My early playoff predictions/matchups that I would like to see

I personally think this gives us a lot of great basketball to watch and from the Clippers standpoint, I think it’s idealistic if they can get playoff matches that don’t put them up against teams that stylistically give our squad a lot of problems for their size (Timberwolves, Pelicans, Lakers).

With the way Minnesota is playing right now, defensively I think they’re heads and shoulders the best team in the NBA on that side of the court. Their offense is what’s a little suspect and I predict if they run into a team like Phoenix in the second round, that matchup will give them problems. Even against the Lakers, assuming they’re fully healthy, I can see that series going 7. Obviously New Orleans has been giving our team issues, but they don’t stack up well against Denver and in a playoff setting I don’t them being able to contain Jokić and Murray’s P&R offense. So if all the cards fall right in these standings predictions, we could play Sacramento in the first round, Denver in the second round, and I predict if the Timberwolves and the Suns play each other I have Phoenix coming out of that series so we play Phoenix in the conference championship and I REALLY like our odds against those 3 teams far better than the others.

On the East side of things I don’t see anyone other than Boston coming out of the East, and we have the personnel to legitimately take on Boston in a 7 game series. I’m confident in that. Tell me what you guys think, and if this is would not only be an idealistic playoff setting for the Clips but also from a watchability perspective? Any teams you’d want to see play each other that I don’t have matched up here? I really like the Mavericks and could easily have them over the lakers, but at the same time with how competitive the west is, I’m not too sure. And even though I said that we don’t match up well against the Lakers, if we get the one seed and have an opportunity to beat them in the playoffs on our finals run, damn that would be priceless and must see TV.

I’m confident in this team and their ability to get the job done, I just think games like last night showed that we just need more games like that where the defense our team goes against really replicates a playoff setting and challenges our offensive schemes, figuring out how to manage certain guys in those situations and making sure you’re not playing a player who’s getting picked on too many minutes on the floor causing multiple 5+ point-swings, fouling too much on drives, not getting back on defense. We NEED more competition and challenging games like that to really expose our flaws so the team can work to improve. We have two more games against Minnesota, that means we got two more opportunities to kick their fucking asses and change the narrative. They were shit talking after the game, calling our team “old and sorry”. They’re like the new Phoenix Suns, hopefully that motivates our guys to give them hell. That’s all I gotta say. All in all, I’m not scared of any team but there are favorable matchups. #CLIPSIN4