Video: The Loss of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors Rivalry

In watching episodes three and four of the Last Dance this past Sunday, it reminded me of what the NBA lost when Kevin Durant went to the Warriors, a rivalry that would have been as compelling as Bull/Pistons of the late '80s and early '90s. It didn't matter if you grew up in Chicago or where a lifelong Pistons fan, you couldn't be a neutral party when watching a seven-game series between these two teams. You had to pick a side based on your personality.

You either wanted Jordan to ascend to a championship level, or you were the guy that played dirty on the playground and appreciated Bill Laimbeer mugging people in the lane. If you're a part of Generation X, those emotions came rising to the surface while tuning into ESPN this week.

Isiah Thomas sure seemed rattled this morning after Michael Jordan torched him in last night's #TheLastDance https://t.co/5r6MdQjpuZ
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 28, 2020

Be it anger or pride you had to feel something while watching the Bad Boys refuse to shake hands with the Bulls after getting swept in the 1991 Eastern Conference finals. Jordan is proving that time doesn't heal all wounds, Isiah Thomas can say he would have done things differently 29 years later, but Jordan isn't buying it.

As for Laimbeer, he doesn't care what Jordan or Horace Grant has to say about the Pistons' actions. Telling Rachel Nichols, "They whined and cried for a year and a half about how bad we were for the game, but more importantly, they said we were bad people."

"But all that whining they did, I didn't want to shake their hand. They were just whiners. They won the series. Give him credit: We got old, they got past us. But OK, move on. Thunder/Warriors would have had similar elements.

Draymond Green would have fit perfectly with the Bad Boy Pistons, kicking Steven Adams in the junk, made him not only "hated" in Oklahoma City, but also sparked furry in the average NBA fan. You had the glamour kids in Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson.

You were either going to love or hate Russell Westbrook, whether you picked Oklahoma City or Golden State, you were going to be emotionally invested for seven games. That's what always made the NBA great, the rivalries that took place every Summer, to fill our nights, and give us something to look forward to while we were working.

Durant robbed us of that, he won't regret it because there are two Finals MVP trophies on his mantle, but if he has an appreciation for this game, he'll realize how he could have been a part of something much bigger than himself.