LA Clippers In The Shadows: Where Even Blake Griffin Can't Top The Lakers

Team rivalries are great. You have Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. You've got the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. Rivalries are even better when they are in the same town, like Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs. But what about the L.A. Clippers and the L.A. Lakers? What do you make of that rivalry? The fan-base clearly goes to the Lakers, where they have A-listers like Chris Rock, David Beckham, and long-time fan Jack Nicholson following the team. But fan-spirit has got to go to the Clippers, especially to Clipper Darrell. They share the same stadium, so neither gets props there. The Lakers have a better dance team, according to their A-list audience. But when it comes to basketball, nothing can top the Lakers in L.A., no matter how much Griffin-ocity you have.

The L.A. Lakers may have one of the most storied NBA histories this side of the Mississippi. They have 17 championships in their franchise. They have been the home to players like Wilt Chamberlain, James Worthy, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, George Mikan and all-time NBA leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. They have retired seven numbers. They have one of the best banners in all of basketball. The L.A. Clippers have none of anything. They have no championships or retired numbers. Their history is the complete antithesis of the Lakers history. But there is more that shows that the Clippers can't top the Lakers.

We're gonna look at the top. The Lakers front office has somehow found a way to get superstars to play together. The Lakers front office somehow managed to keep Kobe Bryant despite his seemingly unwillingness to play for the Lakers. The Lakers somehow managed to get Pau Gasol with dropping talent-wise. They somehow got Phil Jackson to come back and coach. Let's look at what the Clippers front office have done. They drafted such superstars busts like Michael Olowokandi. They have wasted money signing players like Tim Thomas, Baron Davis, and injury-prone Elton Brand. But how about looking at what their owner Donald Sterling has done this year alone. Donald Sterling has verbally mocked their starting point guard Baron Davis.  He thought that March was African American Appreciation month. He was exposed to have rejected a $70,000 surgery to an assistant coach that would have saved his life. All-in-all, comparing the two is like comparing apples to rotten tomatoes.

Now the players of now. Comparing the players of the past would just be an embarrassment for the Clippers. The Clippers actually are more talented in a way. DeAndre Jordan is an athletic, but raw, center. Eric Gordon is almost as potent a scorer as Kobe Bryant. But the kicker is Blake Griffin. Blake Griffin is an athletic beast. He puts up astounding numbers for a rookie. He is a human highlight reel with rim-rocking dunks. Throw in the fact that the Clippers have beaten the Lakers, it looks like the future is good for the Clippers in L.A. But then reality sets in. Gordon will never be Kobe Bryant, no matter how good of a scorer Gordon is. Bryant has a cold-blooded demeanor when he needs it. He can create his own shot better than anyone in the league this side of LeBron James. Andrew Bynum is an established center when healthy. Pau Gasol played at MVP level basketbal early in the season. Lamar Odom can come off the bench at any time and shift the momentum of a game. Derek Fisher seems to be the best clutch scorer not named Robert Horry. But most importantly, the Lakers are winning. The Clippers aren't. No amount of talent can beat winning.

Are the Clippers doomed to be under the Lakers' shadow forever? Not exactly. They have a strong core in place and the Lakers are getting older. Eventually the Clippers may be king of L.A. But if they want it, they're gonna need something. They're gonna need rings. They're gonna need wins. And neither looks like their coming to the Clippers any time soon.