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The 30 greatest NBA team rivalries in league history

By Daniel Lubofsky

Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)
Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images) /
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LeBron James, Miami Heat, Paul George, Indiana Pacers
LeBron James, Miami Heat, Paul George, Indiana Pacers. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

19. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat

Upon acquiring both LeBron James and Chris Bosh to pair with Dwyane Wade, the Miami Heat were expected to run roughshod over the rest of the NBA. One team that constantly stood in their way was the Indiana Pacers, who may not have pulled off the upset, but certainly made the Heat sweat on more than one occasion.

Miami may have preferred a faster, 3-point centric style of play, but across three consecutive playoff matchups, the Pacers managed to slow down the tempo with a defense-first mentality. Those Indiana teams were reminiscent of those in the 1990s with swarming perimeter defense, alongside bruising physicality inside.

After Bosh had gone down in Game 1 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Pacers managed to seize control going up 2-1. The Heat were on the brink of a massive upset. It took all-time great performances from both Wade and James across multiple games to have them sneak past a young and hungry team on the rise.

The next season saw the stakes raised with a spot in the NBA Finals on the line. It was a back-and-forth war with neither team winning consecutive games. In averaging 19.4 points per game while going toe-to-toe with “The King”, it was a series that brought Paul George into the national spotlight as possibly the next great superstar and a threat to James’ legacy.

In claiming the No. 1 seed the following year, it looked as though the time for the Pacers was coming. Unfortunately, a late-season internal collapse compromised an overall fantastic season. Despite reaching the conference finals for a second straight season, they were once again taken out by a Heat team firing on all cylinders in pursuit of a third straight title.

The Heat were an established elite constructed in a matter of days across NBA free agency, while the Pacers were a slow-bred team built mostly through the NBA Draft constantly trying to earn its respect.

That Indiana team was the competitor that happened to resonate with fans as the underdog looking to take out the all-world conquerors of the NBA with a star many had hoped could seize the throne.