The hype for a Western Conference Finals match-up between the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers continues to be strong. It began the second Kawhi Leonard and Paul George joined forces with the Clippers in July 2019, roughly three weeks after the Lakers traded for Anthony Davis to pair him with LeBron James.

The road has endured seemingly endless hurdles, and it definitely looked in shambles at certain points, but it’s finally getting closer and closer to reality. While the fans who can’t wait for it and can’t stand all the talks about it are scattered around, we all know the gigantic clash is simply inevitable.

Yes, there’s a crowd of bandwagoners and classic contrarians in there, but no one can also deny the intrigue between the two teams.

Here’s why a Lakers-Clippers playoff showdown interesting:

THEY ARE HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE EVERYONE IN THE WEST

Let’s start with the obvious. No one is really on the Lakers’ or Clippers’ level in the West – forget the records because when it’s “go time,” we know who the true elites are. There’s a reason why we’re witnessing both teams recover from bumpy stretches time and again.

No other star in the conference, top to bottom, is also on LeBron and Kawhi’s level – not a single one is even close when you combine quality of play and playoff experience. Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the same boat based on play alone, but he’s already gone fishing.

In a perfect world, these two will meet in the NBA Finals, but this is the next best thing, and a Conference Finals with legacies and bragging rights on the line should do.

THE SUPERSTAR DUOS

Duos are now the “in” thing in the NBA, and the LA teams have the absolute cream of the crop. The LeBron James-Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard-Paul George tandems are great on paper, and just as great on the court.

LeBron and AD are physical specimens that do things beyond what’s naturally expected of their height and built. Kawhi and PG, meanwhile, are high-scoring, two-way swingmen that can get buckets anywhere on the floor and go toe-to-toe against anyone defensively.

THE SUPPORTING CAST ARE A GOOD MATCH-UP TOO

The supporting cast’s battle being equally intriguing is the cherry on top. Despite the differences in play, they seem to mirror each other in a certain area.

Patrick Beverley and Rajon Rondo are great agitators; Landry Shamet and Alex Caruso are sneakily good defenders who can provide quick offense when called upon; Montrezl Harrell and JaVale McGee are long-armed, defensive bigs; Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are two wildcards that are streaky shooters. It goes on.

We can include the Morris twins, but that would be too easy. It feels like cheating.

LEBRON VS. KAWHI

They’re two of the league’s best and biggest stars. What more can you ask for? On one side, you have LeBron, a basketball savant who’s physically imposing and drinks from the fountain of youth, and on the other you have Kawhi, a straight-up monster on both ends of the floor.

If that’s not enough, their personalities are very much in contrast too – almost as good as the one between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

LeBron is the classic celebrity athlete, one that’s primed for the spotlight and never shy about showing his emotions. Kawhi is the exact opposite – he’s there to play ball and go home, and he’s more inclined to be awkward in any public appearance.

It’s too good. It’s too intriguing. It’s straight out of a Hollywood script.