The rivalry between the two Los Angeles based organizations continues. The Lakers, of course, are coming off of winning the 2020 NBA title and the Clippers were given a front-row seat for RING NIGHT to begin the 2020-21 season. One could call the NBA petty, given the fact that they scheduled the Clippers to play the Lakers on opening night for this event.
The Lakers players all received their championship rings (well everyone on the roster who was a part of last year’s Championship run) and once the rings were distributed, it was time to get between the lines and play the game. It did not disappoint and the Clippers-Lakers rivalry is still alive and well.
LeBron James vs. Kawhi Leonard is a legit rivalry
LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard have both been at the top of their games and leaders of this league for a while now. With both players now playing in Los Angeles, the rivalry is intensified. Regardless of whether or not either player wants to publicly acknowledge the rivalry, there definitely is one, and tonight, both players showed up for it.
Leonard finished with 26 points in 34 minutes in a Clippers win. James finished with 22 points. There will more regular-season matchups between the Clippers and Lakers this year along with a possible postseason showdown. So look for this rivalry between James and Leonard to continue.
Paul George had a big game.
The Clippers success will be dependent on Paul George’s performance this season
George has gone on the record saying that he owes the Clippers a championship ring. That seems like a lofty goal based on what we have seen in the past from George and this team. However, the Clippers believe in George and rewarded him with a max-contract extension this offseason. In his first game since getting paid, George came out ready to go; he finished with 33 points on 13 of 18 shooting, including 5-of-8 from three-point range. George spoke on what his mindset was coming into the game (via his postgame interview with NBA on TNT).
“Y’all don’t know man. Coming off two shoulder surgeries ain’t easy,” George said. “I’m two years removed. I had a heck of an off-season coming into this year. Where I was able to train and get back on the floor and play basketball coming into this season. So I’m just in a good headspace. I put in a lot of work coming into this year.”
If George can consistently have performances like this and get back to playing like “Indiana Pacers P” the Clippers could be very dangerous.
