Mavericks vs. Lakers: 5 Players Who Must Help Dirk Nowitzki

If the NBA Playoffs were to start this afternoon, sixth-seeded Dallas would be taking on the third-place Lakers. Lucky for NBA fans, that matchup happens to be the second half of today's NBA Showcase on ABC.  

The defending champion Mavericks ousted the Lakers from last season's conference semifinals in just four games. On top of the embarrassing sweep, Dallas also ended the era of Phil Jackson in Los Angeles. Following the playoff exit, Jackson stepped down as head coach, opening the door to the Mike Brown era. 

This possible playoff preview will have a very different setup to it in comparison with last May's series. Jackson is not the only one who will be absent from this matchup. From Dallas, Tyson Chandler and DeShawn Stevenson are gone from the starting lineup, replaced by Brendan Haywood and Vince Carter. The Lakers are without Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher. 

It has been a grind of a season for Dallas, who started off shaky before righting the ship in late January. Dirk Nowitzki has had to adjust to his new teammates on the fly during the lockout-shortened season. It is an awkward year and an an uncomfortable way for Dallas to defend their title.

However, the Mavericks are still in the thick of things, looking to improve their seeding by finishing out the season strong.

Nowitzki will once again have to call on his teammates for help, and these five guys will have to come through both in today's game and the playoffs. 

Vince Carter

The 13-year veteran will be counted on a lot today. He will most likely be catching a break on the defensive end, as Kobe Bryant is unlikely to play once again. Most likely, Carter will draw the young Devin Ebanks if he gets the starting nod. 

The lighter load on the defensive end should open things up for Carter on the scoring side. Nowitzki will be playing against the twin towers of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, who have the size and ability to slow his offense down. If Carter can score in the high teens, it would be a huge help for the Mavericks chances.

Brandon Wright

Dallas won't be able to play a lot of small ball today as the Lakers bigs are so dynamic on the offensive end. Coming off the bench Friday night against Portland, Wright had a nice game, shooting 6-of-10 for 13 points. Today he will be needed on the glass as well. Wright grabbed eight rebounds in 27 minutes of action Friday and will have to put up a similar total today.

Dallas' big men are weak with the departure of Chandler, and Shawn Marion can only do so much especially against LA. If Wright can help clean the glass against the Lakers' second unit and earn himself some transition buckets today, it would be of great service to the Mavs.

Shawn Marion

Marion was actually the one responsible for matching up with Bryant in the teams' first two meetings this season and despite Dallas losing both games, Marion was able to keep Kobe relatively in check. With no Kobe on the court Sunday, Marion will have the opportunity to stop a different Laker threat. 

Despite the absence of their star, Los Angeles has reeled off three straight victories thanks to enormous contributions from Matt Barnes and Metta World Peace on varying days. On Friday night against Denver, Barnes had his way offensively, shooting 9-of-11 from the field, including four three-pointers en route to a 24 and 10 double-double. Marion will be charged with stopping whichever of the Laker forwards decides it is their turn to go off. 

Jason Kidd

No longer will this be the poster matchup for aging point guards. Fisher is gone, and that could mean trouble for the 39-year-old Kidd. He was given a breather Friday in Portland, and with good reason. Today he'll be matching up with the quick Ramon Sessions, who has been running the show the past few games. 

With the extra rest, Dirk will need his point guard at the top of his game both offensively and defensively. Sessions, 26, will use his speed and athleticism against Kidd. However, he has only been a Laker for about a month. Kidd knows his team a lot better than Sessions knows the purple and gold. That knowledge and veteran presences could be key for Dallas. 

The Dallas Bigs

The Mavericks are currently riding a three-game win streak of their own. However, the Ws have come against the similarly size-challenged Kings, Warriors and Trail Blazers. Thanks to Marion and Kidd, Dallas has been able to hold their own in the rebounding column against these teams. 

They face a different beast today and possibly in the opening round of the playoffs in a few weeks. Bynum has been grabbing boards like nobody's business lately. While Marion is trying to slow the streaky World Peace or Barnes and Dirk is focusing on scoring against the 7-footers, the responsibility to make sure Dallas doesn't get wiped off the glass falls on Haywood, Wright and Ian Mahinmi.

Last season, Dirk had Chandler to handle the painted area. This time around, the Mavs are still searching for an answer to teams like Los Angeles. In the two teams' most recent matchup on March 21, the Lakers owned the boards to the tune of 46 to 29. Dallas was blown out in that game, however the first two meetings were decided by a combined eight points. In those two games, you guessed it, the rebounding totals were much closer.

After the sweep in last year's playoffs, the Lakers appear poised for revenge with broomsticks of their own. A win Sunday gives them a clean sweep of the season series and a definite advantage should they meet up again in May.

If Carter, Marion, Kidd and Wright can do their jobs and give Dirk a hand on the offensive end, Dallas can leave leave California with their pride and some confidence if they find themselves at the Staples Center again.