Ever since the NBA shut down on March 11th, a lot has happened in the world. In terms of the Coronavirus, millions of people have been infected with it worldwide, and over 100,000 people in the United States have died from it. Meanwhile, over the past couple of weeks, protests have been going on all across the world following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police. 

Today, the Los Angeles Clippers released a powerful short film called "While We Were Away" which speaks on many of the events of the last three months. This film was narrated by Paul George and there are some very poignant lines that truly make you think and reflect on everything that is happening in the world right now.

After a lengthy battle, the CEO of the Los Angeles Clippers has announced that he’s finally bought The Forum in Los Angeles. According to CNBC, Ballmer has come to an agreement with Madison Square Garden Company, through CAPSS LLC., to purchase the complex for a cool $400M cash. This also settles Ballmer’s legal spat with MSG, a company led by Knicks owner James Dolan, who attempted to block Ballmer from opening a new arena for the Clippers near The Forum.

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“This is an unprecedented time, but we believe in our collective future,” said Ballmer. “We are committed to our investment in the City of Inglewood, which will be good for the community, the Clippers, and our fans.”

The venue will still act as a live-music venue in the area with the current employees having offers of employment by Ballmer and CAPSS LLC. However, the Clippers will be moving away from their home at the Staples Center that they’ve shared with the Lakers since 1999. The head developer of the forthcoming Clippers arena, Chris Meany of Wilson Meany, did acknowledge the possible headaches it will cause residents in the area but he said that they’ll be putting forth a concerted effort to reduce traffic congestion around basketball games and concerts.

“We know traffic is something that many Inglewood residents worry about. While we have gone to great lengths to provide an unprecedented traffic-management plan for the new basketball arena, this acquisition provides a much greater ability to coordinate and avoid scheduling events at the same time at both venues,” he said.

Paul Pierce is considered to be a legend in Boston. He helped the team win a title in 2008 and while his hot takes get him in trouble, there is no doubt he is a respected player around the NBA. Pierce was drafted tenth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1998 although he was projected to go much higher. While speaking to the “All The Smoke” podcast, Pierce admitted that he actually wanted 

“The Clippers was the number one pick, and I was like, ‘Ooh, I wanna go home and play,’” Pierce said. So I worked out for them, and then I asked them for a second workout… I was projected to go No. 2 to the Vancouver Grizzlies. Clippers wanted a big man, they picked [Michael] Olowokandi.”

Pierce went on to explain how he felt while he saw himself slipping in the draft. As you can imagine, it wasn’t a very good feeling.

“The Draft comes, and I just slipped. I’m an All American, I’m a top 5 player in college, I’m up for National Player of the Year, so I’m wondering why is it that I’m slipping. I’m slipping in the draft,” Pierce explained.

While Pierce didn’t get drafted high, there is no denying things ended up working out for him.

Joakim Noah was recently signed to a 10-day contract by the Los Angeles Clippers and if anyone is happy about this move, it’s his neighbors in New York City. We say this because according to Page Six, Noah’s neighbors have been upset with him over the last few months due to his incessant workouts at the condo building’s gym.

In the report, it states that Noah allegedly used the gym as if it was his very own NBA facility. He even had various trainers come over who were blowing whistles loudly and disrupting the peace. These activities led residents to request Noah be banned from the gym. In the end, Noah never changed up his routine and the neighbors remained upset. Of course, this doesn’t matter now as Noah is no longer in New York City.

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This situation is certainly bizarre as there are plenty of gyms in New York that Noah could have used. Regardless, convenience is everything these days so it makes sense that he would want to use what is closest to him. Not to mention, if you know there is an NBA star in your building, you have to expect these kinds of things are going to happen.

With the NBA under lockdown, we can only imagine how Noah is trying to train at this point.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith is no stranger to the 'hot take' but when it comes to his Top 5 NBA teams right now, he's going all chalk. The boisterous host took to twitter on Tuesday night to share his thoughts about the five best teams in the league, and they're the five teams that currently sit atop the NBA standings - just in a slightly different order.

As seen in the tweet embedded below, Smith's picks include: 1) Los Angeles Lakers, 2) Milwaukee Bucks, 3) Los Angeles Clippers, 4) Toronto Raptors, 5) Denver Nuggets.

LeBron James will go down as one of the best basketball players to ever walk onto an NBA court. Having said that, there have been discussions over the last couple of years in regards to how badly he wants to win a fourth championship. Some think the King has gone soft in his old age although his teammates would certainly disagree with this notion. 

Earlier in the season, LeBron was being dominated by Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers. It was speculated that LeBron didn’t want the smoke with Kawhi and that he would rather guard someone else. In a recent report from LZ Granderson of the Los Angeles Times, Lakers assistant coach Phil handy spoke about LeBron and how he was targeting Kawhi prior to Sunday’s win. In the end, the strategy worked out as the Lakers won convincingly.

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“People forget what he gets like after the All-Star break; he’s a different guy,” Handy said. “He’s preparing himself for that — that’s what you saw today and Milwaukee, you see him saying ‘Let me get myself and help my team in the right frame of mind.’ So for him diving on the floor for loose balls and taking the challenge defensively, that’s what you see. Last night I texted LeBron and asked him who he wanted to guard and he texted back, ‘I’m guarding Kawhi [Leonard].’ ”

LeBron and Kawhi could be on track for a playoff matchup and if this were to happen, we can only imagine what kind of narratives would come from it all. If this were the case, who do you think would win? Let us know in the comments.

It has been discussed ad nauseum today but yesterday, LeBron James helped lead his Los Angeles Lakers to a huge win over the Los Angeles Clippers. This match was huge for the Lakers as they needed to prove that they could actually beat the Clippers with both teams at full strength. The win was massive and now, the Lakers boast a record of 49-13 which puts them comfortably in first place in the Western Conference. 

There were some famous faces on tap for this matchup, including Jay-Z who was in the crowd with his daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. After the game, LeBron and Jay-Z exchanged some pleasantries although it was Blue Ivy who stole the show. She seemed incredibly shy in LeBron's presence although eventually, she worked up the courage to ask him for a signed basketball.

Jared Dudley has been one of the best locker room guys in the NBA over the last few seasons. While he doesn’t exactly get a ton of playing time or score a lot of points, you can always count on Dudley to bring his team together and get them ready for any challenge that may come their way. His experience has been worth a lot on the Los Angeles Lakers this season and it’s clear that the team loves him.

After yesterday’s big win against the Los Angeles Clippers, Dudley was walking around Los Angeles where he was met by a TMZ cameraman. During the exchange, Dudley spoke about the coronavirus and what the Lakers are doing to combat it. In the middle of the interview, a man in a car drove the wrong way on a one-way street just so he could yell “Fuck Kawhi.”

Of course, Kawhi Leonard is the Lakers’ biggest obstacle right now in terms of going to the NBA Finals. It remains to be seen whether or not the Lakers can dismantle the Clippers come playoff time although we can’t wait to find out. As for the fan, Dudley seemed impressed by his determination although didn’t exactly recommend the breaking of Los Angeles motor laws.

Moving forward, who do you have going farther in the postseason: the Lakers or Clippers?

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers had the perfect start to the weekend as the team defeated the Milwaukee Bucks who have the best record in the entire NBA. LeBron and Anthony Davis were lights out in that game but their attention had to quickly shift to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers are seen as the Lakers’ biggest threat this season and are one of the few teams the purple and gold has been unable to beat. On Sunday, that all changed as LeBron helped lead his team to a 112-103 victory.

The win helped bring the Lakers to a record of 49-13. They have built a nice little cushion at the top of the Western Conference standings and remain one of the biggest frontrunners for the NBA title. After defeating two of the best teams in the league, LeBron was feeling himself and took to Instagram where he compared himself to a lion.

LeBron is also in the discussion for league MVP. Last week, most people would have said Giannis Antetokounmpo deserves the honor. Now, LeBron has become far and away the best player in the league which is pretty incredible when you consider how he is 35 years old and playing in his 17th season.

At this point, it really feels like the Lakers and Clippers are on a collision course to the Western Conference Finals.

Kawhi Leonard was the biggest free agent on the market last summer and in the end, he ended up choosing the Los Angeles Clippers which realistically, was a foregone conclusion. We all knew Leonard wanted to play in Los Angeles although it was to be determined whether or not he preferred the Lakers or Clippers. Considering the Lakers already had Anthony Davis and LeBron James, the Clippers seemed like the clear cut choice. 

Now, the Clippers are near the top of the Western Conference and have a real chance to do some damage come playoff time. In a recent report from Royce Young of ESPN, Leonard was asked about the Clippers potential and where he thinks they can go. As you can see based on his answer, even Leonard doesn’t know what this team’s ceiling is.

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“I don’t know,” Leonard said. “Because I don’t know what our potential is. You never know how good a team can be. But we’re going to strive to be the best team we can. We’re not complacent. We want to keep getting better and hopefully reach the goal.”

The Clippers started the season with some apparent chemistry issues but quickly got things together as the season went on. Now, the team is practically unstoppable when both Leonard and George are in the lineup. If there is any team that can beat the Lakers in a seven-game series, it would be the Clippers.