There's also the Russell Westbrook factor. For the first time since being traded in 2019, the 36-year-old will play at OKC in front of a playoff crowd on Monday for Game 1. He was robbed of that opportunity with the Houston Rockets in 2020 due to The Bubble.

Russell Westbrook had a phenomenal night, exacting his revenge on the Clippers with 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in Game 7. The Clippers traded Westbrook last summer before he landed with the Nuggets, having a much better season in Denver than what we saw last season.

The first two games went down to the wire with the Nuggets taking Game 1 in overtime and the Clippers pulling out Game 2 in a thriller to send the series back to Los Angeles tied at 1-1. Game 3 was a far more lopsided affair as the Clippers cruised to a 117-83 victory to take a 2-1 series lead.