The Los Angeles Lakers look much better than the Los Angeles Clippers.
Let’s rewind to not so long ago. The Los Angeles Lakers, coming out of a tough eight-game stretch in the seeding games, lost Game 1 in the first round of the NBA Playoffs to the Portland Trail Blazers. Things did not look great and pundits, myself included, were worried.
Meanwhile, the Lakers’ cross-hall rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, won Game 1 against the Dallas Mavericks in a somewhat controversial fashion after Kristaps Porzingis was questionably ejected. The game shifted after that.
Here we are now and the Lakers are (at the time of writing this) up two games to one against the Portland Trail Blazers. Meanwhile, the Clippers are tied 2-2 with the Mavericks and could easily be down 3-1 or even have lost already if it was not for the Porzingis ejection and Luka Doncic hurting his ankle in Game 3.
Now, more than ever, throughout the entire season, I am wholly confident that the Los Angeles Lakers will defeat the Los Angeles Clippers if they meet in the Western Conference Finals. The Clippers have shown us all we need to see to make the prediction.
However, before that, the Lakers still have to get through a tough Portland team that might be down 2-1 but can easily steal games with their pick-up basketball style of play. The focus for the purple and gold is get through Portland, get through Houston/OKC and then await a potential matchup against the Clippers that absolutely might not even happen.
If it does happen here is why the Lakers would emerge victoriously, and quite easily at that.