2014 NBA playoffs preview: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors
No. 3 Los Angeles Clippers (57-25) vs. No. 6 Golden State Warriors (51-31)
- Game 1 in Los Angeles: Warriors 109, Clippers 105
- Game 2 in Los Angeles: Monday, April 21, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
- Game 3 in Oakland: Thursday, April 24, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
- Game 4 in Oakland: Sunday, April 27, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
- Game 5 in Los Angeles (if necessary): Tuesday, April 29
- Game 6 in Oakland (if necessary): Thursday, May 1
- Game 7 in Los Angeles (if necessary): Saturday, May 3
Season series: Split 2-2.
Points per game (per 100 possessions): Clippers 107.9, Warriors 104.3 (Clippers 112.1, Warriors 107.5).
Points allowed per game (per 100 possessions): Clippers 101.0, Warriors 99.5 (Clippers 104.8, Warriors 102.6).
Matchups worth watching: Clippers PG Chris Paul vs. Warriors PG Stephen Curry, Clippers PF Blake Griffin vs. Warriors PF David Lee.
Scoring leaders: Griffin (24.1 points a game), Curry (24.0).
Why Los Angeles will win: The Clippers arguably have two of the five best players in the NBA, making them a legitimate threat to beat anyone. And unlike last season, they have surrounded Griffin and Paul with sharpshooting, defensive-oriented role players who can get the job done. Also, Warriors center Andrew Bogut may be out for the series with a broken rib, so Griffin and center DeAndre Jordan can dominate the paint.
Why Golden State will win: No team can bury an opponent in three-pointers quite like the Warriors when Curry and Klay Thompson are hot. Andre Iguodala has stabilized the defense and turned it into a physical unit that could frustrate Griffin, in particular.
Did you know? Warriors coach Mark Jackson and Clippers coach Doc Rivers were once essentially traded for each other, with Rivers going from the Clippers to the Knicks and Jackson from the Knicks to the Clippers in a three-team, four-player, three-pick deal in 1992.
Prediction: Clippers in 5.
