The 30 greatest NBA team rivalries in league history

28. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers

By 2014, the battle for California didn’t involve the purple and gold. Instead, it was the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers going back and forth, a rivalry that originated with one of the best first-round series of the decade.

Then, the Clippers were viewed as legitimate contenders for the NBA championship. That was ultimately their goal. Despite heading into the playoffs once again as the No. 6 seed, the Warriors were looking to take the next step forward following a surprising second-round appearance the previous year.

Despite the terrific on-court production, the series was pretty much overshadowed by the Donald Sterling saga that eventually led to his permanent banishment from the NBA. This unique circumstance added a new level of emotion on the Clippers’ side. It was easy to see given their reaction during some of the biggest moments.

The series went seven games, but even that doesn’t do its level of entertainment justice. Chris Paul still widely held the title as the best point guard in the game, while Stephen Curry continued to inch closer to that elusive crown with every 3-point bomb.

A similar battle was held between Blake Griffin and Draymond Green, the former an established perennial NBA All-Star and the latter a young upstart trying to find his place as a positionless big man. The Clippers managed to escape with a win, but it was only the beginning.

In the years that followed, the two teams would head in opposite directions — and sadly never again face off in the playoffs. Golden State developed into a dynasty, while Los Angeles fought hard to shake off the pretender-status that grew larger with each postseason failure.

Whatever shortcomings the Clippers may have had didn’t slow down their intensity against the Warriors, especially inside a Staples Center filled with more of Dub Nation than any home team should have to deal with.

Golden State had always had the swagger but eventually garnered the results to back it up, fueling an already bitter opponent that so desperately coveted what it already had: championship pedigree.