Here is a thread that was made in 04 after the Shaq trade: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=81472 Who do you consider your biggest rival now? Is it still the Spurs?
I picked the Spurs. You can make a case for a bunch of teams. The Jazz were tough to pass up since historically these two franchises have always hated each other plus they obviously eliminated us in the playoffs last year. Hell, you can even make a case for the Hornets given Rafer and Chris Paul's recent war of words.
Still the Mavs. As I see it, other teams are hated mostly because they are damn good, and our games with them are always competitive (or they own us). With the Mavs, it's a hatred for the players, the owner, the coach, the fans, the city, the announcer, the guy peddling cotton candy, etc. Everything about them rubs most of us the wrong way.
This was tough.i voted for the Mavs though I think now I should have voted for the Jazz. Our history w/ the Jazz(Malone's bearhug on Clyde and all the other ones in the mid to late 90's) and our recent history(game 7 loss last year) shows the real rivals. I hate that team and that is a team that is so easy to hate. Jerry Sloan may be a good coach but those guys play dirty.I hate them. But I hate the Mavs.i hate their recent success. I hate how we lost to them in the playoffs. I hate how everyone likes them and their style. I hate how Avery has come back to bite us after we owned them in the 90's.
i see it like this. that stockton shot in 97 still hurts. we only beat ourselves in the dallas series. who goes up 2-0 and then loses by 40? so i would say it's jazz, then mavs.
I ****ING HATE THE JAZZ. By extension I hate the Hawks and their Elgin Baylor-like GM for not picking up Deron Williams.
I don't see how the Lakers were ever our biggest rivalry, except for Shaq vs. Yao. Jazz are much more intense rivalry, and think one is brewing with NO. The Mavs rivalry is kind of waning...we haven't played in serious games with them in few seasons.
I HATE DALLAS. We have more history with the Jazz. We have beaten them, they have beaten us. It cooled down a little bit, but if we see them more in the playoffs, it could boil over. The fued with the Horneys could be really heated if we meet each other in the playoffs.
As long as the Mavs are a playoff team, it'll always be the Mavs. I hate Mavs fans more than any other fans and I hate Mark Cuban. The Jazz come a distant second - during the Stockton/Malone era they would've been far and away number 1, but they don't bother me that much. Although, Sloan is probably my number 1 most hated coach - no one teaches flopping like Jerry Sloan. After that, I've just always disliked the Lakers and the Heat - but they aren't really rivals in any sense. How can you really consider the Spurs rivals? Our recent Rockets haven't had any epic battles with them. Moreover, the Spurs are a classy team - Tim Duncan is amazing, yet humble - what more can you want in an NBA player?
I don't believe this is true. More like a made-up hatred for Utah on this board. The Rockets and Jazz have not "always hated each other"; I don't think that's accurate.
1. Jazz 2. Mavs 3. Lakers/Suns The Jazz will always be the Rockets chief rivals, but the Mavs are the team that I will always hate the most as long as Mark Cuban owns that team. Everything about the Mavs just rubs me off the wrong way. From their shady officiating on their home-court to their whiny owner to their players who seem to *always* own us (see Jason Terry). Hell, Dirk isn't my most hated Mavs player. Jason Terry, Josh Howard, and especially Jerry Stackhouse are more hated.
So are we talking about who we hate or who is considered the Rockets rival right now? I personally think its the Hornets right now. The games against them this season have been really physical, theres been altercations, people getting blocked and dunked on. High energy, very physical, Hornets are the new rivals.. for now. But I hate the Jazz and Mavs.
