(3) L.A. Clippers vs. (6) Golden State Warriors
Warriors Lead Series 1-0
Two weeks ago, we would’ve thought this could been one of the best playoff match-ups this year’s post-season could see. With defensive anchorman Andrew Bogut out indefinitely, Mark Jackson’s wish of the season coming to an end may be happening sooner than he thought before 2014 began. The Warriors have the best shooting back-court tandem possibly in the history of the NBA, but we’re not sure how long the hot shooting will last given the experience the Doc Rivers, Chris Paul and company have. Blake Griffin’s been playing his best season to date finally coming of age in becoming an almost dominate paint force.
With DeAndre Jordan now focused to be the efficient rebounder, as well as Jamal Crawford coming off the bench ready to drop 25 points at any given moment; this series could quickly get bad for the Northern Cali boys fast. Stephen Curry and Klay Thomas have enough shooting win at least one game, with the possibility of two; but we expect Mark Jackson to go small again this year. Unlike last year, the Clippers have a different aurora now with confidence provided by Doc Rivers, which any line-up adjustments this year will be irrelevant.
Game 1 – Sat. April 19, Golden State at L.A. Clippers, 3:30 p.m., ABC/R
Game 2 – Mon. April 21, Golden State at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m., TNT
Game 3 – Thu. April 24, L.A. Clippers at Golden State, 10:30 p.m., TNT
Game 4 – Sun. April 27, L.A. Clippers at Golden State, 3:30 p.m., ABC/R
Game 5 * Tue. April 29, Golden State at L.A. Clippers, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Thu. May 1, L.A. Clippers at Golden State, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sat. May 3, Golden State at L.A. Clippers, TBD, TNT