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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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