Players believe they can beat the Lakers

[NJNJ]

Nine is enough -- and surely 10 is too many.

 

Or so the Clippers believe as they try to end a streak of nine consecutive losses to the Lakers when the teams meet tonight at Staples Center in a Clippers home game.

 

The Lakers swept all four games from the Clippers in each of the last two seasons, and the reigning NBA champions also won on opening day this season, 99-92, on Oct. 27.

 

But the Clippers trailed by only one point through three quarters of that last game. And several Clippers said Tuesday that they're confident they can finally topple the Lakers if they play to their full potential, even though the Lakers have the best record in the league.

 

"We can beat anybody, we can beat the Lakers," center Chris Kaman said after the Clippers practiced at their Playa Vista training facility.

 

"The thing is, we have to play our best, we have to play our game the way we're capable of playing it," he said.

 

Clippers point guard Baron Davis said the key to defeating the Lakers is "heart."

 

"We have to believe we can win," he said. "We've got to go out there and be the aggressor, that's how you beat them. It's not about Xs and O's. It's about the effort and heart you put in."

 

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[Klashnekoff]

The way the Lakers defense looks with or without Gasol and Ron, i personally think any team can beat the Lakers (or any team for that matter). The league is really competitive this year and the Lakers defense vanished for some reason.