Top 5 NBA Personal Rivalries
Who isn’t the Diesel beefing with?Think of every story line going into this NBA season that has you excited. It’s easy to spout off twenty things, ranging from Kevin Garnett setting foot onto a court for the first time as a champion, to a super-charged version of Dwyane Wade, to the Clippers running to the playoffs as a eight-seed. But of all the reasons to be stoked about the ‘08-09 campaign, nothing has me more excited than the bad blood brewing around the League.
* On Saturday, Mo Williams was chucked from a preaseason game after a sequence that started when Andre Miller plowed over him in the lane, and tossed the ball at him for an exclamation point. ‘Dre fouled Mo pretty hard on the ensuing trip down the floor, which led Williams to get another tech for jawing at the Sixers’ PG.
“Would I say I put it behind me? No,” Williams said. “But am I going to play basketball and never hurt my team again? Yes.”
The Cavs and Sixers will play again tonight - we’ll see whether the coaches make a concerted effort to keep these guys away from each other. But they will inevitably spend 25-plus minutes guarding each other four times throughout the regular season.
* On a recent ESPN interview, Shaq admitted that he called Kobe up and apologized for the infamous New York nightclub diss, and they’re cool again. But even if Kobe forgave the Diesel, he didn’t forget the message behind that rap. There’s no dobut that these guys will both be in top form when the Lakers and Suns meet.
* That’s not Shaq’s only beef. He’s also got a problem with Captain Ahab (b.k.a. Gregg Popovich) for his “illegitimate” Hack-a-Shaq tactics. But he didn’t just say that it was bush league. Shaq dropped the “coward” bomb. In baseball, someone would get a fastball in their ear hole over this.
* What’s the sequel to the LeBron/DeShawn feud? LeBron looked like a boiling tea pot for the entirety of the Wizards/Cavs series, just swallowing his pride every time Brandon Haywood knocked him to the floor. It’s only a matter of time before LBJ totally silences this issue with a 40-plus point explosion on DeShawn.
* Richard Jefferson and Gilbert Arenas have gone back and forth as to which one is the best former Wildcat in the League right now, which one is a bigger philanthropist, and like ten other pissing contests. Now that RJ is at least a half-step closer towards having his “own” franchise (sorry, Michael Redd) he’ll have extra incentive to prove Gilbert wrong.
Which personal rivalry will flare up in ‘08-09?
Source: Cleveland.com
October 21st, 2008 at 5:04 pm
aj says:
E-City vs Boom Dizzle
October 21st, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Rico says:
D-Will vs CP3 rivalry is off the chain. D-will is gonna blow a socket and clock CP3 sometime this season cause he aint gonna make the allstar game again. CP3 for prez!
October 21st, 2008 at 5:08 pm
jayslay says:
lookin foward to kobe vs shaq
October 21st, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Sweet English says:
Jay-z Vs Solja Boy *snigger* (Great comeback Deshawn, Lebron brings in the forefather of modern black music to his corner, and you bring in the guy who was a few youtube views away from single handedly destroying it.)
Nate Robinson Vs Yao (Yao needs to break Nates ankles to get one over the lil guy.)
PISTONS VS PACERS BABY YEAAAAAHH!!! FIIIGGGHHHT!!!!
Bruce Bowen Vs Every guard in the L.
Heres to hoping that Melo gets clocked in the nose by someone who then runs like Usain Bolt to the changing rooms like a bitch.
October 21st, 2008 at 5:13 pm
rangerjohn says:
how about david west and dirk? dirk needs a little more of wests fingers in his face lmao
October 21st, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Smitty313 says:
Kobe VS Lebron. They don’t actually have any real beef. But it seemed like just when everyone was about to say Lebron is with out a doubt the best NBA player, Kobe comes along and takes back his thunder. MVP, Gold Medal 4th quater, NBA Finals.
October 21st, 2008 at 5:41 pm
The Real Deal says:
Artest against the Jazz. There are already bad blood brewing between the Rockets and the Jazz, now add Artest into the mix.
October 21st, 2008 at 5:48 pm
isotope says:
What happened to:
Kobe vs Ray Allen
Kobe vs Raja Bell
Kobe vs Ruben Patterson (lol)
October 21st, 2008 at 5:58 pm
JarrJohnson says:
Camby vs. Nuggets brain trust.
Camby will have a monster game (20 boards, 10 blocks)and then proceed to pull a Sprewell/Artest hybrid by sprinting into the stands and choking the ‘ish out of Rex Chapman and Mark Warkentien.
Wishfull thinking….
October 21st, 2008 at 6:01 pm
jayslay says:
i forgot about chris paul and rafer alston…remember rafer said david west wasnt a allstar and cp3 said skip was riding tmac coattails…that was funny cant wait for them to play this year
October 21st, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Ginobli vs. his baldspot
October 21st, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Flip says:
How about Dwayne vs. Dirk?? That one flared up quite a few times already…
October 21st, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Dagomar says:
“It’s only a matter of time before LBJ totally silences this issue with a 40-plus point explosion on DeShawn.”
Pretty sure he bitch-slapped him all over the first round.
Kobe VS Lebron is probably as good a rivalry as we have right now because these guys are the two best in the league. They don’t have any bad blood, but both want to be the best and it shows when they play. And when Lebron comes out on top, you can tell Kobe’s even more pissed than he usually is.
October 21st, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Luigi says:
Gilbert and Wade. or maybe Deshawn wont bitch at LeBron anymore an bitch at someone worse than him. like Dwayne Wade. ah…Deshawn can be very stupid at times
[Im not calling Dwayne Wade Bad..im just sayin LeBrons better but very slightly.]
but Rivalry that should blow up is…Rasheed vs Kwame.
October 21st, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Jah says:
Kevin Garnett vs. Tim Duncan.
For years, T.D. simply had the better team and the rivalry was really a non-issue. Now, things are different. I can’t wait to see these two go at it this season.
PG - Rajon Rondo
SG - Ray Allen
SF - Paul Pierce
PF - Kevin Garnett
C - Kendrick Perkins
-vs-
PG - Tony Parker
SG - Manu Ginobli
SF - Bruce Bowen
PF - Tim Duncan
C - Francisco Oberto
I’m rooting for the C’s.
October 21st, 2008 at 9:44 pm
bill says:
is gilbert and RJ a beef? i thought they were friends and all that stuff was done in jest
October 21st, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Don Mega says:
TJ FORD vs. HEALTHY NECKS
October 21st, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Celts Fan says:
Eddy Curry vs. The Dollar Menu
October 21st, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Bron42 AkA Your Moms Best Friend says:
yao vs anyone over 5′5 attackin the rim
October 21st, 2008 at 11:43 pm
ju ju says:
October 21st, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Celts Fan says:
Eddy Curry vs. The Dollar Menu
HAHAHAHAHAHAH!
maybe it was nothing in the pre-season…t-mac and bill walker…..t-mac and eddie house? (both sissies)
orlando vs. detroit come playoffs?
“true thugs never life”
ju ju
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:44 am
shaneloudesean says:
CP3 v. D. Will…and by the way, D Will would own him 1 on 1 (oh wait, he does in the reg. season doesn’t he)
October 22nd, 2008 at 3:42 am
AB_40 says:
Oden vs. Bynum they gotta figure out who’s shaq and who’s sabonis in the next portland vs lal center battle
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:02 am
tash says:
lebron vs deshawn
tmac and yao vs that overly cocky rookie bill walker
cp3 vs alston
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:00 am
Kudabeen says:
LMAO @ post 18…
I like that Bynum v. Oden pick for a possible rivalry…
I also like the Knicks v Nuggets… The games will be high scoring and though you may not see a fight they will want to go at each other…
Don’t sleep on the Orlando v Detroit games. Only time I’ve seen Dwight about to raise up on someone was against Antonio and Maxiell when they were getting low on him saying his legs are a weakness.
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:29 am
MSkittle says:
Did you guys see Marbury vs. Eddie House last night?
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:36 am
Jei says:
Jason Kidd vs. Ason Kidd
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:00 am
jeremy says:
whiny lebron vs. crybaby lebron
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:16 am
QQ says:
You know what people would like to see? Lebron totally DESTROYING DeShawn and the Wiz, dunking on him every single trip down, jawing, flexing his muscles, just DESTROYING their heart out, etc. I’m just tired of ‘quiet’ Lebron not doing anything. Even though he’s a douchebag, Stevenson has the balls to spit poison to a superstar and not back off. On the other hand, Lebron is content on letting Jay Z do the dirt. I don’t think it’s ’swallowing my pride’; it’s more like ‘being scared they might fucking beat me’.
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:29 am
BxBaller says:
I see you MSkittle, I second Marbury vs House. Steph called Eddie a bum.
House is a bitch for real. I remember when Iverson was going to fuck him a while back.
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:36 pm
jay says:
lbron and deshawn..should be fun…i like bron-bron punking on that bench scrub….deshawn should learn to keep his trap shut!!! kinda like starks stirring up ish with mj. starks was good but nowhere near mj..he could not even hold pippen’s bags!
October 22nd, 2008 at 3:00 pm
johnsacrimoni says:
CP3 vs. D-Will isn’t a personal rivalry because the two are close friends. It’s a good on-court rivalry though.
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:36 pm
ju ju says:
deshawn is way too cocky for his own good…that bitchass got his jersey number tatood on his back….like cmon, that cunt isn’t even close to being a star! chances are the wiz will let him go and some other team like memphis or charlotte will sign him and give him a diffrent number.
I say biggest team rivalries coming out from last season:
Boston-Lakers (no shit right?)
Boston- Orlando ( Big 3 vs. Tall 3)
Detroit-Orlando (early playoff exit for orlando)
Cavs- Wiz (LBJ- DeShit)
Cavs- Boston?? (a wild game 7 exit for the king)
Lakers- Phoenix (not as intense, but Bynum Vs. Shaq, instead of Amare)
Dallas- Spurs (Texas showdown)
Spurs- Suns (senior citizen showdown)
and definitely, definitely DEFINITELY…
Charlotte Vs. Thunder ( in terms of ass-spankings)
yuh yuh
“True Thugs Never Lie.”
Ju ju