Over at FOX Sports West, I wrote five takeaways from the Clippers’ 114-89 thrashing of the Lakers. Click here to read the full article. Here is an excerpt:
Los Angeles is predominantly a Lakers town because of the franchise’s storied history, and it’s going to remain that way for the foreseeable future.
That being said, the Clippers have been much, much better than the Lakers since Chris Paul arrived in 2011, and have the brighter future over the next half-decade (and possibly beyond).
While the Lakers are busy flaunting their rings and retired jerseys, and dismissing the notion of a rivalry, the Clippers claim to be focusing on what they can control: the present and the future.
With a 114-89 thrashing on Wednesday night, the Clippers have now won five in a row and nine of their last 10 against their neighbors. That’s the current state of these matchups, rivalry or not.
“Both teams can say that this game did not mean anything,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said after the victory. “Yes, it does not mean anything in the big scope of everything. But when you play people you know, those games are fun. You always want to beat guys that you see all of the time. You could see the energy in the building.”
