In this week's Top 5, we're looking at the five greatest sporting rivalries.
It doesn't matter what sport you watch, there are always a couple of teams or countries that clash, and want nothing more than to beat their arch rival. It's these clashes that produce the greatest games to watch.
In this Top 5, we've gone with team/country rivalries rather than individual rivalries, which will be a whole different Top 5.
So, here we go:
5. Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers
This fierce rivalry dates back to the 1960s, when the Boston Celtics dominated the NBA, defeating the Lakers six times in eight years to claim the NBA Championship. The rivalry came to represent the working class Celtics, up against the Hollywood-lifestyle Lakers.
The rivalry really began to heat up in the 1980s when both sides were on top of the NBA pile, and the two sides renewed there battle for supremacy. What made the rivalry during the '80s even greater was the individual player rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. It helped to re-popularise the NBA, which, due to poor crowd numbers, was struggling financially at the time.
The rivalry between the two disappeared during the 1990s, when basketball was dominated by the Chicago Bulls, and one Michael Jordan. But in 2008, the world was reintroduced to the greatest rivalry in basketball history. The Celtics and Lakers met in the final for the first time in 21 years, with the Celtics clinching the series in Game six.
Could it be the rebirth of the famous rivalry? Only time will tell.
4. Australia vs England, The Ashes
The Ashes is one of the greatest rivalries in all of cricket. Since 1882, Australia and England have battled it out for the famous "Urn". The two sides have met in 64 Ashes series, usually consisting of five Test matches, with Australia winning 31 and England 28 (five series have been drawn).
Australia has dominated the Ashes over the past twenty years, with England's best result coming in 2005 when they defeated the heavily favoured Aussies, only to lose the following series 5-0. As far as rivalries go, the Ashes series is amongst the best, and some of the greatest moments in cricket history have come from this great competition.
3. Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees
This rivalry is one of the oldest in sports history, and is considered one of the greatest in American sports. The origins of this rivalry go back to 1920, when a young Babe Ruth was sold by Harry Frazee to the New York Yankees. This sparked the beginning of the Yankees' rise in baseball, the downfall of the Red Sox, and the famous "Curse of the Bambino".
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