The Los Angeles Clippers begin pursuit of the NBA title when they square off with the offense-loving Dallas Mavericks on Monday night near Orlando in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The second-seeded Clippers are hoping to ride the duo of two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as far as possible, while the seventh-seeded Mavericks are aiming to post an upset behind young guns Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.
The task facing Dallas (43-32) is certainly tough as it went 0-3 against Los Angeles this season, including a 126-111 setback in the 'bubble' on Aug.