Lakers vs. Heat: Why NBA Should Hope Kobe Bryant-Dwyane Wade Rivalry Explodes

There will be plenty of eyes on Los Angeles and the Staples Center on Sunday when the Miami Heat head into Lakerland to take on the Lakers.

More importantly, Heat guard Dwyane Wade will be matching up with Lakers star Kobe Bryant.

After last Sunday's hard foul from Wade against Bryant that resulted in a broken nose and a concussion, many expect some form of retaliation on Wade from one of Bryant's teammates.

Considering the likes of Metta World Peace, Matt Barnes and Josh McRoberts are wearing Lakers uniforms, there's a real good chance of that happening.

One thing is for sure, though: The NBA needs it to happen.

In a league that lacks real rivalries, if the Wade-Bryant rivalry explodes on Sunday, it could be great for the NBA.

Heated rivalries are great for sports and the NBA doesn't really have any major ones.

In days past, certain players and teams hated each other. It made for great competition and great television.

But in current times, where every player is buddy-buddy on and off the court and everyone laughs and has fun with each other in between the lines, it's killed rivalries.

No one wants to see Bryant and Wade laughing and smiling on Sunday.

They want to see the two superstars try and tear each other apart. We want to see the two go at each other hard.

We want to see this rivalry explode.

Wade is going to get a real hard foul from someone in a Lakers uniform. Since Bryant routinely has his teammates' backs, you would think they would have his for once.

But that's just a small part of it.

A real rivalry isn't necessarily about hard fouls and trash talking, although that plays a part.

The real rivalry between the two is absolutely refusing to lose to the other. If it leads to hard fouls from both sides and blood being drawn, so be it.

We want to see the chippiness. We want to be on the edge of our seats waiting to see what happens next.

Quite simply, the rivalry needs to explode.

If not for the fans, then for the league in general. The NBA has nothing like it right now and desperately needs it.

Shaq and Kobe gave us the NBA's last real personal rivalry.

It's time Wade and Kobe to take it to the next level.