Blake Griffin vs. Kevin Love: Could This Blossoming Rivalry Save the NBA?

Kevin Love and Blake Griffin are poster boys of the NBA rivalry. They are players with powerful skill sets, exciting personalities, buzz-worthy achievements and have great on-screen chemistry.

The classic NBA rivalry as we know it is dead.

There are no NBA match-ups that produce blood-thirsty, elbow-throwing rage among fans or players. Do any games have the same staying power as Red Sox-Yankees or Bears-Packers?

The Lakers vs. Celtics is the only rivalry in the NBA that has had staying power and it looks like it will go into a lull in the next few seasons. This list of NBA rivalries is dated. There are a lot of great match-ups in the league, but no games that evoke the special sense of history that comes with a rivalry. No one outside of Chicago and Detroit really cares when the Bulls face the Pistons anymore. 

The first player "rivalry" that comes to mind is Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James. Every time they play it's a good game, but these two have never met in a game where it really matters. When Kobe's Lakers played LeBron's Cavaliers on Christmas Day a few years ago, the Lakers star even said that, "There's nothing there."

Kobe already had three rings when LeBron entered the league and the two superstars have never met in the championship, so they are not like Bird and Magic who seemed to compete for rings every season.

It's also a different league than it was 20 years ago. Players are on AAU teams together. They compete on the Olympic teams together. And now, some of them will probably be playing in international leagues together.

That's why Kevin Love and Blake Griffin is the best rivalry in the game today. They are players with similar skill sets who entered the league at the same time and have great off-the-court chemistry. 

Both Love and Griffin had breakout seasons this past year. The "Griffin or Love" conversation was one of the hottest topics among sports broadcasters. You probably won't see the Clippers or the Wolves competing in the playoffs anytime soon, but their match-ups will continue to generate buzz. It may not be the most popular draw on TV-yet. But these two stars have big potential.

It's no secret that NBA players are buddy-buddy off the court. Love and Griffin just admit it. They've starred in some hilarious spots together.

Blake and Kevin will continue to dominate the "best power forward in the league" discussion and fans will continue to be entertained by them on and off the court.

Love vs. Griffin is not the classic NBA rivalry—it's the new NBA rivalry.