Clippers follow Lakers path with Staples Center lighting change

Despite playing in the same city and even in the same arena, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers games never felt like they were being played in the same arena. The reason for this stems from the lighting of the court, which seems insignificant on the surface, but helped create different atmospheres.

The Lakers originally introduced their “Lights Out” campaign before the 2006-07 season.

Dr. Jerry Buss longed for an atmosphere similar to The Forum, with a spotlight on the court and the rest of the stadium darkened. The result was a unique and fresh environment. Similar to the city it’s in, Lakers games felt like a Hollywood production, with all eyes on the court.

The difference between the Lakers and Clippers grew, with the Lakers a red carpet affair and the Clippers a straight-to-DVD production. The lighting stayed the same for both teams even up to last season, where you can clearly tell a difference.

Apr 11, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard

(20) attempts a shot over Golden State Warriors center

(12) at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

May 11, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; in game four of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. The Clippers defeated the Thunder 101-99 to tie the series 2-2.Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

With the shift in current power in L.A. changing, we’ve seen the Clippers do many things to attempt to differentiate themselves from the Lakers. From hanging their own “banners” over the Lakers for their home games to placing billboards outside Staples Center for Chris Paul, similar to the Lakers strategy with Dwight Howard.

All this makes it all the more confounding that the Clippers, who have so desperately tried in recent years to crawl out of the Lakers shadow, will play this season with a “new” lighting system with LED lights, which the Kings will use as well. I quote “new” because, well, it doesn’t look all that new.

Here’s a screenshot from this YouTube video from the Clippers and Warriors first preseason game in the Staples Center. See if you can spot the similarities

Correct me if I’m wrong, but this looks like an almost mirror to the Lakers style. Clips Nation, the Clippers SB Nation site, talked to Lee Zeidman, president of the Staples Center, about the change to LED lights.

"Zeidman confirmed to me that the new lighting system would be in use for Clippers games starting Tuesday, and would be used exclusively for Clippers and Kings games this season. The Lakers were also offered the use of the LED system, but the team instead elected to stay with their current system.If you attended a Kings game this preseason, you’ll have noticed that the new lights create an effect similar to the Lakers’ own theatrical lighting, by focusing on the game action and dimming lights on the crowd. The Clippers’ lighting won’t be quite as dark in the crowd, though; according to Zeidman, this is due to the NBA’s guidelines for LED lighting, which differ from the requirements for arenas with more traditional lighting systems."

Arguing over just how much brighter the Clippers system is from the Lakers is simply nitpicking. At the end of the day, it’s clearly another step toward the now familiar Lakers lighting, and another step back into the shadows for L.A.’s second tier basketball franchise.