The state of California, not just Los Angeles, was the big winner in the NBA on Tuesday night.
Lost in the shuffle of the Los Angeles Lakers’ play-in game win over the Minnesota Timberwolves — which almost didn’t happen, thanks to Anthony Davis — was the history the Lakers’ victory created.
With the purple and gold officially reaching the first round of the playoffs, it’s the first time all four NBA teams that reside in California — the Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and Sacramento Kings — made the postseason while residing in The Golden State together.
All four clubs were not in California at the same time until 1985. So, it took almost four decades for half the Western Conference playoff field to feature every California team.
Wild. Just wild.
For the first time, the Sacramento Kings, LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors and LA Lakers have all made the playoffs for the first time since all have been in California. pic.twitter.com/crWCFMQIox
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) April 12, 2023
Think about all the stars that have to align for one state to have so many quality, playoff-level teams. Even in recent years, with the Clippers and Warriors on the upswing, the Lakers and Kings weren’t holding up their end of the bargain. But no more.
It’s clear that in the NBA, California really does know how to party.
