1. LA Clippers
There’s so much to worry about when looking at the LA Clippers’ roster.
Sure, the Kawhi Leonard–Paul George duo is scary. Then there’s also the pest that is Patrick Beverley. And the unstoppable scoring machine that is Lou Williams. Finish it off with the hard-nosed paint play of Montrezl Harrell and quality bench minutes from JaMychal Green and Maurice Harkless and you’ve got a recipe for success.
While some would say the Los Angeles Lakers offer more talent overall, that’s going to be a dangerous bunch to deal with in a seven-game series. Especially if they meet in the Western Conference Finals, you just know the Clippers are going to bring everything they’ve got every night.
Let’s be honest here. Beating the Clippers will be a mammoth task for the Lakers. They already lost to them sans George, meaning they fell to a club that wasn’t even at full force. The Clippers boast outstanding perimeter talent/depth to counteract the Lake Show’s shooting, and two all-world defenders who can put the clamps (relatively speaking) on LeBron.
With that said, the Clippers don’t have anyone who can match up with the size and athleticism of Davis. Ivica Zubac isn’t up to the task. Harrell stands a better chance of slowing No. 3 down, but still loses in the athleticism and craftiness departments. Plus, the Lakers just have more frontcourt depth in general, especially if Cousins is good to go by playoff time.
The easiest way to sum it up is that it would be a series for the ages if the Clippers and Lakers met during the postseason. At this point, though, it’s a tossup in terms of who would emerge as the victor.