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The 30 greatest NBA team rivalries in league history

By Daniel Lubofsky

Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)
Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

29. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers

The battle for the city between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers hasn’t been much of competition over the years in large part due to their complete opposite standing on the competitive spectrum.

The Lakers are regarded as arguably the greatest franchise in NBA history, with 16 NBA championships obtained across 31 NBA Finals outings. The Clippers, however, are synonymous with dysfunction, having yet to even qualify for the conference finals during their existence as a franchise, which includes brief stints as the Buffalo Braves and a few years in San Diego.

It was a hierarchy as clear as day, but every little brother has his moment of triumph. For the Clippers, that came in summer 2011, where they not only acquired NBA All-Star point-god Chris Paul from the then-New Orleans Hornets but essentially stole him away from the Lakers after a vetoed trade would’ve had him draped in the purple and gold.

From then on, the Clippers would begin to stake their claim in the City of Angels while the Lakers would become the laughing stock of the town. The Clippers rattled off six consecutive playoff appearances with a realistic pursuit of their first NBA title.

At the same time, the Lakers were forced to ride out the remaining years of a broken down Kobe Bryant. This was followed up by several years in the cellar of the Western Conference, their first attempt in a long time to build from the ground up.

Clippers fans did their best to take Los Angeles for themselves, but that’s a mighty challenge going up against a team with as much history and success as the Lakers. Still, it made for an interesting sub-plot when such hadn’t been the case for most, if not all, of their shared time at Staples Center.

The two teams have always seemed to be on different timelines. That is no longer the case. Anthony Davis linked up with LeBron James on the Lakers, while Kawhi Leonard orchestrated a pairing alongside Paul George with the Clippers.

Whatever sizzle this rivalry may have lacked over the years is sure to be remedied, as these two juggernauts are set to take the league by storm. They are now two of the favorites to take home the 2019-20 NBA Championship and will likely find the other in their path to get there.