Playoffs, Dodgers and bike race set stage for weekend gridlock

With four of Los Angeles' professional sports teams in action this weekend -- three of them in postseason contests -- authorities are warning of a possible harmonic convergence of gridlock in the downtown area.

The heavier than normal traffic is expected to last from Friday through Sunday as the Lakers, Clippers and Kings are all in action for a total of five playoff games in three days. 

The Dodgers will be hosting the St. Louis Cardinals as part of a weekend homestand. And on Sunday morning, the final stage of the Amgen Tour of California will start in Beverly Hills and end in downtown L.A.

As if that was not enough, a weekend trade show is also scheduled at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Officials are encouraging people to ditch their cars. Public transportation -- including the Red, Purple, Blue and Expo Lines -- all stop near Staples Center. Those who can't live without their cars should allow plenty of extra time for the drive.

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-- Andrew Blankstein
twitter.com/anblanx

Photo: A view from the Goodyear Blimp of Staples Center and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at L.A. Live. Credit: John W. Adkisson / Los Angeles Times