The NBA playoffs will always have a tough matchup between the No. 4 and No. 5-seeded teams since they are the most likely to be evenly matched after finishing right next to each other in the standings.
That could have been the case if the Phoenix Suns didn’t acquire Kevin Durant and if Paul George wasn’t sidelined due to injury.
Durant is now teamed with Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton – creating a versatile combo that is expected to even make it out of the Western Conference. With this new and improved look, Durant has been 8-0 so far with the rest of the Big 4.
Even though the Clippers are obviously the undergoes in this series, they shouldn’t rule out the fact that Kawhi Leonard is still one of the best two-way players when healthy, and he is still surrounded by good role players like Russell Westbrook, Norman Powell, and Marcus Morris. L.A. actually has a chance to pull a shocking upset if they can activate Kawhi and give an all-out defensive effort against the Suns.
Most compelling storyline
While it hasn't been confirmed, all indications point to Paul George sitting out the first two games of this series. Losing a leader, good defender, and 23.8-point-per-game scorer with playoff experience at this time of year is never ideal. Nonetheless, Los Angeles will have to do without him in this game, despite the fact that they were just 12-14 without him during the regular season.
The important storyline for this series is who can step up for the Clippers if their second-best player is out. Most of the offensive load is going to be banked on the shoulders of Kawhi but we all know that he can also appear questionable – missing all of last season due to an ACL tear that he suffered in the 2021 playoffs. The timeline for George’s return is vague so Coah Tye Lue should see to it that other members of the team can hold down the fort until the star forward returns.
Like it or not, Westbrook should step up for the Clippers. Despite his disappointing stint with the Lakers, the guard has impressively fitted well in his new team’s roster.
In his 21 games with the Clippers, Westbrook is also shooting 45% on non-corner 3s, a huge improvement from the 30% he was shooting with the Lakers in the earlier part of the season. His mark of 36% beyond the arc has been the high clip of his career and if he can remain consistent from shooting downtown, L.A. can keep up with the stronger Suns lineup as they wait for George to come back.
If in the event Westbrook goes cold from the field, it would be exciting to see how the new addition Eric Gordon or the Clippers frontcourt is going to come up with other ways to hit the hoops.
X-factors
Losing George does not only impact L.A.’s offense, but it also weakens them on the defensive side as well. Durant seems unstoppable from the get-go though it would definitely help if you have both four-time All-Defensive player George and Kawhi throwing their bodies at him to prevent him from pulling up or attacking the rim. Leonard’s going to log in a lot of playing time in this series to guard Durant but the Clippers can’t exhaust him too much if they want him productive on offense.
To slow down the Suns' scoring efforts and stay in the game, the Clippers will have to dig deep and rely on their remaining players to improve their defensive performance. It will be a difficult challenge, but the Clippers are known for their ability to keep up with sharing the load, and they will undoubtedly give it their best in this crucial playoff run.
Winning blueprint
Durant and the rest of Phoenix's great starting lineup are all healthy, and they're hoping that doesn't change anytime soon here in the postseason. Phoenix made a deal for KD with the goal of winning the championship, and with him in the lineup, they were unbeaten in eight games during the regular season. That's a smaller sample size than they had hoped for, but I'm sure they'll be happy if those results continue in this series.
Given that the Suns had the best record in the league the previous year and were up 2-0 in the NBA Finals the year before, this season may be deemed unimpressive. However, this is likely their strongest position since the bubble inflated their expectations.
Phoenix possesses the league's perhaps most dangerous starting lineup, thanks to superb defense and a squad that includes two generational scorers. If the Suns stay healthy, they can win the NBA championship. It all starts on Sunday at home, where they were 28-13 during the regular season.
With George questionable to play, the Clippers must focus on finding offense to keep up with the stacked Suns’ lineup. They already proved that they can shoot the ball and contain them after winning two of their four regular season face-offs.
The Clippers’ best chances at stealing this series will lie on how well they can guard and how crafty they can get in grabbing points from transition or the free throw line. It’s definitely not an easy challenge to overcome Phoenix but they would have to rely on the well-experienced Kawhi to make a miracle out of this precarious first round.
