Taking on one of the best teams in NBA history, the LA Clippers will have nothing to lose when they travel to Oakland for Game 1 of their playoff series.
On Saturday night, the LA Clippers will enter Oracle Arena as the biggest playoff underdogs since 1988. But that’s nothing new for this specific group of players.
The Clippers have been underdogs all season long. They’ve embraced that mentality. And clearly, it’s done well for them. Not only were the Clippers expected to miss the playoffs this season, but many projected them to win no more than 35 games — a mark they surpassed over a month before the season came to an end.
It’s a role that’s especially easy for guys like Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell to play, who’ve been underdogs their entire playing careers. Both were second-round picks, and both have had to fight hard for spots in the league — and they’re better players because of it.
The same goes for a significant portion of the LA Clippers roster, which doesn’t feature a single All-Star — past or present — yet won 48 games in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.
So when I say that it’s quite the contrast for the Clippers to be matched up with a team that has five such players in its starting lineup, you’d better believe that it is.
The Clippers were led this year by Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams, who combined to average nearly 40 points per game during the regular season. Both players had career years, but Gallinari was particularly impressive because of what he was able to accomplish.
Gallinari has a history of poor health, and the numbers back that up. He’s appeared in at least 60 games just four times over the course of his 10-year career, with one of those instances happening this season. With consistent time on the floor and a large role in LA’s offense, Gallinari averaged a career-high 19.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, while shooting over 43 percent from three-point range.
He and the Clippers will likely struggle to reach those same heights in their series against the Golden State Warriors, but they’ve yet to use that as an excuse this year, and I wouldn’t expect them to do so now.
As far as tonight’s game goes, expect a high-scoring affair. Both the Clippers and the Warriors rank in the top-five in points per game, and in the bottom half of the league in points allowed per game. They also both rank within the top-10 in pace, so expect both teams to put up plenty of shots as well.
Game 1 of the LA Clippers – Golden State Warriors playoff series will tip-off tonight at 5:00 PM PST/8:00 PM EST on ABC.