The Intensity Meter is on the Rise in the Battle of the Staples Center

Since 1999, both of the NBA's Los Angeles teams have played in the Staples Center. For most of that time the Lakers have bullied their little brother, the Clippers. After all the Lakers won three NBA championships in a row back in the Shaq and Kobe era. Then, they won back to back titles in 2009 and 2010. Meanwhile, the Clippers have struggled, making the playoffs only once (2006) since the move to their new home.

The Lakers carry that era of superiority when the play. They are of course still led by the aging, but resilient Kobe Bryant. They also still have Derek Fisher running the point and Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynam as their starting big men. The one guy they let go for basically nothing was Lamar Odom. The team needed to make a change following their ugly collapse in the playoffs last year, and Odom was the causality. The Lakers did try to make improvements by trading for superstars Dwight Howard (unsuccessful) and Chris Paul. The Lakers had a deal for Paul, but the league vetoed it.

This opened up the door for the Clippers. They already had a young superstar in Blake Griffin, but they were looking for another star to pair with him. When the Lakers' deal fell through, the Clippers reacted quickly. They finally acquired Paul and two second round draft picks for guard Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman, forward Al-Farouq Aminu, and the Minnesota Timberwolves' 2012 first round pick. During the offseason, the team also signed forward Caron Butler and veteran point guard Chauncey Billups.

The trade made the Clippers playoff contenders right away. Soon afterwards, people started asking the question of who was the best team in Los Angeles for the first time in a very long time. On Saturday, January 14, the Clippers took first blood. However, last night, the Lakers took revenge with a fourth quarter rally to win. The game featured hard fouls, plenty of trash talk, and wrestling between players. With one second left in the game, Pau Gasol patted the back of Chris Paul's head. The two exchanged pleasantries afterwards.

Anyone who watched the game can tell you that this is growing quickly into an intense rivalry. The Clippers are only going to get better as time progresses. But the Lakers are not going to just sit back and let them take over. The Clippers are planning a coup to supplant the Lakers' throne of superiority, while the Lakers look to hold firm. This will be an interesting storyline to follow this season and for years to come. Basketball in Los Angeles just got a little bit hotter.