The Los Angeles Lakers played their most complete game of the season on Thursday night and it happened to come in the semifinal of the NBA's In-Season Tournament. With a 44-point win and a vintage performance from LeBron James, the Lakers advanced to the Finals of the first-ever In-Season Tournament.
Saturday's final does not count toward the team's regular-season record but there are still stakes in the game. Each player on the winning team will receive $500,000 and while also taking home the NBA Cup. It isn't quite the Larry O'Brien Trophy, but it is something.
While this has been a fun tournament that has added much-needed stakes to early regular-season games, it still isn't something that teams or players are dying to achieve. After all, LeBron downplayed the tournament final after beating the Pelicans while the Lakers are not considering hanging any type of banner whatsoever if the team were to beat the Indiana Pacers.
Somehow in all of this, the Lakers advancing to the finals of the In-Season Tournament resulted in the Los Angeles Clippers catching hilarious strays from the entire NBA world. And as Lakers fans, we cannot help but to sit back and enjoy the entertainment.
Meanwhile, the Clippers hang selfies. https://t.co/NfEcPaLon5 pic.twitter.com/ZtppJFJdO7
— Ryan Rueda (@iDude14) December 8, 2023
Clippers become the butt of the joke as Lakers advance to In-Season Tournament Finals
Just to be clear, this is not a standalone post. Most of the responses to the Lakers not hanging a banner for the In-Season Tournament have been about the Clippers. Some are suggesting the Lakers give the Clippers the NBA Cup as a Christmas present, some are saying the Clippers would have a parade if they won, and others are just poking fun at the Clippers because that is always a good time.
This is simply a byproduct of being the little brother in a big market. Much like when the San Diego Padres finally beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the MLB Playoffs, the Clippers getting any sort of edge over the Lakers is their championship.
That is the entire point of the joke. If it was the Clippers in this situation, not the Lakers, then every Clippers fan on social media would be talking about how this was just a preview for the playoffs; that this proves that the Clippers are the superior Los Angeles team.
In reality, it has been a fun tournament to root for and most Lakers fans probably wouldn't even care if the team sat its star players on Saturday. But we all know who will care the most: Clippers fans, as they will be rooting vehemently against the Lakers.