Arguably no team was hotter down the final stretch of the NBA regular season than the Los Angeles Clippers.
Going 18-3 since early March, Kawhi Leonard has quietly returned to being one of the more consistent scoring threats, James Harden is playing like he's 10 years younger and role players have found their roles.
On the other end, the Denver Nuggets are lurking as a threat, albeit one undergoing something of a transition. The franchise stunningly fired former coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth with three games left in the regular season, installing longtime assistant David Adelman as the interim.