The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks went toe to toe on Friday in the American Airlines Center and once again proved that these two teams have no love lost between them - They are the next great NBA rivalry.

Such a site is usually reserved for the playoffs — not a January regular-season outing. Such comes with the territory of the Oklahoma City Thunder's 134-114 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Kyrie Irving got brutally honest on the Mavericks' brewing rivalry with the Thunder after Friday night's game.

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It’ll be interesting to see which identity is able to better sustain success once the postseason is here. Throw in the possibility of a rematch in the NBA Finals, and how either team adjusts away from its identity could be the difference between winning it all or being disappointed by season’s end.

Only three more quarters stand between the Thunder and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Cavaliers 32-14. The Thunder entered the matchup having won three straight and they're just three quarters away from another.