The Western Conference’s fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers (51-31) will face the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks (50-32) in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. This is a rematch of back-to-back first-round series in 2020 and 2021, both of which the Clippers won — in six and seven games, respectively. More series previews: East: Knicks-76ers | Bucks-Pacers | Cavs-Magic West: Nuggets-Lakers | Wolves-Suns | Clippers-Mavs The aging Clippers began the season with a two-time Finals MVP (Kawhi Leonard), a perennial All-Star (Paul George) and a former MVP (Russell Westbrook) and discovered it was not enough, even with a hefty luxury tax…