Tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET arguably the most interesting series of the NBA playoffs' first round will tip off between the No. 3 Los Angeles Clippers and No. 6 San Antonio Spurs in a Western Conference Game 1 that can be live streamed free by clicking this link. Clippers fans can listen to the game on KFWB 980, while Spurs fans may listen to the radio broadcast on 1200 WOAI.

The Clippers' postseason last year was derailed by the controversy surrounding owner Donald Sterling, as well as mental meltdowns vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder. This year, they've battled multiple injuries but emerged as a complete team and real contender. Forward Blake Griffin said their mishaps a year ago have helped mold that resiliency.

"Yeah, we've had some challenges as a team," Griffin said. "And we're tougher because of it."

Griffin missed a large chunk of time this year, but he was picked up by center DeAndre Jordan, who had the best season of his career. He emerged as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, while terrorizing opponents on pick-and-roll slams that are worthy of legions of posters.

San Antonio can never be counted out, but future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan acknowledged the challenge lying ahead.

"We're starting on the road against one of the hottest teams playing right now," Duncan said. "We're comfortable playing on the road. We've been through just about every situation possible, so we have the capacity and we have the experience to be able to start a series on the road."

Duncan's remained a rock for the Spurs, providing elite defense, 13.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game at the age of 38.