Mavs Vs. Clippers Donuts: NBA Round 1 Preview - 'Drama Kings' Vs. 'Fun Bunch'?

Dallas Mavs Vs. Clippers Donuts: NBA Round 1 Preview - 'Drama Kings' Vs. 'Fun Bunch'?

They're back. After a drought dating back to 2016, the Dallas Mavs are in the NBA Playoffs. ... starting tonight in the Bubble. It'sDallas vs. Los Angeles Clippers Donuts: NBA Round 1 Preview - 'Drama Kings' Vs. 'Fun Bunch'?

DONUT 1: NO ILLUSIONS The Dallas Mavericks are under no illusions here. The Los Angeles Clippers entered the 2019-20 season with a goal of winning the NBA title.

And the Mavs? Luka Doncic openly said, before the season and now, that making the NBA Playoffs were the goal.

Can a goal be adjusted upward as we go?

DONUT 2: IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS That doesn't make an upset in this best-of-seven series impossible, and the Rick Carlisle we know and the Luka Doncic we know are all about accomplishing things not foreseen. Coach Carlisle has done it often, most notably of course with his "lightning-in-a-bottle'' Dallas championship in 2011.

And Luka? He seems to do something approaching "impossible'' on an almost nightly basis.

"We're a great team,'' said Doncic. "We've always got chances, no matter what. Some people count us out, but we're not out."

This is indeed ... a chance.

DONUT 3: THE SCHEDULE We get Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs in the Orlando bubble underway Monday, with an 8 p.m. CT tip. The best-of-seven schedule in its entirety:

1 Monday, August. 17 vs Clippers 8p ESPN/FSSW2

2 Wednesday, August 19 v Clippers 8p TNT/FSSW

3 Friday, August 21 v Clippers 8p TNT/FSSW

4 Sunday, August 23 v Clippers 2:30p ABC

5 Tuesday, August 25 v Clippers TBD* TBD

6 Thursday, August 27 v Clippers TBD* ESPN/FSSW

7 Saturday, August 29 v Clippers TBD* TNT/FSSW

And again, let's be frank: A couple of "*if'' games would be a treat - and an accomplishment.

Oh, and the DBcom schedule today? Keep it here for ...

*Injury-update news. ... right now, Kristaps Porzingis is listed as "probable'' with a heel bruise and the Clippers' Patrick Beverley (calf strain), Montrezl Harrell (virus) and Landry Shamet (left foot strain) all listed as "questionable.''

*How the Mavs need to stop the Clippers from at-the-rim dominance.

*GAMEDAY notes with Bri Amaranthus.

*A one-on-one Mavs Step Back podcast with Dalton Trigg, Matt Galatzan and ... Mavs owner Mark Cuban.

*"Like-live'' coverage, with video, of Carlisle's pre-game presser.

Keep it here on DallasBasketball.com!

DONUT 4: THE CLIPPER PROBLEM: In Dallas, we talk about the Mavs' roster depth, and it's true in a sense. ... because the ninth man might be almost as good, and certainly on a given night as productive, as the fourth man.

But the Clippers? They own the league's deepest quality roster, starting with reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and with All-NBA swingman Paul George. Long, strong, gifted - and two-way guys, both of them ... each capable of slowing down Doncic, to whatever degree that is possible.

“They’re deep, they’re physical, they’re experienced,'' Carlisle said. "Those are the big things. It’s an experienced team that plays with attitude so we’re going to have to prepare for that. We’re going to have to attack them hard.”

READ MORE: The Clippers' Game Plan To Stop (Er, Slow) Luka

And L.A. keeps coming at you, with Patrick Beverley if he's healthy, and then with subs Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell (again, if healthy). Oh, and just when you think you have the Clips figured out, you play them, as Dallas did in the bubble, and you lose, 126-111, in part because a guy named Ivica Zubac (24 points on 10-for-10 shooting and 15 rebounds) tosses a perfect game at you.

DONUT 5: ZUBAC VS. THE WORLD The 7-0 Zubac, a 23-year-old Croatian, apparently came away from that game believing he's a world-beater.

Or at least a Mavs-beater.

Overall on the season, Zubac is averaging 8.3 points and 7.6 boards in 71 appearances. In the bubble, he's jumped those numbers to around 11/11. That's a threat, no doubt.

But ...

“I feel like rolling through the pocket, it feels like I have more space,'' Zubac said of matching up against Dallas. "I just feel physically that I can get a lot of offensive rebounds. ... I think physically I can really take advantage of that of that match-up.”

He's earned the right to think this. And if he goes 10-of-10 again from the floor in any of these games? L.A. will probably have earned a win.

For the most part, though, there's no disrespect here.

“Luka is going to be a handful,” Clippers guard Lou Williams said. “Well-coached team. When they’re on the court, they’re all going to play hard. ... It will be highly entertaining, a lot of talented guys on the floor.”

DONUT 6: QUOTABLE "We're at a physical disadvantage at a lot of positions. So our persistence will be key." - Carlisle on opposing the Clippers.

READ MORE: Mavs 'At A Physical Disadvantage' to Clippers

DONUT 7: BY THE NUMBERS - CLIPPERS In the season series, the Clippers outscored the Mavs by 38 points in 103 minutes with Kawhi Leonard on the floor.

DONUT 8: BY THE NUMBERS - MAVS In his eight-game bubble stretch, Kristaps Porzingis averaged 30.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. KP, just 25, has picked a perfect time to blossom again into an All-Star-level player ... and he thinks another level is available to him.

DONUT 9: 'DRAMA QUEENS' VS. 'FUN BUNCH' We can only analyze this from afar, but coach Doc Rivers has this year, and in this bubble, overseen some Clippers drama. They've had some social-media wars with opposing players (including Damian Lillard), they've had some in-house family issues, they've had Lou Williams' illicit "chicken-wings'' run ... 

Maybe the Clippers thrive on this stuff. Or maybe the expectations will be too lofty for a franchise that since 1984 has never been as high as a No. 2 seed.

Meanwhile, the Mavs, from the very start of the bubble, embraced the experience, even celebrated it. The psychology of Carlisle was a driving force, but so was, and is, the collective personality of this locker room. 

The Mavs play hard - yes, even on defense, and yes, even in the case of Luka, even though they often have too little to show for in, in the end on the way to their overall 43-33 record relying on the statistical power of the highest-rated offense in NBA history.

And they "play hard,'' too, at the fishing hole, on video games, and in the swimming pool.

They are in "The Happiest Place On Earth.'' They are "The Happiest Team On Earth.'' The Mavs therefore run the risk of being "happy to be here,'' and therefore settling ...

READ MORE: Are Mavs 'Not-Ready-For-Clutch-Time Players'?

Or, maybe they play with a looseness reflecting their "nothing-to-lose'' status. Doncic thinks Dallas' struggles in clutch time - struggles so drastic they amount to a statistical anomaly - won't last forever.

"We've got it in us,'' Doncic said. "We have young guys, so we aren't going to learn this in one night. You learn through your career.''

The learning curve gets steep at 8 p.m. Monday.

“He’s a phenomenal player and he’s getting better,” Carlisle said. “Like, by the hour. By the day.”

DONUT 10: LUKA IS 'WIRED' Doncic, 21, hasn't been here before. But his emotions are telling him he kinda has. He says that EuroLeague championship play required the same sort of prep and feel required here.

READ MORE: How Playoff-Ready Is Luka? 'He's Wired For Big Moments'

Rick Carlisle is buying that. And selling that.

“We will be (ready) by the time we throw it up,” Carlisle said, before turning his specific attention to Luka the Leader. "He’s got a lot of experience in high-level pressure games internationally. ... All of that stuff is meaningful, and he’s got two years under his belt. ... "He’s wired for big moments. He’ll be fine.”

By the numbers? There are no doubts, as Doncic (who led the NBA with 17 triple-doubles) finished the season averaging 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists - that's Oscar Robertson stuff.

DONUT 11: THE STARTING LINEUPS Dallas vs, L.A. ...

Clippers:

Reggie Jackson

Paul George

Kawhi Leonard

Marcus Morris Sr.

Ivica Zubac

Mavericks:

Luka Doncic

Seth Curry

Tim Hardaway Jr.

Dorian Finney-Smith

Kristaps Porzingis

DONUT 12: THE FINAL WORD "Seeding doesn't really mean anything in this bubble. There's no home-court advantage." - Kawhi Leonard, who the underdog Mavs - swept 3-0 in the season series - hope is right.