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It’s hard for an NBA rivalry to stand the test of time. Superstars change teams, coaches get fired, and especially in the second apron era, it’s harder than ever to maintain roster continuity year-after-year.

The best rivalry in the NBA felt like the Golden State Warriors vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers for a while after the teams met in four straight NBA Finals matchups. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green remain with the Warriors, but at this point no one is circling that game on the calendar. Unlike in football, it feels like the NBA’s best rivalries change every few years, with a couple of notable exceptions.

Now that the 2026-27 NBA schedule has been released, here’s a look at the league’s best rivalries heading into the new season. For more coverage, read my list of the NBA’s most underrated offseason moves this summer, plus our take on the worst moves of the offseason.

10. New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat

Matchups on 2026-27 schedule: at New York on Nov. 27, at Miami on Dec. 12, at New York on Jan. 14

The Knicks and Heat played in the playoffs four straight years from 1997-2000, and produced an iconic moment when Jeff Van Gundy swung from Alonzo Mourning’s leg during a brawl. The rivalry renewed in the second round of the 2023 playoffs, with the No. 8 seed Heat winning in six games on their way to the NBA Finals. Pat Riley is still going strong in Miami at 81 years old, and he keeps the connection between these two franchises alive after coaching the Knicks for four seasons during their ‘90s heyday before bolting to the Heat. While I don’t expect Miami to push the reigning champion Knicks at the top of the East this season, the Heat do have a tendency to overachieve, and will have a chance to build a contender around Giannis Antetokounmpo in the coming years. Read our full history of the Knicks-Heat rivalry here.

9. Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors

Matchups on 2026-27 schedule: at Houston on Nov. 11, at Golden State on Dec. 30, at Houston on March 1, at Golden State on March 7

Just say “7-for-44” around an NBA fan, and they will immediately know you’re talking about the Rockets’ shooting performance in Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals against the Warriors. It was one of the most memorable playoff series in recent league history, and it’s just a shame Chris Paul couldn’t stay healthy the entire way through. The Rockets and Warriors also met in the playoffs in 2015, 2016, and 2019, then played a tough seven-game series in the first-round of the 2025 playoffs, with Golden State advancing. This rivalry is probably on its last legs these days with the Warriors declining around Curry and Green, but these games still seem to mean a little bit more to Houston, so it stays on the list.

8. Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Matchups on 2026-27 schedule: at Dallas on Feb. 28, at Los Angeles Lakers on March 21, at Los Angeles Lakers on April 6

Mavs fans might never get over the Luka Doncic trade, and it’s hard to blame them. Dallas rebounded about as well as possible by cashing in on long-shot odds to win the lottery for Cooper Flagg in the following draft, but until Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz build a sustainable contender, the biggest game on the schedule will be the ones against Luka’s Lakers. As Flagg enters his second season, he should have a chance to begin approaching Luka’s level of greatness in the coming years if he can live up to the hype.

7. Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat

Matchups on 2026-27 schedule: at Boston on Dec. 25, at Miami on March 27, at Boston on April 2

This has been the defining rivalry of the Eastern Conference for the 2020s. The teams played in the Eastern Conference Finals three times in this decade in 2020, 2022, and 2023, and faced off in the first round in 2024. The Heat and Celtics also played a legendary 2012 Eastern Conference Finals series that included one of LeBron’s best playoff performances ever with 45 points in Game 6. It was ultimately the last hurrah for the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce/Ray Allen version of the Celtics. This rivalry has some new juice this year before Boston came in second to Miami in the bidding for Giannis Antetokounmpo. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Boston and Miami play another first-round series again this year.

6. New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers

Matchups on 2026-27 schedule: at Indiana on Nov. 13, at New York on Nov. 22, at Indiana on April 11

Tyrese Haliburton hit an unbelievable buzzer-beater against the Knicks in Game 1 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, and then poured salt on the wound by immediately doing the Reggie Miller choking taunt. Miller’s dramatics — eight points in 8.9 seconds — during the 1995 conference semifinals will be replayed for as long as the NBA exists, and Haliburton brought it into the modern era by ripping New York’s heart out again. The fact that the Knicks immediately succeeded the Pacers as Eastern Conference champions and won the championship as soon as Haliburton went down with a torn Achilles only makes the stakes higher going into this year. All of these games are going to be must-see.

5. Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Matchups on 2026-27 schedule: at Los Angeles on Jan. 7, at Boston on Feb. 2

This is the biggest rivalry in NBA history, and I just can’t have it any lower than this even in what could be something of a down period. Even after these teams lost Jaylen Brown and LeBron James respectively to the 76ers over the offseason, I still had Boston at No. 6 overall and the Lakers at No. 7 overall in my updated power rankings. Both would qualify as dark horse contenders this season, and that’s not a bad place to be at in the parity era. These two teams have met a whopping 12 games in the NBA Finals. The league might be constantly changing, but the Lakers and Celtics always remain a focal point.

4. Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics

Matchups on 2026-27 schedule: at Philadelphia on Nov. 10, at Boston on Jan. 21, at Philadelphia on Feb. 7, at Boston on March 7

The Celtics and Sixers are both going to feel like they have so much to prove when they play each other this year. The Jaylen Brown trade was truly an event horizon for the NBA’s relationship with analytics, and it feels like nothing will be the same now that it’s complete. Brown will want to show Boston they made a mistake by choosing Jayson Tatum over him. Boston will want to prove its front office made the right move, and that this team never needed Brown to win big. Word on the street is that LeBron James hates the Celtics, and I’m sure the feeling is mutual. There’s not an NBA rivalry this year with better off-court storylines, and the on-court product should be pretty great, too.

3. Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

Matchups on 2026-27 schedule: at Denver on Dec. 28, at Minnesota on Dec. 31, at Minnesota on Jan. 27, at Denver on March 7

Nikola Jokic will be remembered as the best player of his generation, and it will be impossible to tell his story without mentioning the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Nuggets went through the Wolves in the first-round in 2023 as Jokic led the franchise to its first ever NBA championship, but since then Minnesota has kept Denver away from a second round. The Wolves shocked the Nuggets in the second round of the 2024 playoffs by erasing a 20-point deficit to end Denver’s back-to-back bid. After Minnesota upset the Nuggets in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, many are wondering whether Denver is done competing for championships around Jokic. The Wolves only got better over the offseason by landing LaMelo Ball, and Denver still has a lot up in the air as Peyton Watson continues to linger in restricted free agency. Lead executive Tim Connelly left Denver for Minnesota, and knew exactly how to beat his former team. It feels like these franchises are trending in opposite directions, but it’s never smart to completely count out Jokic.

2. New York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs

Matchups on 2026-27 schedule: at New York on Dec. 25, at San Antonio on March 7

Not every NBA Finals matchup would warrant inclusion in a list of the league’s best rivalries the following year, but Knicks-Spurs was special. From Victor Wembanyama growing into a villain to the Knicks’ ridiculous last second comebacks to New Yorkers jumping Spurs fans on the street, the 2026 Finals matchup feels like it’s going to be a gift that keeps on giving for the NBA. These teams don’t meet again until Christmas, but both matchups this season are going to be awesome theater, and there’s a real chance we have a repeat come June 2027.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs

Matchups on 2026-27 schedule: at San Antonio on Oct. 20, at OKC on Feb. 11, at OKC on March 14

It felt like the Thunder could be on the precipice of a dynasty until Victor Wembanyama rose to power a little quicker than anyone expected. The Spurs knocked off the Thunder in Game 7 of the 2026 Western Conference Finals, and in the process ignited a rivalry that should define the next decade in the NBA. The Thunder might believe they could have went back-to-back if Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell were healthy for the playoffs, and this season will put that theory to the test. Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander enter the season as the league’s leading MVP candidates, but it’s the rivalry between Wemby and Chet Holmgren always takes the spotlight in this matchup. Holmgren looked like a top-10 player in the world before Wembanyama ruined his confidence in the Western Conference Finals. Can Chet punch back? Will Wemby destroy his psyche forever? Just simulate to the 2027 Western Conference Finals right now. Any other matchup would be a massive upset.

NBA history spans 80 seasons, and as CelticsBlog readers well know, the Boston Celtics have won a league-high 18 championships. This month, we are recapping each of those title years.

“Boston is dead! Boston is dead !”

The winning streak ended in 1967. The eight-peat would not be extended. It seemed like the Philadelphia 76ers had emphatically ended the Boston dynasty – but in 1968 the Celtics would have something to say about that.

Red Auerbach had retired from coaching after the 1966 championship and was succeeded by Bill Russell, who took on the role of player-coach. That dual responsibility is unheard of today, but it wasn’t uncommon in the first three decades of the NBA. The league has seen 40 player-coaches, the last one being – fun fact – the Celtics’ Dave Cowens, who had a 27-41 record after coach Satch Sanders was fired a month into the 1978-79 season.

During 1966-67, Boston and Philly were two giants at the top. The Celtics posted a 60-21 record, which in most years would lead the league, but the 76ers set a league record at 68-13.

Boston beat New York 3-1 in the first-round best-of-five series, then faced Philly, which had surrounded Wilt Chamberlain with the best supporting cast of his career. The Celtics had won the season series, 5-4, but the inspired Sixers took a 3-0 lead in their playoff matchup. Celtics pride delivered a Game 4 win, but Game 5 in Philly let loose emotions that had been building for a decade. The Sixers ran wild, 140-116, and the crowd chanted “Boston is dead!”

John Havlicek’s response: “We’re only dead until October.”

The 1967-68 regular season

Coaching presented a learning curve for Bill Russell, especially as he had no assistant coach (no team did at that time). Fortunately, his roster was filled with veteran players who could help out while Russell was on the court (which he was for roughly 40 minutes per game). Besides all that, Russell was trying to fill the shoes of the most successful coach in basketball, and perhaps all of sports.

Now with one season under his belt, Russell looked to start winning again in 1967-68. There had been some roster changes.

• Russell’s longtime teammate, K.C. Jones, had retired – one of the few Celtics to do so without a ring. But K.C. did have the distinction of being the first player to win as many as eight titles without a loss (Havlicek and Sanders would eventually match that 8-0 mark).
• A still-new Celtic was Bailey Howell, a seven-year veteran acquired the year before for seven-footer Mel Counts. Howell was a 6-foot-7 forward who’d played with Detroit and Baltimore (now the Washington Wizards), a six-time All-Star, strong rebounder and dependable scorer who rarely missed a game. This turned out to be one of Auerbach’s best-ever deals.
• Another new man was Wayne “The Wall” Embry, also called “Wide Wayne” by radio announcer Johnny Most. Embry was a five-time All-Star in Cincinnati who could set a mean pick and was perfect for the backup center role. A third-round pick was all the Celtics gave up in the deal.

The roster was a good mix of young veterans and older guys. They started the season winning nine of their first 10 and finished 54-28 for second place in the East, eight games behind the Sixers.

Eastern playoffs

This was all that mattered this season: the chance to prove they weren’t done. Boston took on the Detroit Pistons in round one and managed to lose Game 3 at home, falling behind 2-1. Detroit was led by Dave Bing, who’d been Rookie of the Year in 1967, and now was the league scoring leader.

Coach Russell adjusted by moving John Havlicek from sixth man to the starting five, which helped Boston close out the series with three straight wins. Hondo scored 35 in Game 4 on the road, and the Celtics blew the game open with an 80-50 second-half margin. Bailey Howell had 30 points in Game 5 and Havlicek 31 in Game 6 to wrap it up.

Now for the Sixers, who were without injured starting forward Billy Cunningham. Game 1 was played the night after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. The teams were offered the opportunity to delay the series for a period of mourning. They decided to play the first game, then pause for five days. Understandably, their minds and hearts weren’t totally involved in Game 1, but Havlicek had 35 and Sam Jones 28 as Boston made a nine-point halftime lead stand up, 127-118.

Philly regrouped and won the next three games, two of them in Boston. Veteran guard Hal Greer led all scorers with 31 and 28 points in Games 3 and 4, respectively. The situation stoked fears that the Celtics were headed for a repeat of last year. Moreover, no NBA team had come back from a 3-1 deficit.

The Game 5 crowd at Philadelphia was ready to bury Boston again, but Sam Jones wasn’t giving up. His vintage 37-point performance kept the Celts alive, 122-104. Havlicek joined him with a near triple-double, 29/9/10. Boston pulled away in the second half after trailing by one at halftime. In Game 6, Greer was on fire with 40 points, but his teammate Chamberlain was not, shooting 6 of 21 from the field and 8 of 22 at the line. Havlicek, Howell and Jones combined for 70 points in Boston’s 114-106 win, and the series was 3-3.

Game 7 in Philly was close much of the way, with Boston protecting a small lead into the fourth quarter. Guard Wally Jones rallied the Sixers to within four, and later big forward Luke Jackson scored to put them ahead by two with eight minutes left. Havlicek led the Celtics on a 14-7 run over the next five minutes, restoring their lead at 93-88. The Sixers fought back to within three, but in the final seconds Russell blocked forward Chet Walker’s layup. Boston had pulled off the upset, 100-96, and the first-ever comeback from down 3-1.

Boston shot 47.6% from the floor in Game 7 while holding the Sixers to 35.2%. Jones led the Celtics with 22 points while Russell posted 12 points, 26 boards, 5 assists and, according to the Boston Globe game report, unofficially 10 blocks.

Russell said it was the most satisfying victory of his career. Satch Sanders revealed that the pick-and-roll play was the catalyst for the comeback from 3-1.

“We kept running it over and over, again and again…. and Philadelphia just couldn’t deal with it…It forced Wilt into a switching situation and he sort of refused. And when he did switch, he had problems with Sam or Havlicek.”

Chamberlain’s stats were mystifying: 14 points, 4 of 9 field goals, 6 of 15 free throws. He attempted just two shots in the second half. After averaging 24 points in the regular season, that lack of aggression plus missing nine free throws in a four-point loss just didn’t cut it.

In the end, the Celtics were the opposite of dead. They had risen and were heading back to the NBA Finals to meet the Los Angeles Lakers for the sixth time.

NBA Finals

The Celtics were worn down after the Sixers series, and the Lakers were rested, not having the drama in the West that the Cs had in the East. There was a risk of letdown for Boston, as well. Nevertheless, Boston won Game 1 on the parquet, 107-101. The Celtics had a 59-40 second half after trailing at halftime. Then the Lakers, as they always seemed to do in the Finals, regrouped and won Game 2. But the Celtics, as was their habit, won Game 3 in LA and went home tied 2-2.

Turning point

Most of the pivotal Game 5 looked good for the Celtics, who compiled a 30-18 margin in the third quarter and led by 14 with one quarter to go. However, LA rallied to tie, forcing overtime. With 56 seconds left in the OT, Havlicek hit a corner jumper for a two-point lead. Next, Elgin Baylor drove to the rim looking for the tying hoop and got a good look over Don Nelson, but Russell brought the help defense and swatted the shot away.

A Nelson free throw pushed the lead to three. LA was unable to score again and Boston had a 3-2 series lead.

It wasn’t over until…

The Celtics were determined to avoid a Game 7. They made that clear by winning the Game 6 first half, 70-50. The Lakers had no answer.

The heroes we needed

• Havlicek was now a full-fledged All-NBA star. He scored a massive 40 points in the closeout Game 6 and for the series led Boston in scoring (27.3) and assists (6.7) per game.
• Bailey Howell scored 30 in Game 6. He averaged 21.0 points during the series, second behind Havlicek.
• Don Nelson was the hero of Game 5, scoring 26 on 11 of 20 shooting with 12 rebounds and four assists in 43 minutes.

Notable facts and stats

• Russell became the first black coach to win a championship.
• Boston closed out all three series on the road.
• Reserve guard Tom Thacker won a ring this season with Boston. He already had won an NCAA title with the University of Cincinnati, and when he was on the 1968 ABA champion Indiana Pacers, he became he answer to a trivia question.
• Howell was acquired in a straight-up trade for Mel Counts, who was now the Lakers’ center.
• Nelson was signed by Boston after the Lakers had cut him three years before.

In summary

The Boston Celtics dynasty was revived and flourishing, with 10 banners. Bill Russell got the player-coach job done on both fronts, including playing and winning a Game 7 on the road for the first time. Celtics pride helped them persevere and win against enormous odds. And the Sixers, who a year ago some were calling the greatest team ever, learned how difficult it was to repeat.

Banner Years continues Monday with a review of the 1968-69 season and the road to winning Banner 11.

Russell Westbrook, we hardly knew ye.

No, seriously. Russell Westbrook played one season with the Houston Rockets. So why does he feel like such an integral part of their recent past?

There are likely a few reasons. Westbrook leaves a huge impression. It was also, at times (for reasons that were largely not his fault), painful to watch. Perhaps most importantly, his lone 2019-20 season as a Rocket was the final, dying gasp of the James Harden era.

But James Harden didn’t retire (as of this writing) yesterday. Russell Westbrook did. When The Beard’s time comes, expect me to publish a piece that largely amounts to “waaaaaaaa”.

My feelings on Westbrook are, probably much the same as a lot of readers, more complicated. My best friends know not to bring up the 2015-16 MVP race around me unless they’re in the mood for a diatribe. In what world is an extra rebound and a half more important than 10 wins? So if the Rockets had schemed for Harden to get rebounds just a bit more often, he averages the forever arbitrary triple-double and gets his MVP?

Ugh. Blarg, even. Let’s move on. For all of his flaws, Westbrook was a transcendent talent.

That’s the point here.

Westbrook was a force with the Rockets

Let it be said that the trade Daryl Morey made to acquire Westbrook could be the first case study in a textbook called “How to not Make an NBA Trade”.

That’s not Westbrook’s fault – that’s Morey’s fault. When he retires, I’ll write a piece about how he meticulously and brilliantly crafted one of the best teams in the NBA only to knock it over like a petulant child who’d grown tired of playing with a sand castle.

The most egregiously horrendous part of the deal was attaching draft capital to flip Chris Paul for Westbrook. The other issue was that Westbrook couldn’t play alongside Clint Capela, which led to the Rockets’ infamous micro-ball experiment.

When they drew the Lakers in the second round of the 2019-20 postseason, we all knew it was over, whether we were willing to admit it or not. It just made clear, intuitive sense. The Lakers started two guys who were 7’0″ tall. Beating them with zero players over 6’7″ was perhaps literally impossible.

Somewhere in the annals of The Dream Shake, I wrote a piece about how I wish the Rockets had, instead of blowing it up and trading Westbrook for John Wall, gone out and got Marc Gasol, or Dewayne Dedmon, or even Paul Millsap the following summer. The same iteration of the team with a stretch big could have made a real title run in 2020-21. What can you do?

We are now 461 words into this article, and precious little has been done to commemorate Russell Westbrook. Again, this is a player with a complicated legacy.

Overcomplicated, even.

February, 2020. Capela is gone, Robert Covington is in. P.J. Tucker is officially the shortest man to ever start at the 5 in the NBA. Westbrook averages 33.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 54.9% from the field.

We’re too smart in 2026, or at least too knowledgeable. There is always context. Westbrook had limitations that made winning games more difficult than his counting stats suggest.

Yet, there has to be some breaking point where raw statistical output outweighs everything. Westbrook spent his entire career breaking that point. Say what you want about his approach, playstyle, limitations – the man is averaging 30, 10, and 10.

The man was a human singularity. An iconoclast. He was going to do it his way:

And honestly, for the most part, it worked.

It wasn’t Westbrook’s fault that Tucker was 6’5″ (which, to be clear, is not Tucker’s fault either). It’s not even fair to say it’s his fault that he couldn’t shoot. If you’re questioning Westbrook’s work ethic, you’re asking the wrong questions. It is a skill that he tried and failed to hone.

It’s a curse that befalls all superstar zero-time NBA champions. Their legacy is relitigated into the ground. There will be many think pieces about why Westbrook couldn’t get over the hump.

Let’s not forget that getting over the hump requires extraordinary luck. Westbrook is an NBA Finalist. He went to the Conference Finals three times. That’s a lot of winning for a losing player.

Full disclosure: This is not one of my favorite players in NBA history. If anything, this is a man who, to no fault of his own, potentially damaged the career of one of my favorite players in NBA history. Still, we should all remember Westbrook for what he was: One of the most unique talents in NBA history.

It didn’t take more than a season of Rockets basketball to see that.