No surprises so far in series that is too good for first round, say the Clippers

Counting the regular season, Clippers and Nuggets are 3-3 against one another.

(Photo credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Familiarity can breed contempt. But it can also leave you unsurprised.

The more you see a team, the less they throw your way can genuinely shock you. After all, you’ve seen what they have to offer.

For the LA Clippers and Denver Nuggets, Game 3 on Thursday night at Intuit Dome represents the seventh time they’ll have met one another when accounting for both regular season and postseason. Each team has won three out of the first six games.

“I don’t think anything’s surprising. I think it’s two top teams, two talented teams battling it out,” Clippers guard Norman Powell said after practice Wednesday.

As Powell went on to illustrate, there are certainly some adjustments that can be made, especially through the early games of a series—the ultimate “chess game”, as Powell called it.

“We tried to change things up offensively and how we were doing in Game 1,” Powell told reporters. “Game 2, they tried to change up how they were doing things defensively with how we attacked them in Game 1. So, it’s just reading the game. It’s a chess game out there; thinking strategies, thinking how you can manipulate the offense and defense.”