James played so well against the franchise that he earned the nickname "LeBronto.". We’ve already been over the best team rivalries. O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004. 2 seed in the East. He would’ve had more incentive to stay with Orlando and not go title hunting with the Lakers. We can’t help but think about what could have been if the two just cooperated with each other and played cohesively throughout their primes. Giannis’ ascendence and age (25) put him in a somewhat strange position, bridging eras. The next year, James' chasedown block and Kyrie Irving's three-pointer stopped the 73-win Warriors short of their ultimate goal. Johnson’s Spartans beat Bird and Indiana State in the National Championship game in 1979. They are both mythical creatures of incredible skill but aesthetically they have almost nothing in common. Though Tim Duncan really recently just admitted that he hates Garnett in a player profile done by Chris Ballard, you could’ve assumed that he did by the many head-slaps and back-and-fourths the two have had on the floor. The NBA is a player’s league and for as much structure as there is around team rivalries it is often the rivalries between individual players that drive the narrative. Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat – 2010-2013. These two were so competitive that sacrificing what they had together for an NBA title was nothing. Young and Doncic were traded for each other on draft night, a factoid that will keep them linked forever. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain were two beasts during the late ’50s and throughout the ’60s. Fast forward to the next season, and the defending champion Warriors weren’t slowing down. The NBA is a player’s league and for as much structure as there is around team rivalries it is often the rivalries between individual players that drive the narrative. Russell was reserved and calm while Chamberlain was a sight for all to behold. These two kissed on the court before the ’88 NBA Finals as a show of mutual respect between one another and did the same when they played in the ’89 Finals as well. Their rivalry was still alive, though. They lost to a team that was only a six seed, and that was as embarrassing as it could get back then. No one had ever seen any players like them so when they matched up against each other, it was obviously must-see stuff. What was the help of a kid that should still be in school going to do for him? Michael Jordan had finally ended the Piston’s dominance in the NBA, and began to build a dynasty of his own. In the NBA, he had the opportunity to do just that. All I know is that when they played each other, it was some of the best point guard play I ever saw. 5. The Celtics survived a seven-game series with Cleveland during the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals and a six-game set in the same round two years later. The league has a long history of player beefs coming to physical confrontation. This one has it all — two elite young All-Stars, at the same position, in the same conference. He’s the only guy I’m competing against.” That says a lot about the respect that Shaq has for Duncan. Shaq’s numbers got even better here. They were bounced out of the first round of the playoffs and obviously needed a new star to carry the load. The player trying to embarrass the unfortunate souls who were drafted right in front of them. Prior to the Golden State Warriors dynasty emerging in 2015, the road to the NBA Finals ran through San Antonio or Los Angeles.