Danny Green: Clippers Should Hope they Don't Meet Lakers in Playoffs
The rivalry between the L.A. Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers has been as heated as ever this season, and even with the NBA's shutdown, that hasn't gone away. Fans of both teams have been prodding at each other on social media, and as desperation grows for the league to return, that should only continue to happen.
Earlier this week, Lakers guard Danny Green fueled some of the fire.
In an appearance on the Big Apple Buckets podcast, Green had a lot to say about the Clippers' chances against the Lakers in the postseason, if the two teams are to meet.
"If the Lakers and Clippers do meet each other in the playoffs, those are seven road games for the Clippers," Green said. "That is the Lakers' arena. Even if they play in Staples Center, they change the paint and all that type of stuff, trust me, those are seven home games for the Lakers. The Clippers have to just hope and pray they don't run into the Lakers. But I think it's inevitable."
Green is alluding to the claim that Los Angeles is the Lakers' city, and while it may be true that a majority of Angelenos are Lakers fans, the Clippers have performed very well against the Lakers this season both "at home" and "away".
The season series sits at 2-1 in favor of the Clippers, and L.A. managed to win first as the home team on Opening Night, and later as the road team on Christmas. Plenty of Lakers fans were present for each, but the Clippers haven't been bothered yet.
It's also worth noting that while the Clippers haven't been an incredible road team this season, the team's only wins in the 2018-2019 Playoffs came on the road against the Golden State Warriors, which, at the time, was about as hostile an environment as there was in the NBA.
Additionally, Green seems to believe that the Clippers will win at least three games in the highly-anticipated playoff series, as he claims there will be "seven home games for the Lakers".
Of course, there's also the possibility that the 2019-2020 Playoffs are played without fans in the building. It's not an ideal scenario, but with the coronavirus spreading fast across the globe, it's hard to imagine fans will be allowed back into arenas anytime soon. In that case, Green's argument is out the window, and the series will simply come down to talent.
Regardless of when and where the hypothetical series is played, Clippers and Lakers fans will be in for a treat.
