Chamberlain averaged 28.7 points and 28.7 rebounds in those games and Russell averaged 14.5 points and 23.7 rebounds. Russell’s teams fared far better. In that time period, he won nine championships to Wilt’s one.
Who was better? I will let you decide.
New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat
In the 1990s, no one could doubt the ill will these two teams had for each other. It involved the teams, the fans, and the front offices. Pat Riley left the Knicks under bad circumstances to coach the Heat, and all of a sudden, things got ugly.
These were two teams built on physical play and their regular-season games and playoff games were all heated. Charlie Ward would tangle with P.J. Brown, and one time it almost led to a bench-clearing brawl. Many Knicks were suspended for leaving the bench, dooming their playoff chances.
Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson got into a full fledged fight in a playoff game, and Jeff Van Gundy grabbed Mourning’s leg in an ill-fated attempt to break it up, getting dragged across the Garden floor in the process.
Over a four-year period, the NBA put these teams on national television every time they could, because of what might happen in the game.
For the most part, they were all low-scoring, physical affairs, with each point being precious—but that was really how the game is supposed to be played.
And then there was the shot. Allan Houston’s jumper with less than a second left eliminated the Heat in a playoff series and added more fuel to this fire.
What made this more interesting was that Jeff Van Gundy was a Riley disciple, and Riley’s top assistant at Miami was Stan Van Gundy, Jeff’s brother. The Knicks got the better of this rivalry over the years. Fierce is not a strong enough word to describe this matchup.
Honorable mention goes to Bulls vs. Pistons in the Jordan era.
Florida State Seminoles vs. Miami Hurricanes
There are so many intense rivalries in the college game that it is hard to highlight one, or just a few. One reason Miami and Florida State stands out is that over the years, their games affected the whole college football landscape. The games took on more meaning when Bobby Bowden took over Florida State in 1987.
Not only was (and still is) there a definite hatred between the two intrastate rivals, but losses to Miami have kept Florida State out of national championship games five times. Thirteen times in the last twenty years, these teams have met when both were ranked in the top ten.
This rivalry has been marked by missed kicks that always seem to go against the Seminoles. Even though both schools are down right now, the rivalry is still intense, and over the years there has been more at stake with this game than any other.
Army vs. Navy
We have to put the Army-Navy game on this list as well. When the men who protect us get together and play this game amidst the pageantry and the pre-game march onto the field, we all have to stand up and take notice. They are the most well trained and disciplined that we have, and in many ways this rivalry tops the list.
Honorable mention: Auburn vs. Alabama, U.S.C. vs. Notre Dame, Oklahoma vs. Texas, Georgia vs. Florida, Michigan vs. Ohio State.
Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees
Many feel that this is the most fierce and bitter rivalry in all of sports, and it doesn’t seem to be quieting down. Since the wild card was instituted, they have played in the American League Championship Series three times, with the Yankees winning twice.
They finished tied at the end of the regular season in 1978. and played a famous one-game playoff in Fenway won by the Yankees, 5-4. The big hit was a three-run homer by the light-hitting Bucky Dent. At one point that season, Boston had a fourteen-game lead on the Yankees.
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