Los Angeles Lakers: 10 Reasons They'll Never Be "The Other L.A. Team"
Earlier this week, Tony Kornheiser asked Michael Wilbon, "Has the Blake Show replaced the Lake Show as the bigger attraction at the Staples Center?" Shockingly, Wilbon said that the Clippers temporarily had indeed replaced the Lakers as the bigger attraction in Los Angeles.
WHAT?!? Look, I understand the recent emergence of Blake Griffin is unlike anything we've seen in the NBA since LeBron James entered the league seven years ago. He routinely dominates the Top 10 plays of the night on SportsCenter with his monster throw-down dunks.
He is without a doubt the most exciting player in the NBA today and paired with shooting guard Eric Gordon, the Clippers now have a pair of legit All-Stars they can build their future around.
Assuming Griffin doesn't bolt as a free agent in a couple years (probably not the best assumption), the Clippers could be back in the Western Conference playoffs as early as next season.
With all of that said, please, let's not get too carried away here, Mr. Wilbon. These are still the CLIPPERS we are talking about here. Let's take a look at the top 10 reasons why the Lakers will never be the "other L.A. team."
10. Jack
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Perhaps the most famous fan in all of professional sports, Jack Nicholson sits courtside at nearly every Lakers home game. Possibly the best actor of his generation, Nicholson can almost always be found in his trademark sunglasses cheering on the home team.
The Clippers' most famous fan? Penny Marshall? Billy Crystal? Again, not too much of a debate here...
9. $607 Million
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That's how much the Lakers are worth according to Forbes magazine, the most valuable franchise in the NBA. Dr. Jerry Buss understands better than anyone than you have to spend money to make money and that's exactly what he does.
As a franchise, when you are competing for a championship on an annual basis, it's much easier to be profitable. All of the extra home games during the playoffs lead to enormous ticket sales, high television ratings and a huge increase in merchandise sales.
But in order to compete for a title every year, you have to spend some serious coin. The Lakers have the highest payroll in the NBA at $91,569,659 and Kobe Bryant is the NBA's highest-paid player at $24,806,250.
The Clippers payroll is 27th out of 30 teams in the league (despite playing in a major market) at $52,668,803. Need I say more?
8. Showtime
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The NBA reached the height of its popularity in the '80s when Magic Johnson and the "Showtime" Lakers were squaring off against Larry Bird and the Celtics in the NBA Finals. The Showtime Lakers were the hottest ticket in a town full of celebrities.
"Showtime" is a reference to the style of play that was implemented by head coach Pat Riley. It was an up-tempo, fast-break offense led by a 6'9" point guard named Magic who was surrounded by players such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Byron Scott and Michael Cooper.
The Lakers won four championships and seven Western Conference titles during the Showtime era between 1982 and 1989.
The most famous Clippers era? I think we are all witnessing the beginning of it right now led by the Blake Show and Eric Gordon, who is averaging over 24 points per game this year, good for eighth in the league.
7. Jerry West
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The Logo. That's right, not only is Jerry West one of the best players and general managers in NBA history, HE'S THE NBA LOGO!
West was named GM of the Lakers prior to the 1982-83 season after spending thee years as a scout. He is largely responsible for building what would eventually become the "Showtime Lakers."
Under his reign, the Lakers won seven NBA championships and he was named NBA Executive of the Year in 1995.
Meanwhile, the Clippers have gone through too many GM's to count, most recently firing Mike Dunleavy Sr. and replacing him with Neil Olshey. Who?
6. Seven Retired Numbers
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The Lakers have retired seven numbers in the history of their franchise and they just happen to be some of the greatest players in the history of the NBA: Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Gail Goodrich, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and Jerry West. Eventually, Kobe Bryant will make it eight.
The Clippers have retired a grand total of zero numbers.
5. 31 Conference Titles
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Thirty-one conference titles. Let's take a minute to wrap our heads around how ridiculous this number actually is. In 1949, the BAA merged with the NBL, creating the new National Basketball Association. This means the Lakers have been playing for the NBA title in 31 of the last 60 seasons. That's over half the time!
Meanwhile, the Clippers have won exactly zero conference titles during their 40 years of existence. Once again, for those of you keeping score at home, that's 31 to zero.
4. 16 Championships
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The Lakers have won 16 NBA championships, second only to the Boston Celtics' 17. Technically, they've won 17, but their first title came in 1948 came as a member of the National Basketball League, a year before they joined the NBA in 1949.
Either way, we anticipate the Lakers tying the Boston Celtics with their 17th NBA title this season, completing a fourth three-peat for head coach Phil Jackson.
Meanwhile, the Clippers have won a grand total of ZERO NBA titles since they entered the league 40 years ago as the Buffalo Braves before eventually moving to San Diego in 1978 and ultimately landing in Los Angeles in 1984.
So, if you're keeping score at home, that's 17 to 0.
3. Kobe
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After winning his fifth ring last year, both Magic Johnson and Jerry West declared Kobe Bryant as the best player in Lakers history. It's hard to argue with them considering he has played the most games, scored the most points, and is now tied with Magic for the most rings.
We could go on and on about his list of accomplishments, but his legacy as one of the all-time greats in the history of the NBA is still being written. He's well on his way to becoming one of the top five scorers in the history of the league (currently ninth) and if he plays long enough, he may even break Kareem's record.
He will be certainly be considered the second-best shooting guard of all time when it's all said and done and possibly the best of all time depending on how his career unfolds.
The Clippers do have a pair of future All-Stars in Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon, however, they are not Kobe and never will be.
2. Jerry Buss vs. Donald Sterling
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Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers in 1979 and it's safe to say the franchise has been fairly successful under his watch. The Lakers have won 10 NBA championships during the Buss era led by names like Kareem, Magic, Worthy, Kobe and Shaq.
Buss was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport in 2010.
Meanwhile, many, including Michael Wilbon, consider Donald Sterling to be the worst owner in all of professional sports. Ironically, Dr. Buss was the one who suggested to Sterling that he should buy the Clippers when they were still located in San Diego in 1981.
Sterling continues to be widely criticized for his failures as an owner, mostly a result of his infamously frugal ways that have resulted in losing season after losing season. When it comes to comparing NBA owners, you couldn't come up with a more night-and-day scenario.
1. It Is and Always Will Be a Lakers Town
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You won't find the most diehard sports fans in Southern California. With a year-round perfect climate, there are simply too many other things to do. Not to mention that half the people in the city of Los Angeles are from somewhere else and therefore root for their hometown teams.
How else could you explain the fact that the second-biggest city in the United States doesn't even have a professional football team? However, one thing the city of Los Angeles does have that no other city can claim is the Lakers.
L.A. is a Lakers town and it always will be. Yeah, you have the Dodgers, the Kings and the USC football team, but none of these teams are even remotely on the same level as the Lake Show. The Lakers are the only team in L.A. that is successful year in, year out.
The fact that I forgot to even mention the Clippers above says it all.
