Paul Pierce spotted a few pals seated courtside at Madison Square Garden and wanted to make nice. So on his way to the foul line, the Boston Celtics star stopped by to slap hands and say hey to Plaxico Burress, R.W. McQuarters and some other New York Giants.

Real friendly, real peaceful.

A minute later, Pierce went ballistic. His trash talking with Quentin Richardson of the Knicks escalated, and both of them were ejected.

"With the Super Bowl, with New York Yankees-Red Sox, that's just the way New York-Boston sports are," Pierce said. "For some reason when we play the Knicks, it's a heated game."

Oh, for the record: Pierce hopes the New England Patriots beat his buddies Sunday.

Be it on the field, court, diamond or ice, that's how it is between Beantown and the Big Apple.

Goes beyond Babe Ruth, Bucky Dent and Bill Buckner, too. Way past Spygate or when Bruins rabblerouser Mike Milbury climbed into the stands and banged a Rangers fan with his own shoe.

Think of Boston Pops vs. Metropolitan Opera. "Boston Legal" vs. "Law & Order." Boston cream pie vs. New York cheesecake. New England clam chowder vs. Manhattan clam chowder.

Culture or colleges, politicians or players, bring it on.

It's a long-running rivalry — say, Boston Marathon vs. New York City Marathon — that dates to the original Patriots and settlers. Maybe Paul Revere vs. Henry Hudson, right up to Mitt Romney vs. Rudy Giuliani.

Now, the biggest game in America. Super Bowl, super rivalry.

"In every sport, doesn't matter what it is — could be checkers or chess — they want to beat the heck out of each other,'' New York Islanders captain Bill Guerin said.

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Guerin, by the way, is from Wilbraham, Mass. "Of course, I'm pulling for the Pats," he said.

The Islanders played at Boston a few days ago and lost. Among the fans watching at the TD Banknorth Garden was Paul Redmond, wearing a Patriots shirt.

To Redmond, it's pretty simple.

"I think of classic good vs. evil, right vs. wrong," he said. "Any stereotype you could use when you pit two people or groups against each other."

Leave it to a Steinbrenner to be a bit more blunt.

"Let's face it, I don't like 'em, any more than they like us," New York Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner said, referring to the Red Sox.

"Of course, I'd like to see the Giants win because it's New York against Boston," he said. "But at the same time, I love Bill Belichick. I just think he's a genius. I hate to see the Patriots not get their just due because they've been dominant. Moreso than the Red Sox. Obviously moreso than the Red Sox. Boston's doing pretty well right now."

Belichick, formerly an assistant with the New York Jets and Giants, will be trying to coach the Patriots to their fourth NFL championship in seven seasons.