Fans would have better luck finding a needle in a haystack than catching a blowout win in the postseason from two opposing forces seeded back-to-back. The NBA Community is always geared up with popcorn to witness a movie cinema between the fourth and fifth seeds; nine times out of ten, they are rewarded with a fun six/seven games.
Furthermore, the LA Clippers did what is seldom and unthinkable to the Denver Nuggets, as they won Intuit Dome's first playoff game by 34. The memories created last night were dream-like during the days LA shared Staples Center and Crypto.com Arena.
Norman Powell got the Clippers onboarded with a three-pointer, and this was the first of LA's 19 in the game. In fact, Powell also scored the first regular season bucket at Intuit Dome in October.
Moreover, the Clippers' 34-point win was only possible with a major 23-2 run in the first half, administered by James Harden. He had multiple straight-line drives and highlight-worthy plays, but Harden's behind-the-back pass to Nicolas Batum to end the first quarter had the fans standing in substantial numbers.
Many Clippers fans were terrified of a 20-plus point comeback, which happened this season against the Phoenix Suns, but head coach Tyronn Lue was adamant this night would be celebrated.
The one-hundred percent Clippers winning by over 30 against Denver should frighten teams in the second round
Before the LA Clippers made a run so prominent Nikola Jokic could not respond to, they were down by seven. Jokic had seven assists, and his teammates were all cutting, which was the kryptonite to the double-teams sent by head coach Tyronn Lue.
James Harden got his fingerprints on the game by draining consecutive three-pointers. These six points changed the Nuggets' scheme for the subsequent three quarters.
Harden did not score a second-half bucket, but it did not matter as he had 20 on the board and assisted his teammates. Nicolas Batum had a thanksgiving feast from Harden's passes, as half of his 12 points were three-pointers dished by the former MVP.
Additionally, the Clippers have the 2-1 lead, with Kawhi Leonard scoring 22 in game one and 21 in game three. This is scary for opponents, as LA does not need Leonard to post 30 points or higher to win.
That said, the LA Clippers' playoff run is no longer a year of hypotheticals, as Leonard and Co. have had a healthy three games, two of which were wins.