The battle of Los Angeles seems to have peaked now that both teams have elite basketball players like, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
The Lakers have King James who has won three NBA Championships and is a four-time NBA MVP. They also have Davis who is a six-time NBA All Star and Olympic Gold Medalist. The Clippers pose a serious threat as well with star players Leonard and George. Leonard is the reigning Finals MVP and has won two NBA Championships. PG on the other hand is a six-time NBA All Star and an Olympic Gold Medalist.
The Clippers vs. Lakers rivalry dates all the way back to 1984 when the Clippers moved from San Diego to L.A. The Lakers have made the city proud as they boast 16 NBA Championships. The Clippers are not only the underdogs because they came to Los Angeles second, but they’ve also only been to the playoffs nine times since their move. This doesn’t discourage Clippers’ guard Lou Williams though. Per Clippers Nation Williams voiced his opinion on the Clippers rivalry with the Lakers.
“Our mindsets, our personalities are perfect for it. We like being the underdogs. You wanna hit us with the ’16 rings?’ That’s Cool. We workin on ours though. We embrace it.”
Lou Williams and the Clippers look forward to battling it out with their rivals! #ClipperNation
Lakers vs. Clippers
GettyKawhi Leonard, Clippers; Dwight Howard, Lakers
The city of Los Angeles bleeds purple and gold. It is only obvious that the city favors the Los Angeles Lakers as they have won a staggering 16 NBA Championships. They’ve also been the home to many NBA greats like, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, etc.
The Clippers don’t have much to show for as they have only appeared in the playoffs nine times since their move in 1984 and have never advanced past the second round. But, the Clippers have picked it up quite a bit and recently have posed a legitimate threat to their rival team. In 2012-13 they won the season series against the Lakers and between 2011-2017 the team made it to the playoffs for six seasons straights.
Now that the Clippers acquired PG-13 via trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder and The Klaw who was in free agency, the team is favored by many to take it all. PG-13 echoed Williams’ comments in an ad he did with AT&T and even made the bold claim that the Clippers are the best team in L.A.
As of now the Lakers boast a 12-2 record, the league’s best and the Clippers post a 10-5 record.
Lou Williams
Getty ImagesLou Williams, number 23 for the Los Angeles Clippers, playing against rival team Los Angeles Lakers.
Lou Williams has won 6th man of the year subsequently in 2015, 2018 and 2019. Williams signed with the Los Angeles Clippers In 2017 and according to Broderick Turner with The Los Angeles Times, the team signed a three-year extension with the franchise’s top-notch reserve player in 2018. Williams who was drafted to the NBA straight out of high school in 2005 has played for teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers. Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, and The Los Angeles Clippers.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound guard may be a sixth man but he is definitely a force when he takes the court as he holds the NBA record for the most points scored off the bench. In a 140-115-victory over the Celtics on March 11, 2019, Williams ended the night with 34 points surpassing Dell Curry’s record (11,147 points) for the most scored buckets as a bench player. So far this season, Williams is averaging 22.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.
Tonight, the Lakers are scheduled to play against the Oklahoma City Thunder at 5 p.m. while the Clippers host the Houston Rockets at 7:30 p.m.
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Lou Williams Embraces ‘Being the Underdog’ in Clippers-Lakers Rivalry