By Jessica Bracamontes |Staff Writer|
Lately, the city of Los Angeles has been on top of the sports world, with the Dodgers, Lakers, Clippers, and Kings making noise in their respective sports.
The hype from these Los Angeles teams has made its way to CSUSB, as the Coyotes cheer on and support their favorite local sport teams year round.
Student Valeria Barragan is an avid Dodgers fan who attends multiple games each season and is convinced that this season will be quite successful for the boys in blue.
“Los Angeles Dodgers are doing extremely good this season with a 24-13 record so far. With their new ownership, it gives the team the motivation to focus more on the game,” said Barragan. “They come together as a team to give the fans what we want, and we want a championship this year.”
Currently, the Dodgers hold the best record in all of baseball. Dodgers’ center fielder Matt Kemp has been blazing hot as of late, with 12 home runs and a .359 batting average.
Bad news struck recently for Kemp and the Dodgers as he went down with a right hamstring injury that put him on the 15-day disabled list.
Fans only hope he will be back soon to continue to rip eye-popping home runs and drive in runs in bunches. Even without Kemp for a short period of time, the team has plenty of young, talented stars to carry the load for a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, the Clippers had themselves quite a regular season, as they provided the league with plenty of highlights to go along with their first playoff berth in six years.
With 40 wins and 26 losses, the team was able to post their highest winning percentage in Clippers history, thanks in large part to the acquisition of what many call the best point guard in the league right now, Chris Paul, who turned the team into Lob City. They started their playoff run against the powerful Memphis Grizzlies, who were favored to take the series.
The Grizzlies stacked roster and homecourt advantage were just two of the many obstacles that the Clippers had to face throughout the series, however, they ultimately prevailed with an impressive 10-point victory in game seven on the road. They moved on to face the No.1 seeded San Antonio Spurs, who they are currently in a dog fight with.
The Lakers found themselves in their usual position among the powerhouses of the competitive Western Conference.
With a 41-25 record, the Lakers claimed the No. 3 spot and faced off against the scrappy Denver Nuggets in their first round series.
The Lakers and Nuggets battled back and forth, and the Lakers, like the Clippers, won the series in seven games. Currently, they are facing off against the vaunted Oklahoma City Thunder.
Interestingly enough, if the Clippers and Lakers are able to win their respective series, they will face off for the right to be crowned kings of Los Angeles as well as champions of the Western Conference.
Student Arthur Macias is a devoted Los Angeles fan who enjoys Lakers’ and Clippers’ games. “I believe the success for the teams is the dedication and eagerness to win a championship again. The success can be [attributed] by the key factors [such] as the coaches, staffs and the income the teams make,” said Macias.
In the NHL world, the Kings have made a surprising run in the playoffs, as they have dominated the competition so far. The Kings finished the regular season with 40 wins which was just enough to get them into the playoffs as the eight seed.
In round one of the playoffs, the No. 1 seeded Kings faced the Vancouver Canucks, who held the league’s best record.
The Kings made easy work of them, pulling off an improbable series win in only five games.
The following opponent for the Kings was the St. Louis Blues, whose defense was feared and revered around the league. Unphased, however, the Kings were able to pull off a 4–0 sweep against the Blues.
The Kings were able to advance to the Western Conference Finals where they are currently facing off against their division rivals, the Phoenix Coyotes.
If the Kings are able to defeat the Phoenix Coyotes, they will have earned the right to play for, and potentially win, the first Stanley Cup in the franchises’ silent history. Even more impressive, they would be the first eight seed in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup.
Student Marvin Mejia is impressed with the Kings’ play and feels that this team can truly compete for the Cup. “Well, with the acquiring of [Jeff] Carter and [Mike] Richards, I had high hopes for goal scoring, and with [Jonathan] Quick in goal, I knew it was a recipe for good things,” said Mejia.
“The way they have been playing, they stand a good chance at winning, but they can’t get overconfident. They have to take it one hard-fought game at a time. Go Kings, go!”
With the successes that sports teams are having in the city, it will come as no surprise if the city of Angels is able to host multiple parades this summer.
Recent Comments