Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and Boston Celtics forward Marcus Morris (13) argue during the third quarter in game four of the second round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center.
There are a million storylines throughout an NBA season, but for some reason it feels like the 2017-18 season blessed us with more petty ones that led to bubbling rivalries than we ever could have expected.
Whether we're talking about the Celtics and Sixers, an old school rivalry from decades ago that seemingly has been infused with new life thanks to their playoff series, or the whole Donovan Mitchell vs. Ben Simmons rookie debate and clapbacks, we can easily come up with a few newly formed rivalries that we're eager to watch percolate for years to come. Hopefully, we'll be talking about these feuds and bad blood when we're old and gray the way Knicks and Heat fans talk about their showdowns back in the 90s.
So without further ado, here are the four rivalries we can't wait to watch bubble over the next few seasons.
Ben Simmons vs. Donovan Mitchell
What's your definition of a rookie?
We'll leave that debate alone for now, but the two best rookies—as defined by the NBA—had fun taking shots at each other in the media and on the interwebs as the season came to a close. Some people think the Sixers ultra-talented point guard isn't really a rookie since he technically was in the league last year, therefore the high-flyer from the Jazz deserves recognition as the 2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year. Regardless of which side you're picking, you can't deny it wasn't fun hearing Simmons throw shade at Mitchell when he was asked who deserves to be ROY only to watch Mitchell clap back with this:
Donovan Mitchell’s hoodie though lmao 👀 pic.twitter.com/VFbeugz77i
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) April 10, 2018
One is a Nike guy. The other is about that Three Stripe life. So that kicks it up a notch. They only get to see each other twice a season, but can continue to comfortably lob shots verbally and via social media with almost no repercussions for years to come. They're both among the best players 21 and under and have long futures ahead of them. Let's hope whoever loses out on the ROY award takes it way too personally and never ceases to bring it up when asked about the other. We're here for the petty. — A.C.
Russell Westbrooky vs. The Haters
Russell Westbrook does what he wants. He had an entire ad campaign that drove the point home with the help of Lil Uzi Vert. With that attitude, Russ has developed a narrative among fans that's he's not easy to play with or isn't a good teammate. Kevin Durant leaving didn't help curb that. Victor Oladipo having a breakout year after leaving OKC didn't help either. Russ, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony getting bounced in the first round most definitely did not help. Because of all this and the fact that Russ is prone to hunting for triple doubles, Westbrook has become the anti-hero of the NBA. The opposite of a Steph Curry. He doesn't just have one rival. They're all his rival. He sets himself up to go against the powers that be. Does it always work? No, but Russ isn't going to stop anytime soon. — Z.F.
Celtics vs. Sixers
You may be thinking Sixers-Celtics isn’t exactly new. In fact, they’ve met more times in the playoffs than any two teams in NBA history. The rivalry dates all the way back to the days of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, so to call it new would be incorrect. But you can’t deny that it’s been revived now that the Sixers are back in the mix in the Eastern Conference with fresh blood carrying them to the top.
When you think of young teams in the NBA with superstar potential there’s only two teams that come to mind: the Sixers and the Celtics. On one side, the shit-talking Sixers love to live out the highs (and lows) of their season on the Internet from subtweets toInstagram captions. On the other, the young Celtics stars mostly keep it professional online and even refused to go in on the Sixers when they had every opportunity, after taking them out in the conference semifinals.
When you throw in the fact that they represent arguably two of most hated fan bases in the country it just makes the newly renewed rivalry that much sweeter. — M.H.
Joel Embiid vs. The Entire League
One of these days, Joel Embiid is going to troll the wrong person. He’s gonna troll a guy that doesn’t care about minutes and will force him to wear a mask for the rest of his playing days. But until that day comes, I’m looking forward to Embiid calling Hassan Whiteside a BBQ chicken after each time he drops 20 and 10 on his dome. Although, real talk, the trolling can also backfire like it did with Marcus Morris. Joel tried to get in his head and one half of the Morris twins had to remind him that the Sixers were down 3-0, all while his twin brother Markieff was sitting in the crowd with his brother’s jersey on. Both of them are from Philly too. Embiid escaped Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals with his life. Troll smarter, Joel! — A.D.