The Clippers are in the Western Conference Finals for the first time ever.
The Lakers have 17 championships, tied with the Celtics for most ever in the league.
The city of Los Angeles is very much pro Lakers. BUT the Clippers are not hated, just smirked at. They’re like the Android of LA. The working class Lakers.
The Clippers have beat the Lakers consistently in the regular season since 2012, almost ten years ago, including giving them the worst defeat ever recorded by the Lakers (Clippers won by 48 pts).
The Lakers won a title in the bubble last year, but got their ass whooped in the first round this year.
The Clippers lost a 3-1 lead in the playoffs last year but just overcame two series down 0-2, which had never been done before in NBA history (and did it with so much resilience, it was beautiful).
The Lakers built their team from the top down: get some superstars, and the rest will follow.
The Clippers built their team from bottom up: what is needed for a championship? Get those folks.
The top down style fails to create a synchronized team with poise. It might be good for regular season, but the playoffs are something else. The bottom up approach might look a bit disappointing at first, but it turns out that it created a versatile, strong team able to pull miracles with the Clippers.
LA folks celebrated last night. I’m Harold, I shoot the ball every day and I’m happy to have two teams of basketball in this city. Let’s GET IT.