During this time, the Clipper’s intense rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers began to unfold after they finished with a record better than the Lakers for the fifth time in history. By 2013, the team won their first division title and made it to the NBA playoffs for the third time in franchise history. After a rough start as a team, the Clippers fortunes turned in their favor during the early 2010s when they acquired core players Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Chris Paul. The team was originally founded in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves, they then moved to San Diego as the Clippers in 1978, and officially moved to LA’s Staples Center in 1984. Their competitive skill, media coverage, and financial success is now up in the ranks with the other major teams in the NBA.
After decades as one of the National Basketball Association’s ongoing jokes given years of bad luck and poor success, the Los Angeles Clippers have quickly transformed from “LA’s other team” to a consistent playoff contender and a force to be reckoned with.
