NBA Playoffs 2011: Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, Game 5 Preview

The Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder play Game 5 of their series tonight at 9 PM ET at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. The Mavs are looking to close out the series and reach their first NBA Final since 2006, while the Thunder are trying to extend their season one game more and send the series back to their fans in OKC.

Read on to see who wins Game 5 and how they do so.

How Game 4 Was Won

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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MAY 23: Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts in overtime while taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals during the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Oklahoma City Arena on May 23, 2011 in Oklaho

The Thunder were playing well and up by 15 points with five minutes to go, but Dirk Nowitzki took over at that point. Dirk had 12 points in the final five minutes of the 4th quarter, after having zero points in the quarter before the five minute mark. He finished with 40 points and, once again, showed why he is so hard to defend. Also, the Mavs received solid efforts from Jason Kidd and Jason Terry.

The Thunder were paced by Kevin Durant's 29 points, Russell Westbrook's 19 points and Serge Ibaka's 18 points. They were up for the entire game until the last five minutes and they ended up loosing to the Mavs in overtime 112-105.

Dallas Mavericks: Keys to a Game 5 Victory

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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MAY 23: Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks looks to pass the ball as he is double-teammed by Serge Ibaka #9 and Thabo Sefolosha #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals dur

The Mavericks need to feed the beast that is Dirk Nowitzki, early and often. Dirk controls the entire tempo of the game for the Mavs, and they go as far as he goes. As long as Dirk is in the 30-point range, the Mavs will be fine. Also, they really need to work on playing the boards better. The Thunder out rebounded the Mavs 55-33, including 20 offensive rebounds in Game 4. If the Mavs can fix this then they should win Game 5 handily.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Keys to a Game 5 Victory

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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MAY 23: Serge Ibaka #9 of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts in the fourth quarter while taking on the Dallas Mavericks in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals during the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Oklahoma City Arena on May 23, 2011 in

The Thunder need to play better at the end of games, they have way too much trouble executing in crunch time. They had Game 4 wrapped up, but they lost the game in the final five minutes. If only they could have executed on the offensive end, maybe one or two times more in the final minutes, then they most likely would have won the game.

Also, the Thunder need to continue to crash the boards hard and force Dallas to foul them on rebound attempts. They are really dangerous when they can get offensive rebounds, because they have multiple shooters who can capitalize off long offensive rebounds.

Look for James Harden to have a big game off the bench, contributing some much-needed scoring. The Thunder can make Game 5 competitive if they have solid bench production.

Who Wins Game 5?

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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MAY 23: Jason Terry #31 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts after making a three-pointer in the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals during the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Oklahoma City Arena

The Dallas Mavericks have all the momentum and have shown they are good at closing out games. This is enough for me to say they are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2006. Look for Dirk and Durant to both have monster games, but Dirk's supporting cast will play much better than Durant's.

Dallas Mavericks win 114-106