Lakers: Are the Clippers the Future NBA Title Hope of Los Angeles Instead?

Let it be on record for me saying it here and now, just like how over the summer I predicted the trials and tribulations our team the Lakers would be facing this season to the scoffs and denials of most of the front-running bandwagon "Laker Nation" fans on here.

Yes, "fans" that never supported this team when it was down, never saw Sedale Threatt or Cedric Ceballos play at the Forum, never had nothing to do with the team until we were winning rings again.

"Fans" who will be gone in a couple of years or less, when we stop winning, when there is another "next big thing" to bandwagon on.

Well, here goes: The Clippers might just be that "bandwagon," and will be our city's NBA title hope sooner than you think.

The way they are playing, if they can get consistent and play the bad teams as well as they play the good teams, they actually have a shot at the eighth seed this year.

Yes, it's a long shot, but we're at less than the half-way point of the season, and the Clippers have won 10 out of the past 14 games and against GREAT teams. 

By that, I'm talking about the Heat AND the Bulls just on this recent streak, and (of course) against our Lakers, and they've beaten the Nuggets, the Thunder, the Hornets and the Spurs when both had the best record in the league. 

When they beat the Heat, Miami had the best record in the East.

They are about six games behind the eighth seed, Portland, which is daunting but not impossible.

The Blazers just lost Brandon Roy for the season, which is going to impact them in a major way. It already has, with them coming off three straight losses against Miami, New York and Phoenix, before picking up two wins against bottom-feeders New Jersey and Minnesota.

Considering the seventh seed is Denver, they will surely plummet after trading Carmelo. Doubtful they will make the playoffs after that, which means at least one...

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