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At long last, the NBA playoff matchups are set in stone, and as always, the Western Conference figures to hit the ground running with the better entertainment.
All four West first-round matches should provide excellent entertainment, and it would be especially surprising if the 4-5 matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies proved an exception.
With that series kicking off Saturday night at Staples Center in LA, here are five issues to be mindful of once the ball is jumped.
With just a few weeks remaining in the regular season, the stakes couldn’t be any higher for California’s quartet of teams.
The Clippers and Warriors are trying – with opposite results – to manufacture a roll heading into the playoffs, while the Lakers are scrambling just to qualify. Meanwhile, the Kings are simply trying to figure out where they will lay their heads next season.
It’s always dramatic on the left coast, and this upcoming week should prove no exception. Here’s a look at what’s shaking.
Don’t look now, but the Lakers suddenly have what appears to be legitimate momentum on their side.
That’s not to say they’ve morphed into the juggernaut many predicted back in October. Such talk would certainly be premature. But it’s safe to assume their surge has grabbed the attention of the entire league, much less the Pacific Division.
The Golden State Warriors are now just two games ahead of the Lakers, a gap that doesn’t feel impossible to close. Were that the case, it could set the stage for a Hallway Series between the current No. 3 seed Clippers and the Lakers. And that would be an exceptionally fun first-round matchup for members of the Kings to watch from home.
The 2012-13 regular season is heading into the home stretch, and three of California’s four teams are neck deep in postseason intrigue (leaving only Sacramento, a city and franchise dealing with plenty of intrigue even without any playoff hopes). What does the landscape look like with about 20 games to play?
In the wake of the Pau Gasol news (torn plantar fascia, probably out at least a month), the fault lines, story lines and the overall basketball landscape in California continue to shift without any forewarning.
