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Last Time They Met In The Playoffs: Clippers vs Jazz

By Dante Nelson

Mar 25, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) and forward Luc Mbah a Moute (12) defend Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) under the basket in the second half of the game at Staples Center. Clippers won 108-95. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 25, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) and forward Luc Mbah a Moute (12) defend Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) under the basket in the second half of the game at Staples Center. Clippers won 108-95. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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When was the last time the Utah Jazz faced the LA Clippers in the NBA Playoffs?

In the history of the NBA Playoffs, we’ve seen teams from the same conference meet each other. Some teams seem to meet each year and other teams see each other barely. In this “Last time they met” series, we’re going to look at the current NBA playoff matchups and review the last time these two teams met in the playoffs.

Today, we’ll look at the 4th seeded Los Angeles Clippers and the 5th seeded Utah Jazz. The last time these two teams met in the playoffs, the Jazz swept the Clippers. These teams have met twice before, and the Jazz won both series.

But yes, back in the 1997 NBA Playoffs, the Clippers and Jazz faced off in the first round. Back then, Utah rolling with John Stockton and Karl Malone so…you know, they weren’t easy to take down.

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This was one of those series you knew the outcome before tipoff.

Utah the 1st seed and of course LA was 8th. Utah won by 20 in Game 1, won by six in Game 2, and won by 12 to finish the sweep in the best of 5 series.

Karl Malone’s points per game was double of L.A.’s leading scorer. Malone averaged 30.7 points while Loy Vault averaged 15 points. And it’s not like the Clippers had a more balanced scoring act. Both teams had at least five players average double-digit points, with the Clips having one extra player.

So, I mean, the scoring was just in Utah’s favor. They also averaged more rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. Just across the board.

This 2017 playoffs marks the first time the teams face each other and the Clippers having the higher seed. But, at 4 and 5, you would imagine things would be close. Will L.A. finally beat Utah in the playoffs?

It’s actually sort of interesting since the Clippers are prone to disappoint at this time of the year. The Jazz seem bold enough to take the challenge. Still, I believe the Clippers will finally move past the Jazz.

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The teams have only met eight times, in those two series. The first matchup went all the way to Game 5 in that best of 5 series. That was 1992. But yeah, the Jazz are 8-2 against the Clippers so, even if they lose the series in a sweep, they would still have a winning record overall.