Looks like Staples Center Showdown!!!!

[Ren-Ren]

After the heroics of Mr MVP Kobe Bryant in game 4..No Doubt they will advance to the second round.On the other hand, the Clippers are also up 2 games ahead Denver.
The Clippers if ever, will have Home Court advantage when they face the Lakers but do they really have HOME COURT advantage against the Lakers?I Doubt!!The Lakers are the pioneer in L.A.!!

[dinocarlo]

I think the "homecourt advantage" should be removed from that series. There's no need for it. I'm sure the Staples Center will be filled with fans of both teams.

By the way, the Lakers and Clippers need to finish off their opponents first. They should be careful not to fall into the same trap that the 03 Magic and 05 Rockets did. Right, T-Mac?

[KIG1]

Exactly right. They should just paint the floor a neutral color and make both teams the home teams.

[Matt]

the homecourt advantage is that you have your own fans. When Clippers have their games on, they will have their fans at the game and vice versa. It's not like you can just buy tickets since theres so many members anyways.

[The_Flying_Tomato]

ugh, we have to watch jack fagolson for 7 games in a row?

[KIG1]

You can't forget though, the Lakers series is not over yet. They could still lose three games in a row.

[Nick]

Wow. That'll be a sweet matchup.

I'm really loving the playoffs this year (apart from Suns sucking). Great matchups. Much more even.

[The_Flying_Tomato]

not with those refs, the lakers cant

[Colin]

^Oh man, there's no 'conspiracy' against the Suns or anything. The refs just fucked up the calls that happened to be on Phoenix's side. Just like they did in game 2, and just like they did for the Lakers in game 1. Remember after game 1 when all the Lakers fans complained about Kobe's smack to the head? I still think the Suns got a rawer deal in game 4 than the Lakers did in game 1, but it's teh same general principle.

So quit dragging this out unless it's brought up, m'kay?

[Fitzy]

i hope lakers win

[#12]

seems like there will be home court advantage for the lakers.
-there are many season ticket holders for the lakers, and those season ticket holders get priority to buy tickets for playoff games for lakers, therefore taking some away clipper fans if they try to buy a ticket
-since clippers do not have much season ticket holders(no one expected them to have a good season), laker fans can buy tickets to fill up the seats with laker fans
-laker tickets are very expensive during playoffs, and the average clipper fan is not as rich as a laker fan, taking away clipper fans.
-clipper tickets are cheaper then laker tickets, so laker fans can just come in

[Andrew]

-laker tickets are very expensive during playoffs, and the average clipper fan is not as rich as a laker fan, taking away clipper fans.

How do you figure that one? What possible evidence can you be basing that claim upon?

[magius]

aka billy crystal vs jack nicholson. should be fun.

[The X]

if it ends up a matchup of LA, I'd say Clippers 'home-court' advantage is null and void, as you'll probably find that there will be more Lakers fans than Clippers fans....might be 50-50 at best....as for Lakers 'home-court' games, Lakers will have crowd support....

all-in-all, if this series eventuate, I really hope the Clippers win in 5 or 6

[Buckley]

its too early to say lakers are in, even thought they look good against the falling Phoenix Suns. Remember what happened in 1993, the Suns finals year. They were down 2-0 to the Lakers and then won 3 straight. They could still win 3 straight here, but then again, these were the Lakers in betwwen the Magic and Kobe era.

Assuming LAL does win, I have them in 7 games, just because of home court advantage throughout the entire series and the dominance of Kobe Bryant.

[Andrew]

Aside from the games themselves...I'm interested to not only see how the fan situation turns out but what they'd do as far as series "opening ceremonies". Technically speaking the Clippers will open the series as the home team so any "pre-game spectacular" would normally honour them. Similarly, the Lakers will technically be the home team come Game 3 where they would in the normal case hold the most elaborate show in honour of the series moving to their home floor.

It would be a very strange series to say the least.

[Mayerhendrix]

So....this hasn't ever happened before?

Interesting...what about when the Nets and Knicks both played New York?

Either way, Clippers are going to have their successful season, but in the future they're not going to be so great. Sam Cassell's not going to stay for much longer...

[Bang]

Staples Center is practically Lakers' stadium. IF Lakers advance then they'll basically have 7 home games, which is deadly. I've gone to both Lakers games and Clippers games and the Clippers games had nowhere near the intensity of a Lakers game. To tell you an example, the people at the stadium actually booed when Maggette made the last free throws in a game (76ers vs Clips...two years ago). And from what I remember, there were WAY more AI jerseys in that game...even though AI was injured. I also remember that hardly anyone really chanted defense except for this one crazy fan who chanted LOUDLY.

As for the Lakers games that I went to, it was completely the opposite, with fans cheering like crazy.

What I wonder is...how will the ticket prices be? Lakers games are 10 times more expensive than Clippers games (LITERALLY). I wonder if the Clippers "home" games will be 10 times cheaper...

[Andrew]

So....this hasn't ever happened before?

Interesting...what about when the Nets and Knicks both played New York?

No precedent has been brought up and since I can't be bothered going through the NBA encyclopedia right now, I'd say it will be a first if it happens. As far as I can remember the Nets have always been in New Jersey since entering the NBA but were at one point the New York Nets in the ABA. If they remained in New York after the merger it wasn't for very long. I don't believe they've ever shared an arena with the Knicks.

[Fresh8]

I was just thinking... Andrew or Matthew or jae or anyone else... would you guys konw what team has had the easiest path to the NBA Conference Finals?

[sucram]

I was just thinking... Andrew or Matthew or jae or anyone else... would you guys konw what team has had the easiest path to the NBA Conference Finals?

Not sure, but if the Lakers can knock off Phoenix, i think they will get LAC in 5 or 6. That Just leaving SAS or DAL.

[Andrew]

I don't know if you could say any team has ever had an easy route to the Conference Finals/NBA Finals...it's more a case of the team making it look easy. When the 2001 Lakers steamrolled their way through the Western Conference they certainly made it look easy but it's not like their competition were at the level of D-League teams. On paper, it shouldn't have been easy but the Lakers were just that impressive.

I suppose you could consider teams from the days in which the top seeds drew byes in the first round and had to win fewer games, right up until 1983 where the first round featured only four teams in best-of-three series while the top two teams had a bye. In contrast to the formats that have followed it, it could be said teams in the years before 1984 in some ways had an easier run.

[Jeffx]

Last time the Clips won a playoff series was way back in 1976, when they were the Buffalo Braves. They beat Philly in the opening round, 2 games to 1. Amazing.

[gergerjai]

If thats the case, I am pretty sure LA will win this one and advance. :p

[Cloudy]

Which LA?


Home-floor advantage.
-Daily Dime