NBA Playoffs 2011: Dallas Mavericks vs. OKC Thunder Series Preview
The Oklahoma City Thunder survived the only series to go seven games this postseason to earn a matchup with the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook helped the Thunder defeat the upstart Grizzlies in a decisive rout.
Durant scored 39 points after a terrible Game 6 performance, and Westbrook had the first triple-double in a Game 7 since Scottie Pippen in 1992.
Game 1 of the West Finals is Tuesday night in Dallas, and the Mavericks have been waiting for over a week to play their next game since their dismantling of the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in a four-game sweep.
The Thunder are a more difficult matchup for Dallas than the Lakers were. OKC is a lot younger and more athletic.
This series will be a battle of youth vs. experience, and it is certain to be an exciting series with the right to represent the West in NBA Finals on the line.
Let’s preview the West Finals between the young Oklahoma City Thunder and the experienced Dallas Mavericks.
Who on Dallas Will Guard Kevin Durant?
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Kevin Durant is able to score 30 points against any team, and he led the NBA in scoring for the second consecutive season this year.
Durant had difficulty against Tony Allen and Shane Battier in the second round, both of whom are elite NBA defenders for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Dallas does not have an elite perimeter defender to make life difficult for Durant. Mavericks forward Shawn Marion has good length but does not have the quickness to stay with Durant at this point in his career.
Durant will be able to get open much easier against Dallas than he could vs. Memphis, and Russell Westbrook will be able to find Durant so he gets the shot attempts he needs to be effective.
Who on the Thunder Will Guard Dirk Nowitzki?
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Dirk Nowitzki is an all-time great player and is a nightmare to defend. He is a fabulous outside shooter and can also play in the paint.
He is also a great scorer off the dribble and has a great mid-range fade-away. No seven-footer in league history has ever scored like Dirk.
The Thunder have young and athletic forwards to defend Nowitzki and are better equipped than the Lakers to defend Dirk.
Serge Ibaka is a very athletic defender to guard Nowitzki, and he has the length to block Dirk’s shot. Ibaka also has the most blocked shots in the playoffs.
Nick Collison will also get his chance against Nowitzki, and Collison's great defense against Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph is huge for his confidence going into the Dallas series.
Nowitzki will get his points, but they will be harder to earn vs. OKC than they were against the Lakers.
Will Jason Kidd and JJ Barea Be Able to Contain Russell Westbrook?
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Russell Westbrook is one of the fastest players in the NBA, and he is a great scorer driving to the basket. Jason Kidd will not be able to keep up with Westbrook, but he has the size advantage over Westbrook.
Kidd will be able to post up Westbrook in the paint, and Westbrook’s defense is not good enough to make Kidd work hard to set up the Dallas offense.
JJ Barea has played great this season for Dallas, and he is a quicker defender to contain Westbrook.
Barea is also good at penetrating defenses, and he will make Westbrook work hard on defense, whereas Kidd will hang around the perimeter most of the time.
Westbrook is the catalyst for the OKC offense, and if Dallas can disrupt his play, they will take the Thunder offense out of rhythm.
Is Dallas’ Experience and Drive to Win Enough to Beat the Thunder?
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Let’s face it, Dirk Nowitzki has never been able to use his extraordinary talents in leading the Dallas Mavericks to the franchise’s first-ever NBA championship, and the window of opportunity for him to do that is closing.
This could be one of the last deep playoff runs for Dirk and several other Mavericks players who’ve never tasted championship success.
Guys like Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Caron Butler and Shawn Marion are all approaching the downside of their careers and have yet to win an NBA crown.
Never count out a team of veterans whose will and desire to finally reach the apex of their sport is so great that they band together and accomplish the mission.
We saw an example of this in 2008 with the Boston Celtics, whose Big Three of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett willed their team to the title after more than a decade of each guy coming up short in the playoffs.
The Thunder are in the Western Finals for the first time since 1996. when the franchise was the Seattle SuperSonics. They have yet to be rattled by the bright stage, but with each round brings new challenges and adversity.
Many of Dallas’ players have reached the West Finals in their careers, and many have been to the NBA Finals.
The Mavericks experience will help them, and the reality of this being perhaps their last great shot for glory will be enough to allow them to give maximum effort.
Who Are the X-Factors for OKC vs. Dallas?
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The Oklahoma City Thunder are a deeper team than the Dallas Mavericks and have several players who will contribute on both ends of the floor for about 10-20 minutes per game.
Sixth man James Harden is the Thunder’s best offensive threat off the bench and is the biggest X-factor for them in the series. He can provide instant scoring off the bench with his good outside shooting.
But Harden isn’t just a shooter; he is an improving one-on-one defender and an underrated passer and playmaker. When he plays well and is scoring efficiently, the Thunder are extremely difficult to beat.
Another X-factor for OKC is forward Nick Collison, who may be the most under-appreciated player in the NBA. Collison is the most experienced player on the Thunder, and only he and Durant were with the franchise when it was still in Seattle.
Collison is a hustle guy who will give full effort on every play, and he is a solid post defender. His defense on Memphis’ Zach Randolph was huge for the Thunder in their seven-game triumph over the Grizzlies in the second round.
Who Are the X-Factors for Dallas vs. OKC?
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For Dallas to put the pressure on OKC’s defense, Jason Terry must keep up his good shooting that was key for the Mavericks’ sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers.
When Terry is shooting lights out, especially from three-point land, the Mavericks are very hard to beat. If Terry can score a lot in this series, Dirk Nowitzki will not feel all the pressure to carry Dallas offensively.
JJ Barea is Dallas’ lone hope of containing Russell Westbrook, and he must make Westbrook expend energy on the defensive end of the floor.
Barea is quick and good at penetrating defenses and getting to the basket. If he can make shots and prevent Westbrook from igniting the fast break, Dallas will control the pace of the game.
Series Prediction: OKC Beats Dallas in Six Games to Advance to the NBA Finals
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The Oklahoma City Thunder were 1-2 vs. the Dallas Mavericks during the regular season, with their lone victory coming in the only meeting at Dallas in January.
That January win was the last meeting of the season between the two, meaning none of the matchups took place after the blockbuster trade in which OKC acquired center Kendrick Perkins from the Boston Celtics.
Perkins has given the Thunder a defensively dominant big man in the paint, and the departure of Jeff Green has freed up minutes for James Harden and Serge Ibaka.
Ibaka has been allowed to start since Green’s departure and is a great defensive player, leading the 2011 NBA playoffs in blocks so far.
Dallas will have real difficulty guarding Russell Westbrook, and an even tougher time guarding Kevin Durant. OKC will struggle a bit defending Dirk Nowitzki, but the Thunder are a deeper and better defensive team than Dallas.
They are also quicker and more athletic than the Mavericks. Dallas has much more experience on its roster than OKC, but the Thunder have not been fazed by the bright lights of the playoffs nor the success they’ve had despite their youth.
OKC is a rare young team that does not get rattled or nervous when the pressure mounts, in fact, they thrive on it.
The Thunder are a complete team that is much deeper than their two superstars, and their bench could win 20 games by themselves if they were a separate team.
The Mavericks have had a very good 2011 season, but OKC is a bad matchup for them in nearly every facet of the game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will win the Western Conference Finals in six games, and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1996, when the franchise was in Seattle and lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games.
