(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY JIM FLINK

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

In the battle of the City of Angels, who knew -- the Clippers would outpace the Lakers?

Since the arrival of Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups, the new-look Clips look playoff worthy.

Here’s the breakdown from NBA.com.

“Blake did not get going really in this game, and the Clippers still controlled about every facet of it.”

“There’s just a calming influence with Chris Paul and a confidence now.  You can see it on their bench right now 3D.  There’s excitement in the building.  Every guy on the bench is believing in this guy.”

So did the Clips win -- or did the Lakers lose it for themselves?

The L.A. Times says, it’s the latter.

“They failed to close out on perimeter shooters, defend in transition or figure out what to do about the Clippers' new backcourt during a 114-95 loss Monday night at Staples Center.  The Lakers say they want to be a defense-first team, which was not exactly a term being used to describe them after their exhibition opener.  Excuses abounded afterward.”

Perhaps they doth protest too much.

Yahoo! Sports says, yes, the Clips looked good -- but let’s not get carried away here.  It’s the pre-season.

“... it certainly should not be indicative of what we should expect from the Los Angeles Clippers or Los Angeles Lakers in this truncated 66-game season. But if you'll allow the Clippers' 19-point win over the Lakers on Monday to be slightly telling? Then the Clips just told the old men off.”

But an ESPN blogger says, the Clippers -- along with the Oklahoma City Thunder -- are the cream of the NBA West.

And with Paul churning the butter, they’re rising to the top.

“It was only a preseason game, but Monday night's matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers was a microcosm of what is likely to play out all season in the Western Conference: an upheaval of traditional powers.”