Last season in the NBA Bubble, the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers squared off in a first-round matchup that ultimately led to the Clippers defeating the Mavs 4-2, but this year, with their team healthy again, Dallas will be looking for revenge in this year’s NBA playoffs. 

Led by Luka Doncic, the Mavericks were able to clinch the 5-seed in the NBA playoffs this year, which is quite remarkable given how their season has gone. Defensively, the Mavericks are much worse than they were a season ago, as they rank 20th in the NBA in defensive efficiency, but offensively, they are Top-10 in the league in offensive rating. 

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They have plenty of guys who can knock down big shots and can score when Doncic or Porzingis are not on the court, but their lack of consistency has hurt them at some points during the regular season. 

For the Clippers, we keep saying “this may be the year,” only for them to end up losing short of the Western Conference Finals, but this year may actually be their year. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are healthy and playing at high-levels, but they have tons of experienced, veteran players on their roster that are ready for what should be a deep playoff run for Los Angeles. 

The Clippers are definitely the favorites in this series with the Mavericks, but Dallas gave them a run for their money last year without Kristaps Porzingis for half the series and Luka Doncic being hobbled by a hurt ankle. Could Dallas pull off a monumental upset of the Clippers this year? 

Let’s take a look at four of my bold predictions for this playoff series between the Mavericks and the Clippers, including who I see moving on to the Western Conference Semifinals!