One of the wackier NBA regular seasons in history is over, for better or worse, and the two-month playoff run is set to begin. With the first round upon us, the minds at Ball Don't Lie decided to preview each series. Here's our look at the No. 4-seeded Los Angeles Clippers and No. 5 Portland Trail Blazers. How They Got Here • Los Angeles : By bouncing back from both a crushing second-round collapse against the Houston Rockets with a stunning comeback of their own — convincing defensive linchpin DeAndre Jordan to pull an about-face, renege on his agreement to join the Dallas Mavericks in free agency, and return to L.A. on a new four-year deal. (ICYMI: emojis .) With Jordan back in the fold to anchor the Clippers' D, wreak havoc rolling to the rim and rejoin stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin in pursuit of a title, coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers set about improving what was one of the league's worst benches last season in his own inimitable way — chiefly, by acquiring players who had played well against his team at some point in the past or are related to him . The results were ... spotty, with an early heartbreaker of a loss to the Golden...