Fighting through the midst of the Donald Sterling scandal—and the attendant discovery that their team’s owner is an unapologetic racist—the Los Angeles Clippers managed to take out the rival Golden State Warriors in seven intense, emotionally draining games. Given what they’ve had to overcome, the Clippers have become the de facto team to get behind for many fans who no longer have a team in the dance, and watching Doc Rivers masterfully navigate the storm and emerge with a Round 1 victory, it’s hard not to hop on the bandwagon.
Standing LA’s way, however, are the Oklahoma City Thunder, who battled through seven games of their own, forced into the muddy trenches with the Memphis Grizzlies. OKC looked anything but impressive during much of that series, and the annual “is Russell Westbrook costing the Thunder?” storyline emerged early this year. But despite the way they won, the Thunder still made the second round and pose a real threat to the Clippers’ title hopes.
Programming alert: Watch Wizards vs. Pacers Game 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT and Clippers vs. Thunder Game 1 at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT live on Sportsnet ONE. | Broadcast Schedule
No. 2 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 3 Los Angeles Clippers
105.7 (9) OffRtg 111.7 (2)
98.9 (2) DefRtg 106.9 (10)
43.5% (13) FG% 47% (3)
32.4% (12) 3P% 36.2 % (T-8)
Leaders
Kevin Durant, 29.9 (2) PPG Blake Griffin, 23.3 (10)
Westbrook, 9.7 (T-7) RPG DeAndre Jordan, 15.1 (1)
Westbrook, 8.0 (3) APG Chris Paul, 9.0 (1)
Westbrook, 21.32 (16) PER Griffin, 21.96 (T-13)
Note: Playoff league rankings after first-round in brackets.
What the Thunder have to do to win
OKC will need to find a way to stymie the Clippers’ pick-and-roll. Everything L.A. does on the offensive end develops out of their screen-and-roll action involving Chris Paul, Jamaal Crawford, Blake Griffin and/or DeAndre Jordan. The Thunder will have to pick their poison defending it, but with the variety of looks the Clippers get off of the pick-and-roll, the Thunder would be best off bringing multiple approaches to try to confuse Paul and Crawford and disrupt things with their athleticism.
What the Clippers have to do to win
L.A. needs to dominate the offensive glass and get extra possessions. The Thunder don’t have a single player capable of keeping DeAndre Jordan from feasting on the boards, and Jordan’s play has to reflect that fact. Extra possessions for the Clippers will be important because, more than just another scoring opportunity, they will be a demoralizing way of preventing the Thunder from getting out and running. Instead of breaking out in transition, OKC will have to figure out how to deal with the Clippers’ formidable pick-and-roll all over again.
Marquee matchup: Kevin Durant vs. Matt Barnes
Kevin Durant will move from one tenacious defender in Memphis’s Tony Allen to another in the Clippers’ Matt Barnes.
While, Durant did get his in the first round, and eventually completely broke out, the soon-to-be 2014 MVP was visibly frustrated—and, less visibly, a little impressed—by Allen’s no-quit attitude and physicality with him.
Barnes isn’t the defender Allen is, but he shares many of the same traits. The battle between these two is definitely one to watch. If Barnes is able to get under Durant’s skin, even a little, it could prove to be the difference in the series.
Prediction
Emotional highs shouldn’t be underestimated in pro sports. The Clippers have emerged from the Sterling fiasco looking like world-beaters. Rivers has them playing with a chip on their shoulders, as though they’re trying to prove Sterling wrong again and again every time they hit the floor. This, along with Clippers’ pick-and-roll and depth off the bench will be an awfully high mountain for the Thunder to climb, even boasting the best offensive player on planet earth. Clippers in seven.
Second-round playoff previews: Pacers (1) vs. Wizards (5) | Heat (2) vs. Nets (6) | Spurs (1) vs. Trail Blazers (5) | Thunder (2) vs. Clippers (3) |