[Chief Rum]

As a Clips fan, I view this series the same way I did the Clips-Spurs series.

The Ducks are the team that is (ostensibly) the better team, judging by regular season records, much like the Clips were over the Spurs (barely).

But it took the Clips elevating their game to the next level to beat the Spurs. They had to prove they could do that.

It's much the same with the Ducks. They will need to go out and prove they can play with and beat a tested former champion in the Hawks.

The issue I see with this is that the Ducks are really not as strong as their record would indicate, going off of GD. They have had an amazing ability to win close games. That's gone on for some time actually, and suggests they can win in the playoffs, too. But it also says they're a team that relies on willing to the win rather than winning it solely through effective play and talent. They won't have any advantages here over a team like the Hawks.

So it will be interesting to see what kind of Ducks team shows up and if they have it in them to beat the Hawks in a series.