It came down to Game 82 of the regular season, but the LA Clippers have officially clinched their spot in the NBA playoffs. A last-second victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday afternoon finalized the Western Conference standings, and vaulted the Clippers up to the fifth seed, which matches them up with the Denver Nuggets in round one this coming weekend.
Everything this Clippers team achieved this season has culminated in this moment. After being counted out by nearly everyone in preseason, LA has done what was previously unthinkable and finished in the top five in the West. Pundits assumed losing Paul George would sink the Clippers, but in reality it ended up being the best possible scenario for this team. James Harden continues his streak of never missing the playoffs in his career, and Kawhi Leonard looks to be in prime condition to lead this team in the postseason.
Even so, many observers have apparently still not learned their lesson when it comes to this team. Some are still looking at the Clippers as underdogs against the Nuggets, and although Denver has the best player in the association, LA will come into this series with one clear advantage that has largely been under-discussed to this point: the personnel to limit Jamal Murray.
LA has the defenders to make life difficult for Jamal Murray
As we know, the Clippers' roster is simply littered with versatile defenders that can disrupt opponents' actions in a variety of ways. It is of course a huge reason why they finished the regular season with the third-best defensive rating in the league, according to the NBA's official data. Between Ivica Zubac on the interior and guys like Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. on the perimeter, LA will have an excellent chance of shutting down Murray's game.
With a player as transcendent as Jokic on the floor, the Nuggets will always have a chance to win in any game. But their success rate is always going to be higher when his co-star in Murray is able to handle secondary scoring as well. Thankfully, the Clippers' roster is basically designed perfectly to take away or at least limit the talents of number 27.
As the only other 20-point per game scorer on Denver's roster, a lot of how far they can go in the postseason will be riding on his performance. Because as recent NBA history has shown us, having the best player in a series matters a lot less than it used to, and the performance of secondary contributors can determine quite a lot. If LA's defense is able to hold Murray under 20 points per game for the series, Clippers fans will have to feel pretty good about their team's chances in the series.