Lakers to provide 'California State Championship' shirts to fans for Game 3 vs. Warriors

Sam Jarden

Lakers to provide 'California State Championship' shirts to fans for Game 3 vs. Warriors image

In their ongoing playoff series, the Lakers and Warriors are playing for more than just a spot in the Western Conference Finals. They're playing for the California State Championship.

At least, that's what the Lakers want us to believe. Ahead of Game 3 on Saturday night, T-shirts that read "2023 California State Championship" were placed on each seat in Crypto.com Arena.

MORE: How Stephen Curry shredded the Lakers in Game 2

The claim is presumably a reference to the fact that the Warriors and Lakers are the last two California teams still standing in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. However, it's a bit odd for a few reasons.

This year marked the first time that all four California teams (Lakers, Warriors, Clippers and Kings) made the NBA Playoffs. The Kings finished with the best regular season record of the four at 48-34, while the Clippers and Warriors finished tied at 44-38. Based on regular season record, the Lakers were actually California's worst team at 43-39.

The Warriors defeated the Kings in their first-round series, triumphing in seven games to advance. The Lakers, on the other hand, did not play a California team in the first round. They eliminated the Grizzlies in six games.

The Clippers, meanwhile, were positioned on the other side of the bracket. They lost their first-round series against the Suns in five games, but even if they had advanced, they would have needed to win the following series as well to have had any chance of running into a California team in the playoffs.

That means the Warriors are guaranteed to be the only California team the Lakers will face in the playoffs this season. If the Lakers had faced the Clippers in the first round, then the claim would have made more sense because there would have been a mini-bracket among those four teams.

The winner of the Lakers-Warriors series will be the last California team standing this year, but it's a bit of a stretch to declare the winner the state champion.

If we're basing it on that metric, the Warriors have won the state championship in seven of the last 10 years, with the Lakers winning twice and the Clippers winning once.

As some would say, it's a weird flex, but OK.

Lakers vs. Warriors schedule

Date Game Time (ET) TV channel
May 2 Lakers 117, Warriors 112 10 p.m. TNT
May 4 Warriors 127, Lakers 100 9 p.m. ESPN
May 6 Game 3 8:30 p.m. ABC
May 8 Game 4 10 p.m. TNT
May 10 Game 5 10 p.m. TNT
May 12 Game 6* TBD ESPN
May 14 Game 7* TBD ABC

*If necessary

Fans in the U.S. can watch the NBA's biggest playoff games on Sling TV, which is now offering HALF OFF your first month! Stream Sling Orange for $20 in your first month to catch all the games on TNT, ESPN & ABC. For games on NBA TV, subscribe to Sling Orange & Sports Extra for $27.50 in your first month. Local regional blackout restrictions apply.

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Sam Jarden

Sam Jarden Photo

Sam Jarden joined Sporting News as an intern in 2020 and returned as a content producer in 2022. In between, he spent a year and a half at Turner Sports, managing the social media accounts for Bleacher Report, NBA on TNT, NBA TV and others. A proud UNC alumnus, he spends his free time following the Tar Heels, Buffalo Bills and Newcastle United FC, and has been known to occasionally hit the links.