Mavericks' first-round playoff opponent is series every fan was begging for

Last night, the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat 111-92 to grab their fifth straight win and their 16th win in the last 18 games. Dallas is playing their best basketball of the season at the perfect time, and the NBA Playoffs are just over a week away.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are unstoppable as a duo right now, and the team's improved defense has helped turn them into dangerous contenders.

After last night's win, the Mavericks' first-round opponent in the playoffs was confirmed, and it is a matchup that many fans were begging for.

Mavericks' playoff matchup with Clippers is series every fan wanted to see

The Mavericks will officially play the LA Clippers in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, and this will be the third time in the last five years that Dallas battles LA in the opening round of the playoffs.

The last two times that Dallas played the Clippers in the playoffs didn't go as planned, but the Mavs are a completely different team now and look as if they're built for the playoffs. Dallas' star duo of Doncic and Irving is playing at an elite level, and the role players around them complement them perfectly.

Daniel Gafford, Derrick Jones Jr., and P.J. Washington will be crucial for this playoff run, and each of them will provide a massive impact defensively.

The Clippers are a playoff matchup that many fans wanted to see due to the revenge that they want to see the Mavs have. Losing to a team in back-to-back playoffs (2020 and 2021) is not easy, and although it'll be a tough matchup, this Mavs team matches up well with LA.

Dallas has two elite defenders in Jones Jr. and Washington to guard Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and the Mavs will be able to play Gafford and Dereck Lively II (when he returns) heavy minutes due to the Clippers' center rotation of Ivica Zubac and Daniel Theis. If the Clippers decide to go small ball, Maxi Kleber can fill in and run the five as well.

Doncic getting Zubac to switch onto him on the perimeter is something that every Mavs fan loves to see, and this series with the Clippers is going to be a fun one.

For all the latest on Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks during the NBA Playoffs, stay tuned.