Los Angeles Clippers Rival? #Unknown
- Updated: December 1, 2014
For the college football fans out there this last week of the regular season is rivalry week. I’m currently watching Ohio State versus Michigan and got to see my Nebraska Cornhuskers edge out our border rival Iowa Hawkeyes yesterday. This rivalry week got me thinking though, who would be the Clippers one true rival?
The easy answer would be the Los Angeles Lakers. The Clippers and Lakers share an arena and a city, that’s usually enough. Not in this case. Two years ago when the Clippers won their first Pacific division title there were talks of hanging up a banner to signify this historic achievement for the franchise, but how would division title banners look sitting next to the Lakers lore of 16 championships? Short answer, embarrassing. There is no way a team with zero championships can be the true rival of a team with sixteen. End of argument.
What about the Memphis Grizzlies? All Clipper fans remember that playoff series in 2012 where the Clippers were down 27 points and staged a comeback the likes of which we’d never seen before and may never see again in game one. That series went seven games with the Clippers moving on. The next year in 2013 the Clippers and Grizzlies faced off in round one yet again, this time the Grizzlies would win in six. In this series it isn’t just when or how many times the teams have played but the physical nature of the games that ensued. One look at Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan versus former Clipper Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol in the low post gives me chills. This series gives every Clipper fan nightmares of technicals and hard physical fouls. Rivers said in an interview with NBA.com just about a week ago that he does believe this is a rivalry between fans in Memphis and Los Angeles but it could be built upon if either of the teams actually had a championship.
My vote for the Clippers true rival, the Golden State Warriors. This battle in round one of the playoffs last season had fans nervous up until the very end as the Clippers were able to edge out the series in game seven. However the series drained the Clippers so badly they weren’t able to make a vaunted effort at the Thunder in the next round and got knocked out swiftly in six games. It’s the “Splash Brothers” versus “Lob City” and there is no doubt when these two get together it’s going to be a hard-fought battle that leaves one fan base with bragging rights over the other for this in-state, in-division rivalry. The Warriors franchise has three NBA championships all-time, however their last one was in 1975. The Clippers and Warriors both have had plenty of years dwelling near the bottom of the Pacific division before their now simultaneous rise to the top of it.
There really is no right or wrong answer to the question of who the Clippers one true rival is. There is no doubt however, when speaking of the Clipper rivals, the three teams mentioned above must be in the conversation. Maybe this season that rival will reveal itself, as the Warriors seem to be giving the Clippers a good run for their money for the Pacific Division title and the Grizzlies are off to one of the hottest starts in the league. As for the Lakers, we feel your pain but we’re definitely not sorry for you (16 championships). The answer may take some time to figure out but the question remains, Who is the Los Angeles Clippers one true rival? You’ve heard my vote, what’s yours?
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