NBA playoffs preview: Thunder-Clippers rich with intrigue

Thunder in six. Memphis pushed OKC to seven games largely because of its grinding, halfcourt game and size inside. There will be no such problems against the

Phil Taylor | May 5, 2014

NBA playoffs preview: Thunder-Clippers rich with intrigue /

Expect the Thunder and Clips, who split their season series, to get physical in their second-round clash. — Expect the Thunder and Clips, who split their season series, to get physical in their second-round clash :: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images Sport

Thunder in six. Memphis pushed OKC to seven games largely because of its grinding, halfcourt game and size inside. There will be no such problems against the Clippers, who like to run. The tempo will be more to the Thunder's liking, and the Clippers don't defend as well as Memphis, all of which should make this a slightly easier series for the Thunder.

Published May 5, 2014

PHIL TAYLOR

Senior writer, Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated senior writer Phil Taylor has covered a variety of sports in his more than two decades with the magazine, including pro and college basketball as well as college football. He has written The Hot Button column for SI.com and frequently writes the magazine's Point After column, for which he won a National Headliner Award in 2012. During his years as the magazine's lead NBA writer, Taylor profiled many of the league's stars. Among his most memorable stories were a piece on Michael Jordan's return from baseball to the NBA and an in-depth profile of reclusive Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton. Some of the historic sports events he has covered include the earthquake-struck 1989 World Series at Candlestick Park, Chris Webber's infamous timeout in the 1993 NCAA tournament title game and Jordan's epic "flu-game" in the 1997 NBA Finals. Prior to joining SI, Taylor began his career at the Miami Herald, where he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for feature writing. He has also written for the San Jose Mercury News and the now-defunct sports daily, The National. Born in Flushing, N.Y. and raised on Long Island, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College in 1982 and a Masters in communications from Stanford University in 1983. Taylor and his wife, who have three children, live in northern California.