1. Golden State Warriors – 8. LA Clippers
Regular Season Series: Golden State 3-1
I’m really happy that the LA Clippers continued to hang tough following the Tobias Harris trade and still managed to force their way into the postseason. That said, I think we can all agree that it’s very likely unfortunately going to be a very short trip.
That’s no knock on the Clippers and I don’t even think they’re a ‘weaker than average’ 8-seed by any stretch of the imagination. Heck, if they were in the East they’d be tied for fifth place. But the Warriors are simply too dominant, and a Clippers team that, though they are high on chemistry, depth and solid game planning, suffers from a major lack of star-power likely won’t be able to hold its own against Golden State.
The Warriors are the overwhelming favorites to win the championship, so projecting the likes of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson to fall short in round one is far from realistic. I’d like to see LA put up a fight, but I honestly have a hard time seeing them earn a single victory.
Prediction: Warriors in 4