Just like the good majority of basketball fans, NBA Hall-of-Famer and LA Clippers executive Jerry West is excited about the possibility of a marquee finals match-up between his Clippers and LA’s main star-studded, powerhouse team, the Lakers.

The chances of it happening opened up with the proposed 1-16 playoff seeding, which will split the two LA teams in opposite brackets. It’s probably the basketball gods gifting fans the duel they want to see.

Here’s West at The Dan Patrick Show, raving about the undeniable goodness of the potential match-up:

“For me, [a Lakers-Clippers finals] would be the ultimate competition … The enormous success that the Lakers have had over the years, they are a really good team now, two of the best players we’ve seen in a long time on one team. I think it would be incredible for the people in the West. I’m not sure how that would go over for the teams back East who want to see their respective teams get an opportunity to play.”

“That would be a situation where I think it would be unbelievably competitive, it would be compelling … I don’t know how many teams in the same city have competed for a championship in any sport, much less the NBA. It would make a compelling story, but, in all likelihood, I think you’re going to see things that will be a little bit more normal.”

The potential storylines would engulf the basketball media. While both teams are currently at the top of the league’s pecking order and neither is truly an underdog in terms of talent, the match-up is a classic case of a blue-collar, hard-nosed team battling the ultimate ‘A-List’ squad.

LA is a basketball-crazed city that has often overlooked the Clippers, except the rare occasions when the Clipps have had a better team or record than the Lakers. This is their ultimate opportunity to finally one-up the Purple and Gold.

Of course, it will also pit Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James against each other, arguably two of the best and biggest superstars in the league.

The season series has the Clipps up, 2-1. They handily beat the Lakers on opening night back in October, 112-102, and also eked past them on Christmas Day, 111-106, through resilient play down the stretch.

James and company were then finally able to fire back during their third meeting, 112-103, which came two days after also dominating Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, and three days before the league suspended its games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lastly, West himself might have some thirst to beat the Lakers now that he’s on the other side. A highly beloved Laker legend, both as a player and a front office executive, he guided the team to nine finals appearances in his playing career, including a championship in 1972. Later, as their GM, he then laid down the foundation for the Lakers’ dynasty in the 1980s and early 2000s.