics-Lakers

The teams have won 33 the NBA's 65 championships and have met in the Finals 12 times, with the Celtics winning nine of those. Five of the 12 series have gone to seven games.

Bulls-Pistons

The rivalry was at its peak from 1988 to 1991, when Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan battled in the playoffs for four straight years, including three straight Eastern Conference championships.

Heat-Knicks

In a series marked by brawls, long series and late-game heroics, the Heat and Knicks played each other in four straight playoff series from 1997 to 2000, with each series going to the wire.

Celtics-Sixers

The rivalry started with John Havlicek's inbounds steal in Game 7 of the 1965 Eastern Conference final (inset). A 1983 exhibition between the two turned into an all-out brawl.

Bulls-Knicks

The Bulls and Knicks met each year during Chicago's first 1990s championship three-peat, and again in 1994, when the Knicks were finally able to top the Jordan-less Bulls.

Spurs-Lakers

The teams combined for five straight NBA championships from 1999 to 2003, meeting in the playoffs in four of those five years.

Spurs-Suns

The Spurs and Suns met in the playoffs four times during the 1990s, and five times in the 2000s after the additions of Tim Duncan and Steve Nash, respectively.

Lakers-Kings

Northern California vs. Southern California, the Kings and Lakers met in the 2002 Western Conference finals, where the Lakers won in overtime in Game 7.