Lakers vs. Clippers: Crosstown Clash Will Be Turning Point for Both Teams
Forget about the playoffs, the Wednesday night matchup between Los Angeles' Clippers and Lakers will tell us everything we need to know about the future of these two clubs.
That is a lot to put on one regular-season game, which will leave both teams with ample time to build momentum, or lose it all, before the playoffs.
That just means you aren't paying attention.
Clippers
The Clippers take their jump-shooting ways into Staples Center after a week of saving their head coach's can.
You could have called the last six games the Save Vinny Del Negro Tour, because the winning streak has breathed new life into the thought that he may very well be the man for this star-studded squad.
I prefer to call it the Reverse the Curse Tour, because the Clippers were a dismal 3-6 in the previous set of games, and were on the brink of dropping to the deeper recesses of the Western Conference playoff seeds.
Any more losing, and this contender may have very well been a questionable inclusion for the postseason.
The streak has so far staved off disaster, but consider that both clubs are but a few games from the eighth and final seed. A huge choke job doesn't put them that far off. Keep that in mind as we close the book on this lockout-shortened season.
Lakers
The Lakers are not without their issues either. In fact, the roller-coaster season has given Lakers fans the nausea without the actual excitement of an amusement ride.
We have seen the Lakers release their reigning sixth man, only to see Lamar Odom mope the year away. Jim Buss was labeled as a shrouded son of an owner that wielded power behind a curtain.
There have been epic wins such as the one over the Miami Heat in early March, and deplorable losing efforts, like when they dropped back-to-back games to the Pistons and Wizards just days later.
Now comes news via ESPN that the soap opera brought to you by Andrew Bynum continues, as the team has fined him for infractions. One in particular has him blowing off a meeting with general manager Mitch Kupchak.
This Lakers need a statement win. More than that, they need some measure of chemistry that eludes them in the wake of Derek Fisher's departure.
Now comes the rubber match that will determine who holds sway this week, and who will own the momentum headed into the final, and crucial, push for the playoffs.
Neither team is as polished as other contenders, needing every last break they can get headed into the marathon postseason.
