The top two offensive teams in the LA Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks will give us one of the most entertaining series in the NBA playoffs.
Both teams came into this season with some expectations – the LA Clippers came in hoping to win the title, while the Dallas Mavericks were aiming to make the playoffs and hopefully make a playoff run. So far, both have met their expectations.
The Clippers certainly established themselves as contenders. According to FiveThirtyEight, they have a 42.0 percent chance of making the NBA Finals and 29.0 percent (league-best) to win the Finals and rightfully so. They are lead by the duo of Kawhi Leonard, who averaged 29.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per 75 possessions on 58.6 percent true shooting and Paul George, who averaged 25.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per 75 possessions on 58.4 percent true shooting.
But there is more to them than just those two superstars. They have arguably the best depth in the league with Patrick Beverley, Marcus Morris, Lou Williams, and Montrezl Harrell.
The Mavericks, however, have a different story. ESPN predicted that they would end up as the ninth seed with 41 wins. Although they only won two more games than predicted they are seventh in the playoffs and very well could have been as high as fourth. Did you know they are only one game behind the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz?
People knew Luka Doncic would improve coming off winning Rookie of the Year, but did they think he would improve to an MVP candidate? This season, he improved in every category whether it’s his offensive load, shot attempts, and efficiency. As a top-five MVP candidate, he averaged 31.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per 75 possessions on 58.3 percent true shooting.
However, he isn’t the only one responsible for the team’s success. There is a reason why they traded for Kristaps Porzingis. This season he averaged 22.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.4 blocks per 75 possessions on 54.0 percent true shooting.
Now, these two alone won’t scare the Clippers, but they for sure can make it entertaining.