It has been nine years since the City of Los Angeles celebrated an NBA Championship. At the conclusion of the 2009-10 season, Kobe Bryant and his Los Angeles Lakers culminated the season by winning their second straight championship. Bryant and company fell behind in the series 3-2 to the Boston Celtics. But the Lakers would go onto win game six and seven, with Bryant scoring 26 points in game six and 23 points in game seven. Since then, the Lakers have made the playoffs three times in the last nine years, with zero appearances in the Conference Finals.
For the better part of 26 years, the Lakers have been the number one team in Los Angeles. The pendulum began to swing to their rivals after the 2010-11 season. The Los Angeles Clippers came to Los Angeles during the 1984-85 season. Prior to 2011, the Clippers had four playoff appearances, but zero Pacific Division Championships. The 2011-12 season got off to a good start, with the trade of Chris Paul to join Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. In year one, the trio won 40 games and finished second in the division. The scale fully tipped the next two seasons for the Battle of Los Angeles. The Big 3 led the Clippers to back-to-back Pacific Division titles. The short success was evident, but the Clippers still lacked long-term success. Over the next 3 years, the Clippers did not win a division championship and advanced to the 2nd round once.
We have seen a lot of turnover with the LA teams the last 2 seasons. The Lakers signed the face of the league, LeBron James. Year one with James did not go as planned. The Lakers missed the playoffs altogether. The Lakers knew they needed to surround James with premier talent. They went out and traded for Anthony Davis. They also signed DeMarcus Cousins, Avery Bradley, and Danny Green in free agency. The combination of James leading and the Warriors having roster turnover, the Lakers could regain their throne on top of the NBA.
The Clippers might have something to say about that. They’re coming off a 48-34 season, finishing eighth in the Western Conference. The Clippers took two games from the Warriors in the first round but ended up losing to Golden State 4-2. Quite the accomplishment for a team with no Paul, Griffin, or Jordan. Even with the success of last season, the Clippers know they must stay with the times. In free agency, the Clippers signed the reigning NBA Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard and the free agent from Oklahoma City, Paul George. Adding these 2 to a lineup featuring Patrick Beverly, Maurice Harkless, and Montrezl Harrell might give the Lakers some problems. We also cannot forget about reigning 6th man of the year, Lou Williams. The additions of Leonard and George will return the Clippers to division and conference contenders.
The forecast for the Western Conference is going to be as competitive as it has been since the Warriors took over the last 5 years. The Warriors are without Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, which seems like they will take a step back. We also cannot forget about the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers. Conventional wisdom tells us those two teams will have similar success this season. The Thunder and Spurs might take a step back. The Utah Jazz might stand pat as a solid middle of the road playoff team too. Anything can happen in the Wild Wild West this year!
If the chips fall correctly, we could see an all LA Western Conference Finals in the Battle for Los Angeles. I would pay big money to sit in Staples Center and watch LeBron’s Lakers take on Kawhi’s Clippers for a spot in the NBA Finals. I cannot wait for the 2019-2020 NBA season to get underway. The parody we are expecting will do wonders for the NBA. The East and West are going to be as competitive as they have been in quite some time. To get an all LA Western Conference Finals, I will predict the Lakers to be a 3 seed and the Clippers to be a 5 seed. The Battle for Los Angeles to be continued. Stay tuned.
