Growing up in Los Angeles, the mainstream sports teams are the LA Lakers and the LA Dodgers. With multiple championship wins, these teams have been loyal to the city and are deeply rooted into the culture. Although the Lakers have 17 championships, I believe that the underdog city rivals, the LA Clippers, are better. Their roster has more depth, they have a better defensive end since they have the two best two-way players in the league, and they are consistent in heading to the playoffs each year.
As the 2022-2023 season got started, the Clippers were on track to be NBA Champion contenders with their new addition of John Wall and similar players from last year’s team. With the majority of last year’s Clippers’ starting five players having to share minutes sitting on the bench, it clearly shows the depth of the roster, meaning that players who are benched can also perform to the higher level as the starters or main players.
Led by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George who are two-time NBA champions and seven-time all-stars, the dynamic duo is striving for the franchise’s first ever championship. In the 2021-2022 season, Paul George suffered an elbow injury and Kawhi tore his ACL which resulted in the duo having to sit out for the rest of the season as reported by Bleacher Report.
Although the two superstars were injured, the Clippers managed to have a season record of 42-40. Slightly missing the last playoff spot. This shows the Clippers strength without their superstars, and when they do comeback, they will be even stronger, again showing the depth of the team. While they lost two superstars for the majority of the season, the Lakers had a record of 33-49 showing their weakness even with multiple superstars playing at full force.
Another reason why the Clippers are better than the Lakers is because of the defensive end of the Clippers. The Clippers dynamic duo are two of the best two-way players, meaning that their defense is just as strong as their offense. Kawhi Leonard has grown over this period into a defensive force who stands at 6-foot-7 with a wingspan of 7-foot-3 and enormous 9.8-inch hands. He soon moved up the league’s list of the best defenders because of these metrics and his excellent defensive instinct. Defensively, George and Kawhi are in sync. Because of their rapid ability to recover, they can play close on the perimeter without worrying about being beaten off the dribble. They can also predict thefts, offer assistance, cover in the open floor, and defend.
Due to the use of a 2-3 zone trap defense, the Clippers are able to lead to the other team turning the ball over. With Kawhi’s wingspan, he is easily able to deflect passes allowing the Clippers to go on fast break. Another reason why the Clipper’s defense is so dominant is because of their ability to play man to man defense. Even if the ball handler is able to get past its defender, the man-to-man defense allows defenders to switch off their man and defend all positions.
Lastly the Clippers are persistent in making it to the playoffs almost every year since 2011. Only missing the playoffs two years since 2012 shows the diligence of the team striving to be one step better each year. In comparison, the Lakers had a playoff drought, not making it to a playoff from the 2012 to the 2018 season.
Not only does the persistence of the Clippers exhibits why the Clippers are better than the Lakers, but their better defensive end and roster depth give alternative reasons why the Clippers are better. With pride and teamwork, the Clippers show greater strengths than the Lakers and are bound to be championship contenders.
