Throughout more than 76 seasons, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has had many intense rivalries. This article lists some of the famous rivalries in the NBA. Rivalries are classified into three primary groups; intradivisional, interdivisional, and interconference.
Interconference rivalries comprise games between opponents in different conferences. A team plays each opponent from the other conference in one home game and one away game.
Intradivisional rivalries comprise games between opponents in the same division. Since the 2004–05 NBA season, there are 30 teams in six divisions of 5 teams each. Each team plays each division opponent 4 times during the regular season (twice at home, twice away) for a total of 16 games out of 82 total regular season games.
Interdivisional rivalries comprise games between opponents in different divisions but within the same conference. A team plays against each team from the other two divisions in its conference either three or four times. The total interdivisional games an NBA team plays is 36. Conference games are often important, as a team's record in common games, as well as its overall record against its conference, are sometimes used as tiebreakers for playoff seeding at the end of the regular season. Also, many regular season opponents have met again in the playoffs, and the result of a regular season game can affect where the playoff game will be played.
Interconference rivalries
Celtics–Lakers rivalry
Cavaliers–Warriors rivalry
Lakers–Pistons rivalry
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
76ers–Celtics rivalry
Celtics–Knicks rivalry
Knicks–Nets rivalry
Nets–Raptors rivalry
Central Division
Bulls–Cavaliers rivalry
Bulls–Pistons rivalry
Southeast Division
Heat–Magic rivalry
Interdivisional
Bulls–Knicks rivalry
Celtics–Heat rivalry
Celtics–Pistons rivalry
Heat–Knicks rivalry
Knicks–Pacers rivalry
Pacers–Heat rivalry
Western Conference
Pacific Division
Kings–Lakers rivalry
Kings–Warriors rivalry
Lakers–Clippers rivalry
Lakers–Suns rivalry
Lakers–Warriors rivalry
Southwest Division
Mavericks–Spurs rivalry
Rockets–Spurs rivalry
Northwest Division
SuperSonics–Trail Blazers rivalry (I-5 Rivalry)