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Coaches downplay Lakers-Clippers rivalry

Coaches Byron Scott, left, of the Lakers and Doc Rivers of the Clippers greet each other before the start of their game Friday night at Staples Center.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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The Clippers are not living up to their hype.

Considered one of the teams capable of winning the NBA championship, the Clippers have yet to look like one of the contenders in their first two games.

Blake Griffin was the best player on the court for the team, scoring 39 points.

The Lakers had lost their first two games by an average of 19 points, and yet they were taking it to the Clippers.

In their regular-season opener Thursday night at Staples Center, the Clippers struggled to hold off an Oklahoma City Thunder team that had seven players out with injuries, winning by three points in the final seconds.

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What rivalry?

In their own way, both coaches tried to downplay Friday night’s game between the Lakers and Clippers as just a regular game and not a rivalry game.

When Clippers Coach Doc Rivers was asked about the rivalry between his team and the Lakers, his response was typical.

“We’re just going to try to win tonight,” Rivers said before the Clippers played the Lakers in their designated home game at Staples Center the two teams share.

When Lakers Coach Byron Scott was asked about the rivalry between his team and the Clippers, his response was typical as well.

“It’s just another game,” Scott said.

But the media wanted to know whether there is a rivalry between the Clippers and Lakers.

“I don’t know,” Rivers said. “That’s not for me to say. It really isn’t. All I know is, our focus is on tonight and not history. We haven’t made any history.”

Scott grew up in Los Angeles and played for the Lakers in the ‘80s.

So in his eyes, “it wasn’t a rivalry” when the Lakers dominated the series and when the Lakers were not only the best team in Los Angeles, but one of the best teams in the NBA.

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“But now, they’re the better basketball team,” Scott said about the Clippers. “That’s clear right now. But again, I don’t think if you ask Kobe [Bryant] if it’s a rivalry, I don’t think he would say it’s a rivalry right now.

“I don’t consider the Lakers and Clippers a true rivalry, yet. Obviously, I think our rivalry has always been the Celtics. They’ve got 17 [NBA championship] banners, we’ve got 16 banners.”

But the Clippers have two banners, Scott was told.

Of course, the Clippers have won the last two straight Pacific Division banners.

“I mean championship banners,” Scott said, smiling.

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Twitter:@BA_Turner

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