Is Miami Heat Vs. Boston Celtics NBA's Biggest Rivalry?

Miguel Mike Medina | Aug 22, 2024

May 1, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) looks for a way around Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) during the first quarter of game five of the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports / Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

There are many great rivalries in basketball, but the two teams that continue to have hostility toward one another are the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.

Are the Celtics and Heat the biggest rivalry in the NBA today?

These franchises go back to 2010. You had the Celtics Big Three (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen) against the Heat Big Three (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh). When those teams met on the court, there was no love. The hatred grew to another level when Allen joined the Heat and a title in 2013.

Now, we have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on one side and Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo on the other. The rivalry still exists, and trash-talking is still intact.

The battles between the Celtics and Heat could’ve been more intense if the NBA still had the same rules from the 1980s or `90s when physical play was at an all-time high and hand-checking was allowed. But nowadays, no one is going to fight. Technical fouls, suspensions, and fines have dramatically increased over the years.

The Celtics and Heat have played each other in 136 regular-season games. The Celtics won 83, and the Heat won 53.

The Celtics and Heat are undoubtedly one of the best rivalries in the NBA, and it won’t fade anytime soon. Highly competitive players with basketball skills make this rivalry a must-see TV show, and we see that in both of them.

Miguel Mike Medina is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com

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