Here in Israel we prefer to beat the other team from the same city over winning the championship. (We call it Derby) Example- Maccabi Tel-Aviv fans will be happier to beat Hapoel Tel-Aviv more then winning champ of Israel. This is true also across Europe. Do you have the same feelings in Texas towards Dallas or S.Antonio?
No. We want another banner. I could care less if they dominated us in the regular season, I want the chip.
Not exactly. I think winning the championship is always #1. However, beating the Spurs in 1995 to advance to the Finals was extra sweet.
It's always nice to beat them (especially Cuban) but they are just regular season games. Championship is ALWAYS the #1 priority.
The only time things like that matter are when a team is having a bad season and you look for moral victories. Championships are king around here. Besides, I know I and I imagine a lot of Rockets fans dislike the Jazz more than the other Texas teams based on history.
For the NBA the championship is more important. So many games are played in a season including at least 3 against a regional rival so individual games usually get lost in the wash of the whole season. There are a few exceptions though where something amazing happens against a rival that stands out. For example: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nfurCV1FDpM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Regional rivalries are much more important in football (American) where there are fewer games you only play your rival once a year in college and twice a year in the NFL. For example Auburn fans today are probably much more excited that they beat Alabama than they would be if they had won the NCAA championship but lost to Alabama.
Big time racism and or disagreement with other cultures and beliefs rather it be because of religious background or etc. and being so close to war zones may play a part in that over in your part of the world... Beating teams like San Antonio and Dallas is always fun but that's no where near the enjoyment we get out of winning a championship... It's just been so long that we've won one people forget how it feels...
Also on the subject of memorable victories over the Spurs. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PZ4KLsY84AE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Its cool to beat them but, its always much sweeter to beat them in a playoff series or win a championship. In the 1995 series vs San Antonio it was so awesome to eliminate them. David Robinson won the MVP over Hakeem so beating them then was even more sweet. That was before the Spurs won 4 championships of their own, so now the regular season games are ok to win but, it wont be as sweet until we get more championships than them. Winning a regular season game you can celebrate until you go to bed that day/night....having more rings than Dallas or San Antonio you can celebrate 24/7/365
Rivalries aren't that big in the NBA... or most professional sports here in the United States. I mean, you want to beat your rivals, but it isn't that passionate. College sports, however, have intense rivalries that you may be more familiar with. College rivalries are intense. Much more passionate and rowdy fans.
Inner city games can sometimes have the intensity of a play off game, but losing a play off game isn't a huge deal with you have 7 to play.
I'm from Israel, and I can tell you that with all the respect for the pride of winning a derby, for me and my friends the team success is much more important than a win in a local derby. I am willing to lose the derbi every year, if at the and of the day my team wins a championship. every rocket fun, will gladly accept a lose to the mavs or the spur,s if at the and of the season the rockets will win the MBA championship ( no one will remember or even will care about the losses in the end of the playoffs).
We much prefer to win a championship, a conference finals win, or a division title over beating a rival, and we do have long standing rivalries with several teams, San Antonio being just one of them. Of course, beating a team like the Spurs is sweeter than your "average" victory. Sweetest of all? That would be beating a team like the Spurs in the conference finals, if it played out that way. The Spurs, the Lakers, Dallas, Utah, Boston, the Knicks (Seattle back in the day, and OKC today has become a rivalry). An ardent Rockets fan relishes a win over those teams, and probably one or two I'm forgetting. A championship? Easily more important than anything.
In europe Sport has different impact on fans then the USA. I have been to some NBA/NFL games and it always felt like i am going to a broadway show or a concert. I always found it odd that the big screen is telling me what to shout (Like De-fence or Let's go xxxx) In Europe (and israel is no exceptional) You shout loud, you cry, you get anger and curse, you booo, some fans are throwing stones, some are just get into the dressing room and fighting with players. Crazy. And the Derby is above all. Else you can't walk in the street out of shame.
