The Los Angeles Lakers were hoping to bring back “Showtime” this season, but, ironically, it’s the other team in town that’s replicated the feel of the ’80s Lakers.
The LA Clippers have won a franchise record 14 games in a row and now lead the NBA with a 22-6 record. They put on a show during the second quarter of their win against the Denver Nuggets on Christmas by scoring 42 points thanks to several highlight-reel plays. The outburst prompted ESPN NBA analyst Magic Johnson to praise them during halftime.
“I thought I would never, ever see Showtime again. And I was the architect of Showtime. The Clippers? That’s Showtime,” Magic said on ESPN.
After his team’s 112-100 win, Chris Paul responded to Magic’s praise.
“The thing about Showtime, they won championships,” said Paul, who had 14 points and eight assists. “So that’s what we’re trying to aspire to. We appreciate Magic — he’s the best to ever do it.”
The praise from Magic is nice and all, but let’s keep things in perspective. Magic is legendary for getting caught up in the moment and overreacting as an analyst. Had Ty Lawson had a big first half for Denver, you probably would have heard Magic calling him a top-five point guard.
The truth of the matter is the Clippers are an exciting team led by an MVP-caliber point guard. They have many players who can score and make highlight-worthy plays, but they’re not a championship team. They have a lot more depth since last season when they got swept by the Spurs in the second round of the playoffs, but I don’t see them getting past Oklahoma City in the postseason.
Like Paul said, the Clippers need to win championships to be compared to the Showtime Lakers. Somebody remind Magic of that.
