When we talk about NBA rivalries, we immediately imagine the bloodbath on the court between two teams who want to come out on top no matter what it takes. But in recent years, with star opposing players being friendly with one another, especially off the court, a lot of animosity and hatred has gone down.
Nonetheless, some opposing NBA teams still genuinely hate each other. They may not say it out loud, but everybody can definitely feel the intensity on the court.
In today’s list, we will select 5 NBA rivalries that are heating up and 5 that are dead.
Which NBA Rivalries will continue, and which ones are done?
Heating Up: Heat vs Celtics
Their star players won’t say it, but there’s something really hot down there whenever these NBA teams match up, especially on the court.
Their playoff matchup in the 2022-2023 season was definitely an entertaining one that was full of taunting and over-the-top mind games. Jimmy Butler hates Al Horford and that’s certainly a thing to watch in the very near future.
Cooled Down: Lakers vs Celtics
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One of the most storied NBA rivalries of all time, the Lakers and the Celtics don’t carry the same intensity against each other as before as both teams’ players are somewhat friendly whenever they meet on the court.
Maybe a finals matchup is the missing key to reignite this old NBA rivalry. Truth be told, if both NBA teams don’t see each other in the NBA Finals, then all of their historic battles will be forgotten by newer fans of the game.
Heating Up: Bucks vs Heat
Whenever these two teams meet, you can definitely expect the intensity of their matchup. With the Heat ousting the top-seeded Bucks in the 2023 playoffs, Giannis and his squad are definitely holding a grudge against Jimmy Butler and the Heat.
They won’t say it publicly, but when these teams are pitted against each other, expect the game to be extremely physical.
Cooled Down: Bulls vs Pacers
These old Eastern Conference rivals have toned down since Michael Jordan exited the Bulls in ‘98. There were some flashes of a potential re-ignition of their feud in recent years but with both NBA teams severely underachieving on the court in recent years, things never really got any traction.
If there isn’t much to fight for, then NBA rivalries like the Bulls and the Pacers will continue to stay dormant.
Heating Up: Mavs vs Clippers
With Luka going 0-2 vs the Clips in the playoffs(with a possible 3rd match-up soon), there’s certainly some beef going on here. Kawhi and the rest of the aging Clips aren’t going down without a battle.
Luka clearly knows that he needs to get over the hump in the playoffs, especially against his old tormentor, the Clippers. The Mavs star is out to prove that he has what it takes to finally put the Clips out of contention for good.
Cooled Down: Warriors vs Grizzlies
The rivalry between these two NBA teams was on at its peak last season but when Ja Morant missed a bulk of games due to a suspension and injuries, the feud was quickly doused with water.
But don’t fret as one probably misstep in the future and these two recent NBA rivalries will potentially get back on track sooner rather than later. If Morant plays at full strength again, expect this Grizz team to rub it again to the Warriors that they are ‘old.’
Heating Up: Suns vs Mavs
While both NBA teams will vehemently deny there’s a rivalry between them, we can’t deny the fact that a battle between Doncic and Booker, especially in the playoffs, can reignite the hatred that’s buried inside of the two stars. Suns fans generally hate Luka’s guts.
Or…they still hate their team for passing on the generational talent in the 2018 NBA draft? Choosing Ayton instead of Luka was a dud for the team as the former isn’t even a part of the team today.
Cooled Down: Thunder vs Warriors
This was such an intriguing NBA rivalry in the mid-2010s with all the star players surrounding both teams but when Kevin Durant bolted for the Warriors in 2016, it all just became a one-sided affair.
Imagine if KD stayed with OKC and did everything in his power to defeat Steph Curry and the Dubs? Fans were clearly robbed of potentially epic basketball games. Now, with the newer crop of stars in OKC, the old rivalry between the two teams just never got off the ground again.
Heating Up: Bucks vs Celtics
With both NBA teams wanting to add another championship trophy in their collection, things have started to heat up between the Bucks and the Celtics. Some members of each squad generally hate the guts of their rivals and that’s great news for fans of the league.
Giannis will undoubtedly do everything he can to decimate Boston. The same can be said for Tatum and Brown as they generally view that in order for them to reach the NBA Finals again, they have to go through Milwaukee.
Cooled Down: Lakers vs Warriors
There’s still some NBA rivalry left between these two teams but due to the fact that both of them aren’t contenders anymore, their friendly feud has been non-existent for the last couple of years.
LeBron James, Steph Curry and Draymond Green are buddies off the court, which further tainted the drama that the media painted against both NBA teams a few years ago. The hate isn’t visible but the competition is still there, albeit not as intense as it once was.
