It’s official, for the third time in the last five seasons, Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks will challenge Kawhi Leonard’s Los Angeles Clippers. There are still two regular season games left to know who will have home field advantage in this series, for the moment it is the Clippers who are ahead of the Mavs.
It’s almost a classic of the first round of the NBA playoffs since “the bubble” which took place in 2020. During this season disrupted by Covid-19, the playoffs took place at Walt Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. World, in Orlando, with a first clash between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers. For the third time in five seasons the two Western Conference franchises will meet for the start of the playoffs, after the victory won by the Mavs last night against the Miami Heat (111-92). This victory allows them to win the standings of the Southwest Division, a criterion which formalizes their position ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans, the only team which could have had the same record.
A dynamic to the advantage of the Mavericks
With a crazy streak of 13 wins in the last 15 games, Luka “Magic” Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks are heading towards the playoffs with real confidence. With the recruitment of Daniel Gafford (pivot) and PJ Washington (power forward) before the trade deadline last February, the Mavs have strengthened a sector which was their weak point: the “frontcourt” (name given to the three “big” that are the winger, the power forward and the pivot).
With these two recruits, Dallas has more weight in the racket and takes more offensive rebounds, enough to offer even more ammunition to the two triggers that are Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, a duo who has been disgusting defenses for several weeks.
As for the Clippers, the record is not as flamboyant with 9 victories in the last 15 games but it must be said that the injuries have not helped. The Los Angeles franchise has rarely been able to count on its entire “big three”, namely Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and James Harden.
The Clippers therefore had to deal with the absences, unlike the Mavs, who were successful on this side. The results of the Tyronn Lue men nevertheless remain positive and the Los Angeles franchise should be able to count on all of these men for this first round which promises to be explosive.
Still thrilling series between Mavs and Clippers
Currently fourth, the Clippers have home-field advantage with a record of 51 wins for 29 losses compared to a 50-30 for the fifth-place Mavericks. There are still two games left in the regular season and a single victory would be enough for Tyronn Lue’s men to maintain home advantage since they have the advantage in the head-to-head matches against Dallas.
Concerning the history in the playoffs, the two past confrontations are salivating and they have always seen the Los Angeles franchise win. In 2020, the Clippers emerged victorious 4-2 in “the bubble”, including an incredible Game 4, during which Dallas won 135-133 in overtime on a buzzer beater from Luka Doncic (author of a triple- double with 43 points, 17 rebounds, 13 assists).
In 2021, the Mavericks, who led 3-2 in the series with a game 6 played at home, failed in their quest for victory against the Clippers, losing 104-97 in this sixth game before being extinguished on match 7, in the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles with a score of 126 to 111.
The psychological ascendancy is therefore to the advantage of the Clippers with regard to the history of the playoffs but Dallas, given its current form, is a team that has been really scary lately. It’s difficult to pick a favorite in this series but one thing is certain, the show will be guaranteed.
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2024-04-11 10:12:00
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