This topic contains 31 replies, has 22 voices, and was last updated by AvatarAvatar surve 14 years, 2 months ago.

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  • #38253
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    surve
    Participant

     Kobe stated recently that he had no true rival in his NBA career, and I never thought about it until he said it but he was right.  It is unfortunate that T-Mac was robbed of his prime years by injuries or he wouldve been Kobe’s chief rival.

    Coming into the NBA, it looked as if Lebron and Melo would be a major rivalry.  For a short period in the West, we had Deron Williams and Chris Paul.  Now, for the first time in a while we have a legitimate Center rivalry brewing with Howard and Bynum.

    What are some rivals you guys are anticipating?  Which ones do you see developing?

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  • #658485
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    PurpleMonkeyDishwasher
    Participant

    Tracy McGrady could never have been a rival of Kobe Bryant… he would’ve needed to be able to win in the playoffs to become a rival and he was never good enough to do it.

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  • #658490
    AvatarAvatar
    Critically Thinking
    Participant

     Blake vs. Love- hope to see love take over the all-star voting next year although it probably wont happen with Blakes highlights

    Westbrook vs. Rose- maybe see them matchup a few times in the finals

    Durant vs. LeBron- same as above^

    A team rivalry- Knicks vs. Heat– bring back the good ol’ days!

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  • #658487
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    Johnny Chill

    I look forward to this matchup. Sacramento still hates LA, Lakers or Clippers.

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  • #658497
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    Hadzialijagic
    Participant

    Pistons vs Everybody.

    Man do i want the pistons back to relevance.

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  • #658498
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    Hadzialijagic
    Participant

    Jabari Parker vs Shabbazz Muhammad might end up being really good.

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  • #658511
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    NYCrealdeal
    Participant

    start in the playoffs. so yeah bynum and howard might not like each other but i cant call them rivals right now. maybe if somehow both end up in the west or east and the battle each other in playoffs then they can be rivals.

    Love and Blake have the possibility to be rivals. Next year wen rubio comes back I think the twolves will become a playoff team. then maybe we can see them battle. it would be great to watch Blake the high flyer and nba cover boy vs love the hardworking skilled 4. total opposites.

    Melo vs Lebron has the potential to be epic in these up coming years. it might start this year in the first round and hopefully carry on in the up coming years in the later rounds of the playoffs. the heat knicks matchup also has the potential to create an amare and bosh rivalry but i dont think bosh is the type to start one.

    Durant vs Lebron if they meet in finals.
    Westbrook vs rose/wade if the meet in finals

    westbrook and paul is a matchup i want to see for the years to come in the playoffs.

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  • #658512
    AvatarAvatar
    Charlie Sheen
    Participant

    Griffin and Love will never be a rivalry…………Griffin sucks and Love doesn’t

    I wanna see Pacers and Bulls bring it back to the late 90’s as well as the Knicks and Heat 

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  • #658513
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    MKG_AllDay
    Participant

     I agree with hadzialijagic

    and also the Kentucky Big Men Anthony Davis and Nerlens Noel

    Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker

    Harrison Barnes and MKG

    PJ3 and Jared Sullinger

     

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  • #658514
    AvatarAvatar
    Critically Thinking
    Participant

     but if he could develop his offensive game a bit, (never gonna be as good of a perimeter shooter as love), his athleticism could be a great equalizer between the two

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  • #658516
    AvatarAvatar
    Ghost01
    Participant

     Durant vs Rose

    Best 2 under 25 guys in the league, both best players on teams that will be contending year in and year out. 

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  • #658518
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    I May Be Wrong
    Participant

     Bring back Goran "the Dragon" Dragic VS Sasha "the Machine" Vuchich! lol

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  • #658521
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    rickybobby
    Participant

     Tracy was very much Kobe rival before his injuries really limited him. I remember at one point around 03′ or a couple of his first years on Orlando everyone was wondering who was better him or Kobe. Iverson was and the conversation also.

    Future Rivals

     KD vs Love: They already had some great regular season matchup even though thaey dont play the same positon they are in the same conference and both teams look good for the future. Plus their is no other top sf to contend with Durant thats around the same age, Lebron and KD are 4-5 years apart and time is winding down because Rivaries should have a long history together with players in their prime at the same. Lebron is in the middle of his now, KD hasnt even gotten into his yet.

    Westbrook vs Rose: Both play similar styles, are the most athletic at their position, havent even sniffed  their prime yet, Both are proven winners, their demenors are completely different making a potential rivary better.

    Bynum vs Cousin: Two guys who havent realized how good they are. Both have anger, temper issues and sometimes pefer to take crazy jumpers(Cousin mid range, Bynum threes lol) than kill in the post. As Big and talented as they are this would make a great heavyweight rivary. 

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  • #658529
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    SeattleSuperChronics
    Participant

     Whoever said t-mac couldnt of rivialed Kobe is out of your mind. I like kobe, kobe is my favorite player but T-mac was COLD he had everything but his body fell apart on him. 

    Kobe’s he best because no one can rivial him. Paul Pierce know he’s not better than kobe, ray allen know he’s not better than kobe. KOBE KNOWS

    but as far as the best rivirally be between players that will be revlied in the playsoffs

    outcomes which could spark major rivirals

    Knicks vs Heat- 7 games and melo pulls it out that heazy pull up in lebrons eye

    Clippers vs Lakers- 7 games cp3 is dominant but comes down to a home town call. LAKERS WIN

    Finals:

    Thunder vs Heat-You tell me? KDvLBJ, Westbrooke,WADE all i got to say about that match up is LLLEEEEGOOO

    Bulls v Clipper- two best points in the game head to head

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  • #658536
    AvatarAvatar
    BleedingBlue
    Participant

     Austin Rivers vs Bradley Beal

     

    The two never played each other after that one game in their high school junior year. But they have almost identical size and similar skill sets and have been compared with each other countless times.

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  • #658540
    AvatarAvatar
    gone
    Participant

     Call me crazy but I see a Kyrie-Wall rivalry brewing in the next 2-3 years

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  • #658543
    AvatarAvatar
    tuck243
    Participant

    I thought T-Mac was better…  Whenever they played one another T-Mac used to play Kobe decent and always block his fadeaway shots…  T-Mac had defense when he wanted to play…  He locked up Dirk at one point in Houston…  But you missed EXACTLY what Kobe said…  He said he "OUTLASTED" them…  It was T-Mac, Vince, and A.I.  Which is something I do agree with…  

    Now???  

    KD vs. Bron can be something great…

    Melo vs. Bron is always a good match up (with Melo usually winning) but now the Knicks are just always injured this time of the year…

    D. Rose vs. CP3 is good basketball…

    D. Rose vs. Russell???  IDK yet…  Russ only been playing at a high level for 2 years… And I just don’t remember the 2 going at it…  I just remember D. Rose and Deng holding KD…

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  • #658549
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    TheArtistPaysthePrice
    Participant

    They seem to light a fire under each other every time the Cavs and Pistons play. They are from the same class, flip flopped being the no. 1 HS player of that class a couple times. They were the two point guards chosen in the same draft. All around natural rivalry.

    DWill and any point guard is a rivalry. He took that Linsanity stuff hard. He openly mentioned he was trying to out shine him in their second meeting this season. He took Kyrie getting some buckets on him personal too and tried to bully him earlier this season. 

    The Carmelo vs Lin rivalry will be a good one for years to come also.

    Cousins vs Blake (Woowoo^) is a good one, especially because Cousin’s doesn’t mind talking trash publicly. He tried to trip Blake like last week on purpose and it was obvious. Cheap shots are always good for rivalries.

    And TMac and Kobe had a budding rivalry. They had like two or three Christmas day games against each other. The NBA schedule makers accepted they had a rivalry which was interesting for a couple years. Especially the years where TMac was a excellent defender. One year he lit Kobe up and pointed out he guarded Kobe the whole game and Kobe wouldn’t check him. Of course it withered away but was revelant for a couple years.

     

     

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  • #658554
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    TheArtistPaysthePrice
    Participant

    one at some point also.

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  • #658564
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    Sharp Shooter
    Participant

     1. Detroit Pistons vs. Bulls

    2. Lakers vs Kings

    3.  Monroe vs. Cousins

    4.   Westbrook vs. Rose

     

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  • #658598
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    Nbanflguy
    Participant

    I think a Love-Griffin rivalry as well as a MIN-LAC rivarly is already begining. All the games have been awesome, chippy, physical, and close games. These teams dont like each other and Love and Griffin really started a personal rivalry this year to. Should be a fun next few years.

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  • #658604
    r377r377
    r377
    Participant

    Speaking of injuries it would have been great to have seen 100% healthy and in their prime:   Yao vs Bogut vs Oden

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  • #658625
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    baggin13
    Participant

    The obvious is Love Griffin.  This season, minus tonights game has been a great show.

    But how about Pek vs. Cousins.  I thought that would be a fresh one that hasn’t been posted. 

    And how about Jennings and Rubio.  The trash has been spoken from Jennings side before Rubio even entered the NBA.  I could see those two going at eachother during games.

    Teams..Pacers-Bulls and Thunder-Wolves

     

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  • #658633
    AvatarAvatar
    gone
    Participant

    Hold isn’t one of the main arguments the Kobe lovers use is that Michael never had the rivals that Kobe has?

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  • #658647
    AvatarAvatar
    Johnny Chill

    How about Curry vs Ellis?

    When the Warriors drafted Curry, Ellis said he couldnt play with Curry.

    Too bad that backcourt didnt work out. Ellis was one of my favorite Warriors, remember he was a second round draft pick straight out of high school. He isnt the best SG, and he isnt a PG, but he is a straight gamer and one of the most exciting players to watch.  Curry is so smooth and effecient, but always hurt with that ankle. 

    The ironic things is, Ellis doesnt hold any grudges against the Warriors for trading him and his first game as a Buck, they played the Warriors in Oakland, or course Curry didnt play, and the Bucks won.

    I’m looking forward to the Bucks vs Warriors game next season.

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  • #658711
    AvatarAvatar
    surve
    Participant

     when I say rivals, I really mean players at the same position who are constantly compared to each other, looked at as a threat to each other, or….questioned who is better between the two…or three…

    sometime it could be guys that always lead their teams against one another in the playoffs

    sometimes when talking about the top echelon players, it goes beyond position like Bird and Magic or Magic

    when I was growing up there was

    Jordan and Drexler

    Magic and Isiah (even though they were friends)

    Ewing and Olajuwon (college and pro)

    in the near future, I think in the East, Irving and Wall being rivals is inevitable

    CP3 and DWill have been rivals from the moment they were drafted and the question has always been, "who’s better"

    Curry vs Ellis is interesting, because I think the media will hype that up when they play

    Wizkid, as far as Kobe lovers….I dont know about that argument.  Kobe never really had any rivals, he said that himself.  his chief rival came recently in the form of Lebron, but that wasnt much of a rivalry because Kobe got those back to back titles while Lebron changed teams and then Kobe was eliminated early last year.  All those commercials with the dolls was pre-hype anticipating that they would meet in the finals…..which has failed to materialize.

    going forward, the biggest rivalry will have to be LBJ vs KD and Dwight vs Andrew (mainly to decide WHO is the best center)

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  • #658730
    AvatarAvatar
    M-Eazy
    Participant

    Melo vs Bron should be the top rivarly in the league honestly

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  • #658772
    AvatarAvatar
    surve
    Participant

     "Melo vs Bron should be the top rivarly in the league honestly"

    past tense…."shouldve been" 

    I think its clear now that LBJ vs KD is a bigger more logical rivalry because they are MVP candidates.  Melo is a tier below.

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    • #658805
      AvatarAvatar
      M-Eazy
      Participant

      Melo vs Bron can still become top rivalry with them both being on EC teams now and playing the same position.  I see the Knicks really competting next year for the top spot in the EC.  Everyone remembers the old Heat vs Knicks battles in the 90’s; it’s a perfect time to bring that back.

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  • #658808
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    ProudGrandpa
    Participant

    Lebron and Wade

    One less contender to worry about… 

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  • #658820
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    JoeWolf1

     I watch every Bulls v Heat matchup and love them.  Both teams play great defense and have exciting young stars.  I hope they meet again in the EC Finals, this season and continue to build that rivalry.

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  • #659202
    AvatarAvatar
    surve
    Participant

     yes, Joewolf.  the Bulls and the Heat are already beginning a nice rivalry.  for right now it seems as if one team will be fortunate enough to be a finalist, the other will have to be the gatekeeper.

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