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.

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.

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 held court at Staples Center this past weekend, defeating Giannis Antetokounmpo and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, followed by a victory against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon. As a result of Sunday’s ‘W,’ the Lake Show improved to 49-13 with a 6.5 game cushion over the second-seeded Clips.

The pair of marquee victories had Laker Nation beating their chest on Sunday, including Snoop Dogg who delivered the celebration of the night.

Although Sunday’s showdown at Staples Center was “just another game” on the 82-game regular season slate, there was most certainly a playoff atmosphere in the building. 

“The best type of games are when you come out of there with bloody lips and scratches and guys taking charges and guys chirping,” Anthony Davis said after the Lakers’ 112-103 win, per ESPN. “Those are the type of games that you live for, the fun games in basketball that every player in this locker room wants. It was a fun game today.”

“Wasn’t there, like, a stat they’re 10-0 full-strength, something like that?” asked JaVale McGee, correctly citing the Clippers’ number. “Welp. It’s one loss now.”

The two teams will meet one more time during the regular season on April 9th, but basketball fans abound have to be hoping that that won’t be the last time they do battle this season. Up next for Snoop’s Lakers are a trio of home games, including a nationally televised (TNT) matchup against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.

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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.

Los Angeles Clippers guard, Patrick Beverley, claims that guarding Lebron James is a breeze. Earlier today (March 8), the Clippers faced off against the Lakers and fell to the 16-time NBA Champions 112-103. The season series between the two is now 2-1, with the Clippers currently in the lead. However, Lebron James and the Lakers asserted themselves today forcing the new-look Clippers to stay defensive-minded throughout the entire 48-minute exhibition match. Unfortunately for the Clippers, James was nearly impossible to contain as he notched a total of 28 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds in 35 minutes of action. 

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During Beverley's post-game interview, a journalist present asked the 6'1 guard what the challenges are guarding the future Hall of Famer to which he instantaneously responded, "no challenge." The interviewer attempted to ask another question to which Beverley cut him off repeating himself stating, "no challenge." In a third attempt to rephrase the question, the journalist asked Beverley again about guarding Lebron James as he responded, "it's not hard at all (to guard James)." 

Joakim Noah is making his return to the NBA just in time for the playoff push, despite the fact that he has not played in nearly a year. As first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Noah is signing with the Los Angeles Clippers and he is expected to join the team next week. The Athletic's Shams Charania reports that the deal will start out as a 10-day contract.

The 35-year old center has not played since March 23rd of last year when he was a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.