Jerry West wants to see a Clippers-Lakers Conference Finals: "You would have seen record numbers on TNT"
Jerry West really wanted to see a Clippers-Lakers Western Conference Finals.
The NBA Hall of Famer joined Ernie Johnson on NBA TV's NBA Together, where the two discussed a potential Clippers-Lakers conference finals matchup.
Like most NBA fans, every basketball fan in the world wanted to see the Clippers face the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. It would be the first time in NBA history the matchup would happen, and it certainly would have had its share of bad blood. Every single time the two teams faced each other, it was a tightly contested and bitter battle.
"We were ascending OK, and now when are we going to get back?" West said. "The Lakers across town, this would have been an incredible thing for basketball, if someway, somehow, these two teams could have played in a Western Conference Final."
There are so many factors that would have made a Clippers-Lakers conference finals a must-watch series:
- Both teams are the two best teams in the western conference, that have arguably four of the top ten players in basketball.
- While nothing has been outwardly said, it's clear to see that both teams have bad blood between each other.
- The rarity of the Clippers facing the Lakers in the playoffs. The two teams have never met in the playoffs, but came close in 2006. There has never been a situation where two teams that share a building, faced each other in the playoffs.
With those factors in mind, Jerry West believes that the series would have brought in record-breaking viewership.
"I think you would have seen record numbers on TNT," West said. "I think the viewership would have been obviously biased toward the Lakers, which is great, okay. It's just horrible to sit here and not have something to root for."
There is no certainty about whether the NBA season will return or not. In fact, there's still a decent chance that the Clippers could face the Lakers in the playoffs. The one thing that is a certainty though, is that fans won't be allowed at the event. Without the excitement of the fans, the matchup just won't be the same - that's the true robbery.
