Portland Trail Blazers vs. Dallas Mavericks: A Live Look Into the Playoffs

With nearly a week's worth of games remaining in the regular season, teams are beginning to get a feel for who their opponent will be in the playoffs.

With the Dallas Mavericks and the Portland Trail Blazers in the No. 4 and No. 6 seeds, respectively, in the Western Conference, Sunday night's game had huge playoff implications.

The Trail Blazers didn't disappoint.

For the second time since the All-Star break, Portland came out on top against their imminent playoff rival, the Dallas Mavericks. Gerald Wallace led the team with 19 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, and Wesley Matthews had 16 points in a 104-96 victory at the Rose Garden.

But what does this win really mean for the Trail Blazers? Not much at all.

This is still the regular season. Aside from putting Portland one full game ahead of the New Orleans Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies for that No. 5 seed in the West, this is nothing more than a W in the win-loss column.

Great teams and great coaches like Rick Carlisle and the Dallas Mavericks find a way to win games in the playoffs.

"The playoffs are a whole different level. It's a whole different monster," Aldridge said after the game. "We can't think that just because we beat them that it's going to be easy."

But it seems like the Blazers have the Mavs' number, at least matchup wise. Aldridge was able to hold Dirk Nowitzki to a mere 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting, and Jason Kidd went scoreless with only four assists. Their leading scorer was Shawn Marion, who had 19 points, and their bench sensation in Jason Terry only had four.

Portland just did everything right.

"Worried a bit much," Nowitzki said when he was asked about his team's position in the playoffs. "Obviously this is a little late to be going down. Definitely disappointed. But it could be worse—this could be the playoffs."

However, if things continue the way they are, this WILL be the playoffs. The first round for Portland looks brighter than ever, paired up with a team they perfectly match up to.

Two veteran Point Guards in Kidd and Miller, two veteran Centers in Camby and Haywood, and two dominant Power Forwards in Aldridge and Nowitzki.

The electricity of the benches match up perfectly (Nicolas Batum, Brandon Roy, and Rudy Fernandez vs. Terry, Stevenson, and Barea) and both teams are headed by two great coaches. 

My Prediction: Portland in six.

Though Dallas has Tyson Chandler, who missed Sunday's game with a stiff neck and could potentially be a game changer, Wes Matthews and Gerald Wallace are huge pieces to the puzzle that is the Portland Trail Blazers.

Expect to see Brandon Roy appear as the superstar that he is, especially late in games. Patty Mills has the potential to score big if he's given the playing time, and Andre Miller is known for his random bursts of high scoring.

So long as Aldridge can get his points and do his best to contain Dirk, Portland could be looking at its first second-round appearance in a long time.