Los Angeles is, was and always will be a Lakers city. No matter how hard the Clippers may try, no matter the billboards they buy, there is no unseating of the Lakers.
Why so much certainty? Because for some time now, the Clippers have been the more well-run franchise, at least when it comes to the basketball side. They’ve put together a competent supporting cast around its superstars, a supporting cast so good that when the Clippers have suffered injuries to its superstars perhaps worse than the Lakers have, they’ve remained afloat all season long.
Part of that is because they committed to a coach like Ty Lue when the Lakers wouldn’t.