The 30 greatest NBA team rivalries in league history

30. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Brooklyn Nets vs. New York Knicks

When you think about what both the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets have accomplished on the court since the turn of the century, whatever bad-blood they may share as intercity rivals shouldn’t exist at all.

Despite the lack of championships from either side, Brooklyn — previously in New Jersey — has made 10 trips to the postseason, including consecutive NBA Finals outings in 2002 and 2003. The Knicks, meanwhile, have made just five playoff appearances, only one of which resulted in a second-round advancement.

The tension does not come from the players because there isn’t any argument to be made given New York’s incompetence. It’s fans of the Knicks who continue to stoke the fire, mocking a fanbase that always seems to live in the shadows.

Even upon moving to the more populated borough of Brooklyn, the Nets have never seemed to receive their proper dues as an organization. No matter what they accomplish or how much success they have, the focus of the local media has always been on the Knicks, a flagship franchise known around the globe.

This has, in turn, led to a rallying cry from Nets fans in search of their just dues as the more successful franchise of the two, despite whatever they may be lacking in stature. Knicks fans don’t seem to care, content instead to sit on a faulty throne with little substance to back up their claim to it.

The 2012-13 NBA season was perhaps the peak of this rivalry on the court. Of their four games played in what was the Nets’ inaugural run in Brooklyn, two were decided in the final seconds and one went into overtime — both won two apiece.

With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving now in Brooklyn, the Nets will assuredly be considered contenders for coming NBA championships. What that does to the balance of power in the Big Apple is certainly something to keep an eye on.