For my money, true rivalries are born in the playoffs — you need to play games with something genuine on the line before you have some true animosity between fan bases. For example, while it’s gotten more interesting lately, I don’t think there is a great Lakers/Clippers rivalry in Los Angeles yet. Lakers/Celtics, Lakers/Spurs, those are rivalries. We need a hallway series in LA to get a real rivalry.
Out on the other coast, the Nets want very much to start a rivalry with the Knicks for the heart and soul of New York, they have been bold about it. They also have been bold this offseason acquiring Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, and those two are not afraid to talk — Pierce basically said the rivalry was on.
Raymond Felton shot back in Newsday.
The Knicks are still New York’s team and while the Nets have a fan base it would take a generation or more of good play to really start to make inroads in the city.
But this year, on the court, it’s going to be very interesting. I would love to see — and it is quite possible we will see — a Knicks/Nets first round series. Now that would be fun. And the start of a real rivalry, not just a PR war of words.