It’s springtime in Los Angeles, otherwise known as the season when the Clippers march merrily into the playoffs and the Lakers conduct exit interviews.
OK, so maybe this isn’t exactly an annual occurrence.
The Lakers haven’t missed the playoffs during a season in which the Clippers qualified since 1975-76, when the Clippers were located in Buffalo and the Lakers somehow finished two games below .500 with a roster that included Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Gail Goodrich.
These are strange times indeed when the Clippers’ coach is plotting possible championship parade routes and his Lakers counterpart is mulling which moving company will pack his belongings if he’s fired. Bekins? Atlas? United Van Lines? There’s just so many choices.
Of course, the Lakers and Clippers are not the only fascinating playoff story lines this week. Miami will begin its quest for a third consecutive championship. Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant will try to show he’s overtaken the Heat‘s LeBron James as the game’s best player. Golden State Coach Mark Jackson will try to keep his job.
As teams prepare to open the playoffs Saturday and Sunday, here are the eight most vital questions:
Will the Clippers make the deepest playoff run in franchise history?
In a word, yes.
Cynics point to this team having only one more regular-season victory than the version that lost in the first round last season, but the similarities end there. DeAndre Jordan is focused. Blake Griffin is clutch. Doc Rivers is here.
You couldn’t say any of that a year ago.
Here’s betting the Clippers get past Golden State in six games and Oklahoma City in seven, advancing to the Western Conference finals for the first time before falling to San Antonio.
What would be the most riveting Finals matchup?
Lakers-Celtics is always a rush, so we’ll go with that.
Oh, you mean among teams that actually made the playoffs?
Miami versus Oklahoma City would be as good as it gets. Durant would receive the Finals do-over most thought he would get last season before Russell Westbrook‘s knee gave out.
James would get a chance to prove he remains an unmatched talent even though he’s widely expected to finish behind Durant in voting for the league’s most valuable player award. Plus there’s that little story line about the Heat trying to become the first team to three-peat since the Lakers from 2000-02.
Which Finals matchup would trigger a Doomsday Machine inside the offices of ABC executives?
Memphis-Indiana. Memphis has the nation’s 50th-largest television market, according to the latest Nielsen ratings, while Indianapolis ranks 26th. Talk about viewership grit and grinding to a halt.
What are the chances San Antonio can win it all one year after its Game 6 meltdown in the Finals?
Fairly good. The Spurs actually match up better with Miami than they do super athletic Oklahoma City, so if they can avoid the Thunder it’s more than plausible that Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili make their free throws in the final 28.2 seconds this time and Coach Gregg Popovich leaves Duncan in the game to grab the title-clinching rebound.
