Early in the 2016-17 season, the Clippers and Warriors have emerged as the cream of the crop in the Western Conference.
But the two rivals don't meet until Dec. 7 in Los Angeles. So until then, the only way to know which team has been more impressive this season is to ask a player that has faced both teams already this season.
That's where Meyers Leonard comes in.
The Blazers power forward appeared on SiriusXM NBA Radio on Monday and was asked which team he thinks is better at this early point ithe season.
"I would say the Clippers at this point. We've played them twice, they beat us both times. They beat us at home, I think it was our second game of the year. It was a bit of a sloppy game, to be honest. We were going back and forth, and back and forth. They just ended up beating us at the end. I think that's a game we could have gotten. And I feel we matchup fairly well with the Clippers, but they've beaten us twice, the second time in LA. It got ugly. They were way up.
And then the Warriors, too. They're figuring things out. Obviously, they have a lot of offensive firepower, clearly. But I believe as a fan of the game outside of competing inside the lines, they are missing [Andrew] Bogut. And now we have Festus [Ezeli]. They are missing that rim presense, in my opinion. Draymond [Green] was really able to extend himself and be aggressive. Same thing with their guards last year. And Bogut was smart. He plays at the rim, unselfish, blocks shots and he was a good defender for them. But I'm sure as the season goes on, they'll figure it out.
But I would say the Clippers right now. Blake [Griffin's] playing at an unbelievable level, DeAndre [Jordan] is doing what he does, blocks shots, he rebounds and dunks the ball like he's playing on a tykes rim. JJ Redick can shoot the ball, [Chris Paul] controls the pace of the game. So right now, I would say the Clippers are the best team."
