By: Yama Hazheer
Roles have been reversed. League focus has changed. Stars belong more on one side as opposed to the other. The tides have changed between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers will have only their 14th losing season during their 67-year span of being an NBA franchise. It will be the first time they have a below .500 record for consecutive years since 1992-1994.
Meanwhile in Northern California, the Warriors rank first place with a potent 52-13 record and they are the talk of the NBA.
Stephen Curry has emerged as one of the elite superstars the league this season while Kobe Bryant is going through rehab after having another devastating season-ending injury.
Times are tough in Los Angeles for fans of the purple and gold. They don’t even have the best NBA team in their own city, anymore. That title currently belongs to the Clippers.
Golden State has been the laughing-stock of the league prior to the 2007 season where Baron Davis helped put the team on the map. However, the Lakers were still relevant then. The Warriors were far from being the top-dog in the edgy Pacific Division.
After winning back-to-back titles from 2008-2010, the Lakers have yet to advance past the Western Conference Semi-Finals. They lost Pau Gasol this past offseason and the best player on their current team might have trouble getting regular minutes on any top-notch contender in the league.
The Warriors are resting players to get ready for the postseason. Seldom have we witnessed that in the Bay Area. On the other hand, the Lakers can get the first pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Since the 2012-13 season, Golden State has gone 150-79 under two head coaches. The Lakers have been 89-139 with twice as many head coaches, four. The Warriors haven’t won the Pacific Division since 1975-76 and are set to win it this year. Los Angeles will be fifth for the second year in a row. The Dubs have also won six of the last nine match-ups.
Golden State fans all vividly remember the amount of Lakers’ fans cheering that happens at Oracle whenever they come to town. It’s famous in every venue around the league, but the Lakers crowd can get exceptionally rowdy in Oakland.
It’s no surprise, though. The Bay is just a few hour drive from L.A. and the Lakers still have 16 championships in their 60 postseason appearances compared to the Warriors three in 30 seasons. The Lakers will miss the playoffs for only the 7th time in franchise history. They are California’s basketball team from a historic standpoint.
But with nearly opposite records this season and the Warriors clear dominance over the Lakers in the past few seasons, the power has shifted.
And for now, the Warriors can have the last laugh.
Quite a turnaround over the years for both teams. Lakers were so dominant over the Warriors that I would be glad that a Laker halftime lead would not already be a blowout, if it wasn’t already. Kobe used to single handedly beat them, it is nice to see the tables turned, hope the Dubs keep the upper hand for a while.
You say in the seventh paragraph “After winning back-to-back titles from 2007-2009”. The Lakers won the title in 2009 and 2010. We lost in 2008 to Boston. Just thought I’d point out that mistake. The Lakers remain California’s team no matter what. Our titles speak for themselves. Yeah people are going to say that the Lakers and fans are stuck in the past but you know what? Tough times don’t last, real fans do. We don’t jump on another team’s bandwagon because they’ve been doing well for the last three seasons. When you’re a Laker fan, you win together, you lose together! #LakersNation
He was talking about the pacific division title, not the nba title
The last time Golden State won the division title was in 76. We won the division title since 08 until two seasons ago. And he clearly meant NBA title. He wrote “After winning back to back titles from 2007-2009, the Lakers have yet to advance past the West Conference Semi-Finals”. I just thought that mistake should be pointed out since its a sports blog. You didn’t get the context, bro
Appreciate the response and feedback. You’re right about the titles, my mistake. And I do credit most of the Lakers fans for sticking with the team and not jumping over to the Clippers side. Thanks for the comment.
Hey no problem, everyone makes a mistake here and there. A lot of fans jumped on the Clippers bandwagon, that ain’t cool. I’ll tell you this. If the Warriors and Clippers meet in the Playoffs, you know I’ll want the Warriors to win. Im a Laker fan until I die, but its always nice to see our Staples Center co-tenants lose lol
I think our titles have the last laugh. Enjoy your moment in the Spotlight.
Didn’t take anything away from the Lakers’ history. They are still California’s team. However, the spotlight is on the Warriors for now.