LOS ANGELES -- One of the more fascinating aspects of covering both the Lakers and the Clippers is hearing and seeing the same quips from Lakers fans whenever I write about the Clippers. They come at me in waves on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, without fail, whenever I post anything about the Clippers.
So before the Lakers and Clippers play Friday, I thought I’d tackle the things Lakers fans love pointing out to Clippers fans the most.
Where are the Clippers’ banners?
Whenever the Clippers have a big win, Lakers fans will always respond with some variation of: “That’s cute. How many championships have you won? How many banners do you have? Call us when you get 16.” I heard it enough while covering the Clippers’ 17-game winning streak to realize that’s the go-to line for Lakers fans if their team is struggling or they feel Clippers fans are getting too full of themselves.
But what about this season and this year’s teams? I have yet to meet a Clippers fan who thinks the Clippers are a more storied franchise than the Lakers. If Clippers fans cared about history, I’m sure they would have hopped on the Lakers’ bandwagon long ago, embraced the Minneapolis Lakers’ titles as their own and bought a Jerry West throwback jersey.
The problem with the banners argument is that it has nothing to do with the here and now. It would be like a Boston fan clinging to 16 banners while the Celtics languished in mediocrity for nearly 20 years before winning another title. The Lakers last won a title in 2010, and only three players are left from that team. In fact, right now more Clippers players (four) own rings than Lakers players (three).
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