I live in Southern California and I always said that Los Angeles will always be a Lakertown. Even if the Clippers go win three NBA championships in a row. I always thought the only way the Clippers would “own” Los Angeles was to have incredible success over the next 40 years while the Lakers flounder and become lottery regulars for that same amount of time.

Los Angeles Clippers superstar Blake Griffin apparently has the same mindset as I do. From his latest interview with GQ magazine:

The Lakers had a disastrous off-season. Are the Clippers finally the alpha team in L.A.?

No, because for a lot of people, it’s about history. And nothing we can ever do will ever take away from their history. They’ve had unbelievable success as a franchise. And I think in this current day, we’re the better team. I do. But I mean, if you ask anybody that, they’re gonna say that, you know—so that’s not a real controversial statement.

And he’s right. The Lakers have a rich history. Plus the Lakers have built such a brand that the Lakers are one of the first things people think of when they think of the city of angels. And to fans that don’t watch the NBA, they still think the Lakers are good right now (when they are clearly not).

The Clippers have a long way to go to even smell the dominance the Lakers have had over the years.

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Griffin image courtesy of Getty Images.