What a Los Angeles Lakers play-in NBA Championship run could look like
By Najee Adams
![LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 11: The Los Angeles Lakers celebrate with the trophy after winning the 2020 NBA Championship Final over the Miami Heat in Game Six of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 11, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 11: The Los Angeles Lakers celebrate with the trophy after winning the 2020 NBA Championship Final over the Miami Heat in Game Six of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 11, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/f9aaac23e4f8fd2105335cf0d33b134a58f20002df55275f57c04e234d6ebb31.jpg)
#3 Los Angeles Clippers vs. #7 Los Angeles Lakers
This is the series that basketball fans have been waiting for since Kawhi Leonard spurned the Los Angeles Lakers to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers two summers ago.
Two superstar duos going head to head with Leonard and Paul George facing off against James and Davis. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see this unfold last season because the Clippers hilariously blew a 3-1 over the Denver Nuggets but there’s a pretty good shot these two goliath teams will see each other this postseason.
The Clippers have taken all three of the two team’s regular-season matchups this year with the two most recent outings not being particularly close. For Lakers fans, the bright side is that we only lost by seven in the one game that both James and Davis played in.
For even more context, that was the first game of the season and the Clippers literally had to sit there and watch the Lakers get their championship rings right in front of them.
Since then, both teams have acquired players that instantly stepped into their rotation.
For the Lakers it was Drummond and for the Clippers, it was Rajon Rondo.
If you watched the playoffs last year, you know that Playoff Rondo is a real thing and that alone should strike absolute fear into the heart of all Lakers fans.
All jokes aside, Rondo was a great pickup for the Clippers. They had been looking for that pure point guard that would allow Leonard and George to work more off of the ball and just get to their spots on the court for a while now.
At the end of the day, there’s not much of a sample size of the current versions of these two teams playing so each team will be figuring things out on the fly.
Both teams are in the bottom half of the league when it comes to 3-pointers attempted so this could be a very physical series but on the other hand, the Clippers shoot the best percentage in the league from beyond the arc (41.5%).
The Clippers most certainly have the best chance to end the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship hopes of any Western Conference team, but at the end of the day, we’re equipped with the best duo in the league (when healthy) and a ton of depth.
It might be a bit of a cop-out but hey, we have LeBron James and they don’t. That’s got to count for something, right?
Result: Los Angeles Lakers in 7