By Joël Pütz | Sports journalist
The first round series between the Clippers and Dallas looked complicated to predict and for the moment, it is keeping its promises. Guest of the show NBA ExtraBilal Coulibaly still indulged in a big prediction.
Of all the oppositions in this first round of the playoffs, on paper it was one of the tightest. And for the moment, both Clippers and Mavericks are meeting expectations perfectly. Currently tied after two matches, everything is still to be decided between the two rivals who face each other in the post-season for the third time in five years. It seems like they simply can’t leave each other anymore.
On one side or the other, there are serious arguments. The Californian armada with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George or James Harden is scary to see but in front, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have been busy leading their own. El Matador even delivered a defensive masterclass on opposing superstars during Game 2.
Bilal Coulibaly sees Mavs/Clippers winner go far
Suffice to say that for the moment, it seems very difficult to predict a winner in this XXL series. Absent from the playoffs with his Wizards, Bilal Coulibaly still had to try his luck during his recent visit to NBA Extra. The French rookie is also convinced: whoever wins, he will go far in 2023-24 while his opponent in the second round would be the Thunder, first in the Western Conference.
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Bilal Coulibaly : I would say the Clippers. They are 2-0 (all-time in the playoffs against Dallas, editor’s note). Yeah, I think the Clippers will pass. It will perhaps go in six games, maybe in seven even. But it’s going to be a great series.
Jacques Monclar : And the winner of this game can beat OKC?
Bilal Coulibaly : Yeah yeah. Nah, OKC… ah, OKC is young, OKC is very young. But they are more experienced, no matter who will be there.
Jacques Monclar : The winner goes to the conference finals, then?
Bilal Coulibaly : Yeah.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren et al will appreciate Frenchy’s lack of confidence, but it’s not unreasonable.
Because if the Thunder had a superb regular campaign with one of the youngest squads in the league, doing well in the post-season is a completely different matter. Especially since as Coulibaly points out, the two potential opponents have much more leverage at this stage of the competition. Kawhi Leonard won a title before going to Los Angeles, while Dallas was in the conference finals in 2022.
Bilal Coulibaly is convinced, the winner of the series between the Clippers and the Mavericks has what it takes to beat Oklahoma City and advance to the conference finals. It remains to be seen whether they could then do what is necessary to go to the Finals, knowing that they will almost inevitably have to go through the giant Denver.
2024-04-25 15:50:00
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