Clippers balloons tied to statues of Lakers icons outside Staples Center
Clippers-themed balloons were tied to statues of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West and Chick Hearn outside the Staples Center. Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar and West played for the Lakers in the 1960s, '70s and '80s; Hearn was a long-time play-by-play announcer for the team.
The two teams share time at the Staples Center, and the Clippers have spent the majority of their time in the shadow of the Lakers. But the Clippers won the division for the first time in franchise history this season, and went up 2-0 on the Grizzlies after a game-winning shot from Chris Paul on Monday night. The Lakers, meanwhile, are down 0-1 to the Spurs in Round 1 of the playoffs.
ESPN LA reporter Arash Markazi tweeted the photo:
