Clippers Ready for Real Season

With break time over, the Clippers return to work today in preparation for their first postseason series in nine seasons.

They completed their schedule Wednesday night with an 85-71 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in a meaningless game for the playoff-bound teams at American Airlines Center.

The Clippers are seeded sixth in the Western Conference and have home-court advantage in the first round against the No. 3 Denver Nuggets. Game 1 is Saturday night at Staples Center, and players said they expected to be busy in the meantime.

Finally at the point they’ve strived to reach, the Clippers venture deeper into uncharted waters at full speed.

“I’m just ready to get it started,” co-captain Elton Brand said. “I’ve never been to the playoffs, and a lot of us who’ve been here for a while haven’t, but it’s something we’ve all wanted.

“We worked together to make it happen, we did what we had to do to get here, so let’s go.”

The Clippers (47-35) secured the sixth spot in Tuesday’s 101-95 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Fifth-seeded Memphis plays at fourth-seeded Dallas (60-22) Sunday night in its playoff opener.

For the Clippers, playing the Nuggets, who won the Northwest Division, to start the playoffs was their final late-season goal.

Although the Nuggets (44-38) dropped the last three games in losing the season series to the Clippers, 3-1, the Clippers haven’t seemed overconfident.

Denver’s fastbreak could have something to do with that.

The Nuggets topped the league in fastbreak points with an average of 20.2. They had 4.2 more fastbreak points than the second-place Phoenix Suns, an impressive figure when considering that the Clippers gave up the fewest points at 9.79.

“They score the most, and we give up the fewest, so something has to give,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “I would say it’s probably something we’ll go over.”

The Nuggets had 31 fastbreak points in winning the teams’ first meeting. In the Clippers’ three victories, Denver scored 14, 16 and 19 on the break. The Nuggets produced only two fastbreak points in the second half April 4 as the Clippers rallied from a 22-point deficit at Staples Center.

“The next couple of days of practice will be big for us ... we have to understand that,” said Sam Cassell, who has appeared in 103 playoff games. “Mike’s job is to get us the game plan, which I know he’ll do an excellent job of doing, and my job is to make sure we execute. That’s the same thing we’ve done all year. Nothing changes.”

In addition to concerns about the Nuggets’ running game, the Clippers also must determine what’s the best defense against forward Carmelo Anthony.

Forward Vladimir Radmanovic (groin) and center Zeljko Rebraca (back) are injured, so forward-center Vin Baker and rookie forward James Singleton, each impressive in the last two games, might earn spots on the 13-man playoff roster.

“Now we push,” Dunleavy said. “We tried to get our guys rested up so that we could go hard in preparation for Denver. Our time has come, and it’s time to be real professional and get the job done.”

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The Clippers set a franchise record with their 20th road win, finishing 20-21. The 1974-75 Buffalo Braves had 19 road victories.... Brand, Cassell, Radmanovic and Rebraca did not play.... All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki was among the regulars Dallas Coach Avery Johnson decided not to play.... Corey Maggette, sidelined the previous seven games because of a herniated disk, led the Clippers with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Chris Kaman, who sat out two games because of a minor knee injury, had 14 points and six rebounds.... Saturday’s playoff game is a sellout. There are fewer than 1,000 tickets left for Game 2, a Clipper spokesman said.... As part of a promotion with American Airlines, Dallas owner Mark Cuban provided travel vouchers for every fan who attended the game.

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First look

No. 6 CLIPPERS VS. NO. 3 DENVER

* FORWARDS: Elton Brand raised his level of play and the Clippers did too. Corey Maggette, a consistent scoring threat, sat out 50 games because of injuries and streaky three-point specialist Vladimir Radmanovic finished the season cold. Carmelo Anthony is a force on offense, but the Nuggets need him to defend better and play it cool when things are tense. Kenyon Martin is known for highlight-tape dunks, and Reggie Evans provides low-post toughness and rebounding. Ruben Patterson is all about defense.

* CENTERS: In his third season, Chris Kaman has emerged among the game’s best young players at the position. Clipper coaches would never admit it, but Marcus Camby concerns them more than Anthony. The foundation of Denver’s defense, Camby is a relentless rebounder who’s efficient on offense. Moreover, he seems to see the game several plays ahead of others.

* GUARDS: Sam Cassell assumed a leadership role from the start and made clutch fourth-quarter shots to provide the difference in close victories. Cuttino Mobley worked well with Cassell and took on a bigger role than expected on defense. After a slow start, Shaun Livingston resumed his ascent to stardom. Quinton Ross’ outstanding defense was even more impressive considering he has played with a herniated disk. Andre Miller, who didn’t enjoy his brief Clipper experience, has been productive in Denver. Sparkplug Earl Boykins, another former Clipper, offers an exciting change of pace. He’s expected to play despite a hand injury. Do-it-all Greg Buckner is a strong defender; DerMarr Johnson is a scorer.

* COACHING: Mike Dunleavy and George Karl are old hands at this playoff stuff. These guys know their Xs and O’s and are adept at making in-game adjustments, so there should be no surprises from the sidelines. The Clippers are versatile, so Dunleavy tries to exploit matchups. Denver runs well, leading the NBA in fastbreak points, but isn’t as sound as Karl would prefer against opponents’ fastbreaks.

* ANALYSIS: The Clippers got home-court advantage and the first-round matchup they wanted, and now they have to make it all work for them. The Nuggets dropped the final three games to the Clippers in losing the season series, 3-1, but that doesn’t matter in a new season. The Clippers will rely on Brand and Kaman to set the tone inside, Cassell will do his thing in the clutch and the home-court advantage will be key as the franchise goes for its first playoff series victory since the Buffalo Braves defeated the then-Washington Bullets, 4-3, in the 1975-76 Eastern Conference semifinals.

-- JASON REID