Doc Rivers Says Clippers vs. Mavs in 1st Round 'Going to Be a Helluva Series'

Seven of the NBA's eight first-round playoff series have been finalized after play concluded Wednesday, and one of them is a matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks.

When asked about the series, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers provided these remarks, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN:

"They're terrific. Best offensive team in history right? And they have young stars. Porzingis is playing great. That is a tough matchup in the first round, that is what it is... We've played each other three times. It's going to be a helluva series."

The matchup will feature the NBA's two most offensively efficient teams, with Dallas sitting No. 1 and L.A. right behind at No. 2, per ESPN.

Los Angeles swept Dallas 3-0 in its regular-season series, including a 126-111 win over the Mavs last Thursday.

There will be no shortage of star power with reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and six-time All-Star Paul George taking the court for the Clips versus likely All-NBA First Team member Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, who has averaged 30.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game during the league's restart.

Leonard in particular has been a serious problem for the Mavericks, averaging 31.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Doncic hasn't been easy for the Clippers to deal with, either: He's posted 29.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in his three matchups against L.A.

The complementary pieces outside the stars have ultimately proved to be the difference.

Ivica Zubac went a perfect 10-of-10 for 21 points and 15 rebounds during the Clips' restart game versus the Mavericks. Lou Williams dropped 21 points off the bench in a 114-99 win, and a pair of Landry Shamet threes helped the Clippers pull away from Dallas 110-107 in January.

Dates and times for the series are to be determined. The postseason is slated to begin Monday, however, with a quadruple-header slate set for both Monday and Tuesday encompassing all Game 1s of the eight first-round playoff series.

Other matchups include the Denver Nuggets against the Utah Jazz, the Houston Rockets versus the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers against the winner of the Western Conference play-in tournament.

In the East, the Boston Celtics will battle the Philadelphia 76ers, the Milwaukee Bucks will take on the Orlando Magic, the Toronto Raptors will face off against the Brooklyn Nets and the Miami Heat will match up with the Indiana Pacers.