Lakers: 3 reasons LeBron James can win his 5th championship in 2020-21

Reason No. 2 LeBron James and the Lakers can win a title: The demise of the LA Clippers

If the Phoenix Suns are on the ropes, the LA Clippers have been tied up in the ropes, flipped upside down and are being held by the ankles with the ropes. Luka Doncic has proven himself to be their worst nightmare, like LeBron James himself coming of age in the Eastern Conference a decade and a half ago against the Detroit Pistons.

The Clippers lost the first two games of their first-round series at home, and travel to face the Dallas Mavericks on the road to learn their ultimate demise. They’ve been outplayed and have had absolutely no answer for Doncic or the ability to slow down Tim Hardaway Jr. or the Mavs’ role players.

While the Mavs winning would be a huge positive on Doncic’s playoff resume, that’s probably the outcome the Lakers would prefer. The Clippers have simply matched up too well with the Lakers ever since Kawhi Leonard and Paul George came to town, and they probably match up better with the Mavs than the Clippers seem to.

Either way, fans could be in for a treat assuming the Lakers do finish off the Suns, and then they win in the second round, and whichever of the Clippers and Mavs wins makes it to the Western Conference. LeBron versus Luka could be something of a classical passing of the torch, or perhaps LeBron may hold that torch one year longer. On the flip side, we may finally get the Lakers versus Clippers matchup we’ve been expecting for almost two years.

However, the Clippers have the biggest hole of all to climb out of if they’re going to make that happen.