The Clippers are the best team in Los Angeles. Right now, it’s not all that close. But Los Angeles is still a Lakers town. So when people want to validate how good the Clippers are they go and ask the Lakers about it. Because that’s just kind of how L.A. works.

So ESPNLA.com’s Dave McMenamin went toKobe Bryant, who has been in Los Angeles 17 years (since the Clippers were playing in the outdated Los Angeles Sports Arena and being led by Loy Vaught and Malik Sealy) to ask Kobe if this is the best Clippers team he’s ever seen.

“I don’t think it’s a question about it. To put together win streaks that are that long, it shows a lot of focus, it shows a lot of unity and a lot of depth because they can beat you multiple ways,” Bryant continued. “If you’re going to have a winning streak that’s that extensive, you have to have guys coming in from all aspects of the game.”

Mike D’Antoni was singing the Clippers praises, too.

“They’re real good and they’re having a great streak, so we’ll have to reckon with them and they’re kind of setting the bar of where we need to get to,” D’Antoni said.

For the Lakers, it doesn’t really matter that the Clippers are just down the hall. They need to focus on themselves right now.

While some in the national media will try to say “the Clippers are taking over Los Angeles” if you walk around town or listen to sports talk radio in Los Angeles, you know the Lakers have the hearts and minds of the city. You see more Clippers gear now than you used to, and people follow them, but L.A., but it’s not really all that close.

But the better team? The team that could really prove a threat to Oklahoma City in the West? The team that has a guy who should be mentioned in MVP talk (Chris Paul)?

The Clippers have all that. And they have the respect of the Lakers and everybody else in the NBA right now.

via Pro Basketball Talk