Rivalries are the essence of sports, and the NBA's got none of them. So says the reigning MVP, and still the leading candidate to retain the award - Lebron James of the Miami Heat.

What qualifies as a rivalry anyway? Lebron James has high standards. Speaking to the media before their game against new 'rivals' in the East, the Indiana Pacers, the King downplays the media hype: "I don't know why, but there is no [NBA] rivalry. You see someone year, year, year and year after year and you guys battle it out, that's when it becomes a rivalry." (quote from Yahoo NBA).

He continues to elaborate the definition with some examples: "It's just the truth. I've thought about it. There is(sic) no real rivalries. It's the truth. No rivalries. Cowboys-Redskins is a rivalry. Ohio State-Michigan is a rivalry. Duke-Carolina is a rivalry. Bears-Packers is a rivalry."

He has a point. In three Finals appearances, the Heat has played three different opponents (Dallas, OKC, San Antonio). Even in the Eastern Conference Finals, they have conquered three different opponents (Chicago, Boston, Indiana).

While there's a bit of swagger in his statement (as always the case with James), he has the facts to prove it. No team has had sustained success in the past three years as the Heat. The question, though, is whether it is good for the league to not have two teams rising above everybody else. The NBA had its biggest rise in the 80s, built primarily on the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, and the historic Magic Johnson-Larry Bird debate.

Even the media loves to play the rivalry card. They know it's effective. After one classic seven-game series, they already hyped the Heat-Pacers rivalry. The Pacers, being the upstarts led by Paul George, has often used the rivalry card to motivate themselves against powerful opponents.

It proved effective, as the Pacers won the first round of their match-up, 90-84. They relied on Roy Hibbert, someone the Heat doesn't have an answer for, who banged in 24 points.