Ranking the Mavericks' potential playoff opponents from piece of cake to nightmare

2. LA Clippers

Despite being the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference, the LA Clippers are a team that would be a much tougher matchup to the Dallas Mavericks than most people think. The Mavs lost to the Clippers in the 2020 and 2021 NBA Playoffs, and Mavs fans shouldn't want to see them again over other teams in the Western Conference.

The Mavs have a great shot of taking down any team that they play in the playoffs, but the Clippers would be an extremely tough draw. LA has a star duo of their own in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and both of them are excellent defenders.

They could use Leonard to pick up Luka Doncic full court every single possession, and George could also be used to guard him. Neither player would be able to fully shut down Doncic, as he was dominant in both of the previous playoff series against the Clippers, but they might be the best one-two option to try to slow him down.

The Mavericks would have an advantage inside as Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford are capable of containing Ivica Zubac, but defending on the perimeter would be a tougher task. Having to have George, Leonard, and James Harden all accounted for is not an easy task, and Norman Powell has been great off the bench.

Doncic and company would love another crack at the Clippers, but it would be nowhere near a cakewalk series, regardless of the Clippers' recent struggles.