Peachtree Hoops : Atlanta Hawks biggest rival is...

[ATLscrubLove]

http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2012/9/12/3320550/atlanta-hawks-biggest-nba-rival-is Well that's a pretty obvious answer, still a nice little article.

[Randy]

I think we did have one year not so long ago when we swept the season series against the Celtics, but to be a true rival (as opposed to a whipping boy) seems like you have to beat them regularly, not just once in a while and in the playoffs. And we haven't beat them in the playoffs since never or so.I'd say Orlando is a better rival since we've beat them and they've beat us (badly at times) in the playoffs.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Does Georgia Tech see Georgia as their most bitter rival?Does New Jersey/Brooklyn see the Knicks as their most bitter rival?Does Sacramento see the Lakers as their most bitter rival?How about Indiana? Do they see the Bulls as their most hated rival?The one thing all of those matchups have in common, is that they are grossly one-sided in the favor of the more well known and popular team. I doubt very seriously that Georgia wants to beat G Tech more than Florida, Tennessee, or Auburn. I doubt that Knick fans get more jacked up to play the Nets, more than they do to play the Celtics, Heat, or Bulls. The same goes for Lakers fans with Sacramento. Kings games for a short time meant something. But their fans still get up more for the Celtics, Suns, and Spurs.When you're a team without a true bitter rival in your area or division, fans hatred usually turn toward the team they simply dislike the most. And that answer is OBVIOUSLY Boston.A Tuesday night matchup vs Orlando isn't going to bring the fans out, because they hate the Magic so much. But let that game be vs Boston, and see how many fans show up and see how intense they are throughout the game.When Boston comes to town, there is very little "star-gazing" by our fan base. Nobody outside of hardcore Boston fans are cheering for Pierce, Garnett, and Rondo. Add the fact that Celtic fans in particular make themselves well known at our arena, and that just adds to the "hatred" of Boston.That kind of hate isn't felt toward Orlando or even Miami.

[PureGreatness]

Does Boston see us as their biggest rival HELL NO. Lakers and Miami are their biggest rival. Hawks vs Boston is completely one sided.. Their the team Hawks fan hate the most. Thats it.

[Randy]

You might be almost right. I hate Boston a lot, but not as much as the Lakers. I am starting to hate the Thunder a lot too. (In their case its probably just jelousy -since they are the kind of team we could have had.) But we only see the Lakers and Thunder once a year at most, so its easier to hate Boston more often. I want to figure out how to get a Zombie make up job like from The Walking Dead and come to a Boston game in Kevin Garnett's jersey.

[Bahamut]

We haven't accomplished enough to have a rival. Celtics make sense, but based on 1957 and 1958, not 2008.

[AHF]

Does Georgia Tech see Georgia as their most bitter rival? Does New Jersey/Brooklyn see the Knicks as their most bitter rival? Does Sacramento see the Lakers as their most bitter rival? How about Indiana? Do they see the Bulls as their most hated rival? The one thing all of those matchups have in common, is that they are grossly one-sided in the favor of the more well known and popular team. I doubt very seriously that Georgia wants to beat G Tech more than Florida, Tennessee, or Auburn. I doubt that Knick fans get more jacked up to play the Nets, more than they do to play the Celtics, Heat, or Bulls. The same goes for Lakers fans with Sacramento. Kings games for a short time meant something. But their fans still get up more for the Celtics, Suns, and Spurs. When you're a team without a true bitter rival in your area or division, fans hatred usually turn toward the team they simply dislike the most. And that answer is OBVIOUSLY Boston. A Tuesday night matchup vs Orlando isn't going to bring the fans out, because they hate the Magic so much. But let that game be vs Boston, and see how many fans show up and see how intense they are throughout the game. When Boston comes to town, there is very little "star-gazing" by our fan base. Nobody outside of hardcore Boston fans are cheering for Pierce, Garnett, and Rondo. Add the fact that Celtic fans in particular make themselves well known at our arena, and that just adds to the "hatred" of Boston. That kind of hate isn't felt toward Orlando or even Miami.

I don't know if I agree but this is a great argument for Boston.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I don't know if I agree but this is a great argument for Boston.

Think of it like this AHF. IF I remember correctly, you're a hardcore Kentucky basketball fan. Whom do you consider your "rival" in the SEC? Florida maybe? But for the rest of the conference, Kentucky is either their #1 or #2 rival. Even if Kentucky fans don't consider a game vs Vandy as a "rivalry game", you better believe that Vandy fans view that game as such. So do Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina. And it doesn't matter that UK has pretty much dominated those teams in the past 10 or so years.

[AHF]

Think of it like this AHF. IF I remember correctly, you're a hardcore Kentucky basketball fan. Whom do you consider your "rival" in the SEC? Florida maybe? But for the rest of the conference, Kentucky is either their #1 or #2 rival. Even if Kentucky fans don't consider a game vs Vandy as a "rivalry game", you better believe that Vandy fans view that game as such. So do Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina. And it doesn't matter that UK has pretty much dominated those teams in the past 10 or so years.

That doesn't help the argument, though, because I don't think of those as true rivalries. If they were, every team in the SEC would have UK as its rival but UK itself would have very few. Tennesee is probably the only historical rival - both due to proximity and to the football/basketball dynamic - but that is tepid at best. UF/Arkansas/etc. have been transient rivals (guys who come on the radar and fall off after they are no longer competitive). UK's biggest rivals for the fanbase are out of conference - the fans get most geared up for Indiana, Duke, and UNC. Indiana is the #1 rival which makes the decision to stop that series (at least for the moment) just galling to the fans.