Why Clippers – Rockets could be the league’s best rivalry this season
The LA Clippers will have more than a few rivals this upcoming season, but because of some personal history, the Houston Rockets may be their top one.
This summer, the LA Clippers made headlines by adding two of the best players in basketball to an already-talented roster. Just a few months removed from winning 48 games and challenging the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the postseason, the Clippers managed to add Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, instantly raising their title odds. They’re one of the favorites to win it now, but there are some other teams that made significant jumps this offseason as well.
The Clippers weren’t alone in adding a star talent (or two) this summer — the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers are among those that made impactful moves during the free agency period, with big names like Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis all finding new homes.
The Rockets performed a “star swap”, sending Chris Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Russell Westbrook — one of James Harden‘s former teammates, and the root of animosity for a few Clippers players — just days after the Thunder dealt George to LA.
George and Westbrook don’t have any bad blood. In fact, George said the opposite, claiming that Westbrook was “all for” his trade to LA and that he was happy for him. But now that they’re both on new teams, and two teams that intend to compete for a title, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the two ultra-competitive players go at each other a little bit when they meet.
That might be amplified by George’s new teammates, too. At least, the ones that spent some time in Houston themselves. That includes Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams — some of LA’s most important players.
Beverley in particular has some bad blood with Westbrook. The two have had on-court issues dating back to his time in Houston, and their feud has never been bigger.
Harrell and Williams also tend to play their best games against their former team. In the Clippers’ early season victory over Houston last October, the two combined for 53 points and were far and away the team’s top scorers.
Personal beef aside, the Clippers and Rockets could start one of the league’s best rivalries this season simply because of the position both teams are in. Both have superstar duos, both will be competing for a title, and both haven’t experienced a ton of postseason success (beyond making it there).
Since the 2011-2012 season, both franchises have qualified for the postseason seven times. And although the Rockets have been to the Western Conference Finals twice during that time, they still have the same amount of awards to show for it that the Clippers do.
There seems to be more certainty regarding the Clippers’ situation this season, but both teams are expected to be among the best in the league. And if Westbrook and Harden can figure out how to share the ball, there’s a chance that Houston could be the top team in the conference.
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There’s certainly more that goes into what makes a good rivalry, but these two teams appear to have the makings of a good one. And since we know how hard the LA Clippers fought last season, fans should expect them to give the Rockets everything they’ve got, whether it’s the regular season or the playoffs.