Lakers vs. Clippers and the Best Rivalries in the NBA Right Now

There have always been some heated rivalries in the NBA between generations, and there is some bad blood brewing between some teams currently.

While some are more notable than others, there is no question that everybody involved in the respective rivalries doesn't harbor a lot of good feelings for the opposing party.

It adds an exciting element and intriguing subplot to the action every time the rivals are squaring off.

The league could use more battles between competitors.

Zaza Pachulia vs. Kevin Garnett

Some might not know about the distaste Kevin Garnett and Zaza Pachulia hold for one another, but it shouldn't come as much as a surprise.

Garnett set a hard screen on Pachulia a few years back, and the Atlanta veteran is one guy who isn't afraid to stand up to Garnett.

Although Garnett has gotten underneath the skin of his opposition previously, Pachulia took exception and the two haven't seen eye-to-eye in a while.

Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks

The NBA Finals matchup now stands at one to one after the Mavericks knocked off the Heat in the 2011 series.

If these two teams were to meet with the championship on the line once again in an upcoming campaign, it would be one of the most fascinating series we've seen in a while.

The best part about the two rosters is that they're constructed extremely differently.

Chris Paul vs. Rajon Rondo

These two were mentioned in a lot of trade rumors during the offseason in deals for one another, and it must've been interesting for both of those guys to hear.

Paul is a competitor with a near-psychotic work ethic, and he doesn't take losing as well as some others might.

Both players are matched up against one another when their respective teams go up against each other and that obviously contributes to the fire burning between the two.

Dwight Howard vs. Kendrick Perkins

A fair amount of Celtics fans miss Kendrick Perkins manning the paint, and it is because he never took anything from anybody at any moment.

He regularly challenged Dwight Howard in the paint, and his type of hard-nosed defense is what more centers should use against the Orlando big man.

It'll be interesting to see what happens as each big man's career progresses.

Lakers vs. Clippers

File this one under budding rivalry: The Lakers and Clippers will draw the attention of the national audience now that Chris Paul is in the picture.

The Clippers haven't had the same success the Lakers have had in the postseason, but it's clear that Los Angeles is no longer solely dominated by Kobe Bryant's team.

The Clippers have a lot of work to do in order to get into the same spotlight, but now the two teams are playing on the same stage.

Pacers vs. Bulls

The Pacers gave the Bulls a tough test in the 2011 postseason.

Now that Indiana has improved in a big way, the games between these two teams will be intense and closely monitored like they haven't been previously.

With both teams very much on the rise from where each had stood just a few years back, this is one rivalry that will have several chapters to log before it's all said and done.

Spurs vs. Mavericks

Texas might be a large state, but there is no question that the Spurs and Mavericks have been battling it out for supremacy in recent seasons (sorry, Rockets).

Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki are both absolute icons at the power forward position, and these two clubs always put on a good show when they take the court.

It'll have a very different feel when Duncan and Nowitzki hang 'em up for good, but the rivalry will remain.

Pau Gasol vs. Chris Paul

Chris Paul didn't like the way Pau Gasol touched the top of his head, and now we've got another budding rivalry to add to the list.

There were some words uttered before the entire fiasco that Gasol was soft, so it's not a surprise that Gasol wanted to have a "look at the scoreboard" moment.

When one considers that the two players were traded for one another until David Stern pulled the plug, it adds significant intrigue to the story.

Kobe Bryant vs. Raja Bell

These two guys just don't like one another.

This is not a new trend, and Bryant said that Bell can't stop him after dropping 40 points on the Jazz earlier this season.

It's almost comical to think that the two were almost teammates when the Lakers were pursuing Bell. That would have certainly made for some interesting practices.

Lakers vs. Celtics

This one won't ever get old.

The Paul Pierce wheelchair incident, the shellacking the Lakers took in 2008 when the Celtics won it all and the Game 7 victory for the Lakers when Boston couldn't get a rebound in 2010.

Now both teams are getting older, but the testament of time has withstood since the Bill Russell era and it's unlikely these clubs are friendly with each other at any point in the future.