Would a Nets or Clippers Championship Make them More Popular than the Knicks or Lakers?

[Hockeyholic]

Or...will it never matter.

Meaning the Lakers will always be more beloved than the Clippers. And same for the Knicks over the Nets?

Might be a question only folks in said cities can answer.

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[Terry Yake]

no

 

[Brodeur]

It'd take a lot for the Clippers to overtake the Lakers locally. A few years back, I went to a Staples Center doubleheader with the Clippers/Cavaliers and Lakers/Knicks (plus the Devils/Kings the night before). I expected there to be much more buzz for the first game since it was the height of the Chris Paul / Blake Griffin era and LeBron was in town. Meanwhile the Lakers were last in the Western Conference. But it was completely the opposite to my surprise. Also seemingly a lot of tourists as well as the Lakers are a name brand.

It'd take a (short) generation of new fans for the Clippers to wash off the stink of the Donald Sterling era. They were a gong show / punching bag locally for so many years. Unless the Clippers went on a dynasty run and the Lakers turned into the Dolan Knicks, I wouldn't foresee it happening any time soon.

 

[MMC]

Can't speak for the situation in New York, but absolutely not for the Clippers, not even close.

 

[Stylizer1]

Can't speak for the situation in New York, but absolutely not for the Clippers, not even close.

Every Nets fans is a bandwagoner until the Knicks win.

 

[John Price]

stephen a is on first take these days talking about how the nets will never be as good as the knicks LUL

 

[Voight]

Clippers have largely been irrelevant most of their time in LA. Lakers just have such a long history in the city and have pretty much been successful the entire time. Even if the Clippers won 17 championships they still wouldn't pass them.

As for the Nets.... I doubt it. They have been more successful than the Knicks in the last 20 years yet have never come close to surpassing them. So even winning a title wont help them IMO.

 

[Gecklund]

Clippers would need to win multiple championships in a row so the bandwagon fans come. Also they need to get a talent with the marketability of Kobe.

 

[Stylizer1]

Clippers would need to win multiple championships in a row so the bandwagon fans come. Also they need to get a talent with the marketability of Kobe.

The clippers need an all time great to lead them to multiple championships for them to even be considered at the level of the Lakers.

 

[Gecklund]

The clippers need an all time great to lead them to multiple championships for them to even be considered at the level of the Lakers.

They just need bandwagon fans like the Lakers and Celtics have.

 

[Stylizer1]

They just need bandwagon fans like the Lakers and Celtics have.

lol. Yep

 

[Gecklund]

lol. Yep

Lob City could have brought a ton of fans in if they could have all stayed healthy and/or had some playoff success but neither of those happened I kind of doubt if they win championships with this group, they’ll get bandwagon fans. Kawhi isn’t a very marketable player.

 

[Terry Yake]

Lob City could have brought a ton of fans in if they could have all stayed healthy and/or had some playoff success but neither of those happened I kind of doubt if they win championships with this group, they’ll get bandwagon fans. Kawhi isn’t a very marketable player.

i think lob city did bring in a ton of new fans

just think about all those kids who grew up during the lob city years which coincided with the lakers being stuck in the basement. same with new bball fans who got into the game during that time. clippers home games vs the lakers in the last few seasons actually feel like clippers home games and lakers fans aren't the overwhelming majority like in the past

they'll never overtake the lakers in terms of popularity unless they win like 10 titles in a row, but if they win a title this season and stay strong in the near future, i think we could finally start seeing people rocking clippers gear and those clippers home games against the lakers could see lakers fans reduced to a noticeable minority

 

[c9777666]

would it be a rangers/islanders situation ala 1980?

 

[Hockeyholic]

would it be a rangers/islanders situation ala 1980?

Even in the Islanders glory days, they could never surpass the Rangers in popularity.

I'd imagine the Rangers 94 cup parade was twice the size of three Islander parades combined.

Islanders legend Smith: N.Y. always will be Rangers territory

 

[alko]

Is there any example of such twist in the sport history?