LOS ANGELES — As we wait for the answer to play as to if the Los Angeles Lakers will indeed sign Dwight Howard due to the ACL injury of DeMarcus Cousins, fans, media have a solid idea of what roster will be available for the 2019-20 season for both the Lakers and Clippers.
Which begs the question, with both teams being loaded, the Clippers keeping their core in tact and adding Paul George and Kawhi Leonard and the Lakers with Lebron James, adding Anthony Davis and keeping Kyle Kuzma — do we truly have a rivalry?
These two teams haven’t played a game collectively and already both teams have been penned to win an NBA championship this season. Los Angeles has traditionally been a Dodgers and Lakers town due to the rich traditions of championship and growing fandom. The Clippers once upon a time were a laughing stock, and usually they were considered the the city’s JV team. Fast forward six years ago, the Clippers became a fun team to watch when they were Lob City and had the likes of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
The Lakers post-Kobe Bryant hadn’t reached the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, and had their struggles. Even with the addition of Lebron James, and due to several injuries the Lakers went home early.
This off-season was huge for both teams, however when one thinks of a rivalry especially in sports, several come to mind. Yankees-Red Sox, Dodgers-Giants, Ohio State-Michigan, Texas-Oklahoma, but the Lakers-Clippers are just too young when it comes to sports to be considered a rivalry. Beyond the 16 championships the Lakers have won compared to the Clippers who have yet to win one championship, this is the first time both team have as competitive as we hop at the same time. So no, this is not a rivalry… yet.
Let’s all enjoy the moment, and get ready for a great season of basketball heaven in Los Angeles at Staples Center starting October 22 when the Clippers host the Lakers. One thing is for the sure, the fans, the NBA will probably have their best financial season in a while in the number two market.
