Finally Time for Some Red River Roundball

After a lengthy layoff and flying under the national sports media's radar (thanks in large part to owner Mark Cuban's almost fanatical aversion to publicity during these playoffs) for more than a week, the Dallas Mavericks are just hours away from finally tipping off the Western Conference Finals.

Following their rousing sweep and total evisceration of the Los Angeles Lakers in game four, the Mavericks are brimming with confidence, but so too are the Oklahoma City Thunder, after winning their first two playoff series since relocating the franchise. It is usually during playoff series that rivalries are born, and with the obvious geographical proximity and the Red River Rivalry between the Longhorns and Sooners already a big part of the fabric of sports fans in both cities, it likely won't take long before Mavs fans are calling Thunder point guard Brian Westbrrok a flopper or OKC fans booing Tyson Chandler for his boistrous chest pumping.

Looking at their meetings this year, let's see how the teams match up:

Dallas vs Oklahoma City:

	Dallas	OKC
Wins	2	1
PPG	103.0	98.3
FG%	46.7	45.7
3PT%	37.1	34.1
FT%	84.6	73.6
RB	46.3	40
AST	23.3	23.3
TO	13.3	11

Both of Dallas' wins against the Thunder came in Oklahoma City, and Dirk Nowitzki really only participated in the first game in November, scoring 34 points; he sprained his knee early in their second meeting and sat out the third tilt. It's a very small sample size, but the Thunder really don't have anyone who can bother Dirk defensively. They will throw Thabo Sefolosha on him to try and utilize his length and athleticism to try and disrupt him in the same fashion that worked for Golden State back in 2007, but Nowitzki has learned to carve up these kinds of defensive schemes since then.

The NBA's leading scorer, Kevin Durant, averaged 29.3 points per game against Dallas, but in the two Dallas wins was limited to just 2 and 5 points in the fourth quarter. Russell Westbrook was really held in check by the Mavericks' defense, averaging just 14.3 points per game, and in the Mavs wins, Westbrook was a putrid -27 total. Add in the fact that Durant and Westbrook at times seem to be feuding for the ball and the Mavs could be catching a team going through some turmoil, especially in crunch time in close games.

The Tyson Chandler Factor cannot be understated; Chandler twice grabbed 18 rebounds against the Thunder, his season high. Ironically, Chandler was traded to OKC last year, but the trade was rescinded due to medical concerns and the Mavericks were the lucky beneficiaries. Since these two teams last played each other, the Thunder have added center Kendrick Perkins in an effort to shore up their middle, but his lack of mobility and athleticism will do little to slow Chandler.

Dallas has too many weapons and is too experienced in crunch time playoff basketball for the Thunder, and Westbrook's erratic play will doom OKC.

Mavs in 7.