NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
There is no way the Los Angeles Clippers can beat the ghost of the Los Angeles Lakers. We’re talking 17 championships to none. As far as superstars go, the Clippers are no match there either. However, this is the season where they can begin to remove themselves from under the Lakers’ shadow.
The Clippers will open the 2022 NBA season with a healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and plus bring back one of the deepest teams in the NBA. Then you factor in the addition of former All-Star PG John Wall, and this squad has what it takes to be atop the Western Conference.
Imagine sharing a house with your older sibling only to see him/her constantly doing all the right things while you just can’t catch a beak. This is what it’s been like for the Clippers. I mean hell, they even share the same arena. There is no getting away from that Lakers’ mystic. Just because they can’t now, doesn’t mean they never can. Winning cures all. What the Clippers need is that first title. They need to let the residents of Los Angeles know that there are two teams in the city. Time to earn some respect.
The Lakers this coming season will not be a true contender. Yes, they will have LeBron James and Anthony Davis but injuries had hit the Lakers hard the last two seasons. There is a chance that everyone stays healthy but seeing the Lakers hoist another trophy while LeBron is in Purple and Gold, just doesn’t seem realistic. The time is now for the Clippers to make their move.
Without Leonard and George for the majority of last season, the Clippers finished the season 42-20 but were bounced in the Play-in Tournament. But this is not the same Clippers team that will take the floor this coming season. Their starting lineup will feature George, Leonard, Wall, Ivica Zubac, and possibly Marcus Morris. The truth is, Tyronn Lue has plenty of options depending on how he wants to use his lineups.
The Clippers Are Stacked
When I say this team is loaded, they are loaded from top to bottom. Even without the services of George and Leonard, the Clippers ranked 11th in defense and while their scoring was down, that will not be the case with Leonard, Wall, and George leading the attack.
What’s scary is that their second unit was actually their starting unit last season and that did nothing but give them the confidence coming into 2022. Look at the veteran guys who will be leading the change for the reserves. Robert Covington, Norman Powell, Nicolas Batum, and Reggie Jackson. Then you take into account the young guns such as Terrance Mann, Luke Kennard, and Amir Coffey. Where is the fall-off in production coming from? Jackson started 75 games from last season. Covington and Powell were valuable after they came in the trade deadline deal from the Portland Trail Blazers.
They will need to add more size in the paint after the departure of Isaiah Hartenstein but other than that, the Clippers are in good hands. On paper, they appear to be the team to be in the West even with the Golden State Warriors coming in as reigning champs. But for this team, it’s about staking claim to a city that sees them as second best. The City of Los Angeles is about winning. From basketball to baseball, and now the Super Bowl, all they know are championships.
If the Los Angeles Clippers play their hands right this season, they could very well snatch a section of Los Angeles as their own.
