The Los Angeles Clippers were so focused on beating the Los Angeles Lakers this year that they forgot about the rest of the teams, which ultimately ended in an embarrassing second-round lost at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in the Orlando bubble. The Clippers assembled a team to beat their city rivals, even stealing assets from them in the process.
Basketball Forever recently pointed out at all the current, former and potential Lakers players that joined the Clippers last offseason, trying to beat the purple and gold for the right to play in the Finals. They really went after the Lakers with all those moves that couldn’t do much for them during the 2020 NBA playoffs.
- Lou Williams and Ivica Zubac were both traded away by the Lakers
- Paul George was pursued by the Lakers but didn’t even give them a meeting
- Kawhi stalled the Lakers in free agency, knowing all along that he was going to sign with the Clippers.
- Patrick Beverley was drafted by the Lakers
- Ty Lue played for the Lakers and was close to becoming their head coach last season, but he felt lowballed by their offer and became a Clippers assistant instead
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In total, they stole six pieces away from the Lakers in their attempt to beat them for the supremacy of Los Angeles, the Western Conference and the NBA. Flash forward, the Lakers just won their 17th championship in the bubble after beating the Miami Heat in six games in the Finals. As for the Clippers, they blew a 3-1 lead against the Nuggets in one of the worst meltdowns the NBA has seen in recent history.
The Lakers made sure to surround their two stars, Anthony Davis and LeBron James, with the perfect supporting cast, which led them to a championship.
