It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers are having a dismal season. However, this fact was accentuated with an exclamation point on Thursday night as the Lakers fell to the Los Angeles Clippers by a staggering 48-point deficit.
This was no ordinary loss. It was the largest margin of defeat in Lakers’ team history, and conversely, it was the greatest winning point differential for the opposing Clippers. The basketball king of LA has been dethroned as the lauded Lakers dynasty is seemingly coming to an end, and the stage is now being set for the Clippers to come into power.
The Lakers have had a very hard fall from grace; it was only four years ago they were hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy, and now, they are practically deadlocked with the abysmal Utah Jazz for the last place spot in the Western Conference. A slew of injuries have hindered the team, including that of star Kobe Bryant early in the season. Even so, a team as storied and successful as the Lakers should not be praying for prime draft selection next year.
In the past, the Lakers have mopped the floor with their city rival, but now the Clippers have not only locked in a playoff spot but are poised to make a championship run with one of the deepest benches in the NBA. The Clippers are oozing with talent, like star point guard Chris Paul and pivotal role players J.J. Redick, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The team continues to deepen its rotation with recent additions Danny Granger, Glen Davis and Hedo Turkoglu, typifying a quality organization with real championship aspirations.
A serious role reversal is taking place in Los Angeles: the flashy explosion of the Clippers is drowning out the noise of history and legacy that the Lakers are now looking at in the rearview mirror. It is not even as though the Lakers had a subpar season; it was–and still is–a disaster that leaves fans to question the management of the Lakers organization. The purple and gold are now forced to play little brother, a position completely foreign to a team that has dominated and has always been a playoff constant accustomed to winning basketball.
All eyes are now on the rising Clippers, the new victors of LA, and the pressure is on to keep winning and controlling the region. If this season is any suggestion of years to come, it appears that the Clippers will be sitting comfortably for a long while. Sayonara to the Lakers of old; a 17th world championship in the making will have to be put on hold until the team can pull together a cohesive unit that can bring back their potential.
Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni after the game stated, “They smelled blood in the water, and they killed us.”
The Clippers are undoubtedly hungry, in pursuit of not only their first franchise championship but for territorial dominance in the foreseeable future.
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brocha@ramapo.edu
