Dallas Mavericks: The ideal playoff bracket for the Mavs

Western Conference Semifinals: No. 2 LA Clippers vs.  No. 6 Dallas Mavericks

After pulling the upset, the Mavericks get a rematch against the Clippers.

How the Clippers could face the Dallas Mavericks

It would be splendid to see the Mavs take on the seventh seed in the semifinals with four games at home. Obviously. But more likely than not, the LA Clippers will make quick work of the play-in tournament champions in the first round.

The best-case scenario here is that a Steph Curry-led Warriors team dismantles the Clippers and sends LA packing for an early offseason for the second straight year. Even if the Chef goes full-MVP mode, the Clippers just have too much talent for Golden State to try to match without their resident Robin to Curry’s Batman, Klay Thompson.

Other than the Warriors, no other projected play-in team has a sniff of a chance of ending Kawhi Leonard and Paul George’s revenge tour. The Grizzlies, Pelicans, and Spurs are too young and too short of top-end talent. The Blazers are led by two skilled but relatively small guards who will struggle to score over and around the long limbs of Leonard, PG13, Patrick Beverley, and the Clippers’ other lockdown artists. So for realism’s sake, Dallas should expect to see LA in the second round.

Next: Mavs vs. Clippers series preview