Warriors vs. Pacers: A New Rivalry?

Feb 26 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert (55) knocks down Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

This year, the Warriors have really made some new enemies like the Clippers, a team the Warriors will likely see somewhere in these playoffs.

But how about another one? Did anyone really expect that the Warriors would make this much noise, in the regular season? This recent fight with the Pacers not only shows the Warriors’ hatred for them, but also shows that they aren’t afraid of them.

Yes, the Warriors were losing to the Pacers by 10 at that point, but many may argue that they would have rather seen the Warriors go out like that than go out silently without any noise made. When the Warriors play the Pacers again, these guys will remember: this isn’t something that NBA players forget.

If David Lee lashed out like that every time he was frustrated, he would probably be in the same position that Metta World Peace is in right now, but he’s not. Roy Hibbert must have said something to Lee that got him going. Of course, after that, Stephen Curry got into it with Hibbert, and Klay Thompson as well. While there’s no excuse for the players to fight like this, it keeps the fans entertained, and the Warriors are definitely going to attack the Pacers hard next time they play.

In a December game against the Pacers, Draymond Green and Tyler Hansbrough exchanged words. This prompted Hansbrough to tell David Lee that he wanted Green to meet him outside after the game, implying the obvious. In an interview, Draymond Green said that he couldn’t afford to pay the fine, so he figured it would be better to not go out there. Smart move.

If there has been more than one event in which the Warriors and the Pacers got into it, with the crowd getting into it as well, these two teams will likely become rivals. After this, Thomspon and Curry both drilled some deep three pointers which shut the crowd up. They seemed to have something going, but they ran out of time.

Future games will be like this because that’s what happens when you play a rival team. Something about their faces gets you going, and you get into that gear.

Just like when the Warriors play the Clippers: Curry goes off, and Lee goes head-to-head with Blake Griffin. I’m sure that now Curry has established himself as a superstar, he and Lee will have something to compete for together. This will be another fun rivalry.