Mavs vs. OKC

[bcoop]

Beating OKC requires a lot more than just slowing down Durant now. Westbrook and Harden can go off for 30+ each if you give KD too much attention.

You're right. All the talking heads have no clue what they are talking about when they mention Westbrook's horrible decision making.

And those two might be able to hang 30+ each on non contendors. Not against one of the top defenses in the NBA. But, by all means, continue on with your wet dream.

[Avery'sDad]

Oklahoma in 7.

...days from now will be eliminated from the playoffs.

[Avery'sDad]

Skip Bayless is a punk. He absolutely hates the Mavs. It was good to see him butt hurt after the Lakers lost. Instead of being an analyst he resorts to 3rd grade tactics and goes with the Thunder just to be a prick. Even one of the other commentators said they grudgingly pick Dallas. Why all the hate?

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6555837

[Durantula]

You're right. All the talking heads have no clue what they are talking about when they mention Westbrook's horrible decision making.

And those two might be able to hang 30+ each on non contendors. Not against one of the top defenses in the NBA. But, by all means, continue on with your wet dream.

You mean the talking heads that hadn't watched an OKC game until the postseason? Yeah, right. That's like saying MSNBC or FOX are reliable sources for unbiased news.

Westbrook scored 31 in game 1 and 30 in game 4 against Denver which was a top 5 defense in the regular season. He scored 29 in game 1, 40 in game 4, and 27 in game 5 against Memphis, the stingiest defense in the league. There's not a player on the Dallas roster who can run with Westbrook or Harden.

[Mike]

You mean the talking heads that hadn't watched an OKC game until the postseason? Yeah, right. That's like saying MSNBC or FOX are reliable sources for unbiased news.

Westbrook scored 31 in game 1 and 30 in game 4 against Denver which was a top 5 defense in the regular season. He scored 29 in game 1, 40 in game 4, and 27 in game 5 against Memphis, the stingiest defense in the league. There's not a player on the Dallas roster who can run with Westbrook or Harden.

I respectfully disagree.

[bcoop]

You mean the talking heads that hadn't watched an OKC game until the postseason? Yeah, right. That's like saying MSNBC or FOX are reliable sources for unbiased news.

Westbrook scored 31 in game 1 and 30 in game 4 against Denver which was a top 5 defense in the regular season. He scored 29 in game 1, 40 in game 4, and 27 in game 5 against Memphis, the stingiest defense in the league. There's not a player on the Dallas roster who can run with Westbrook or Harden.

I'm going to laugh when your dreams are crushed. Dumbfuck.

[Durantula]

I'm going to laugh when your dreams are crushed. Dumbfuck.

LOL, already hurling insults over a silly sports debate. How old are you?

Anyway, what dreams? Didn't read this post?

Edit: Look, I'm a big OKC homer but even I don't think they win the series (yes I realize I picked them in 7 earlier in the thread).

[bcoop]

LOL, already hurling insults over a silly sports debate. How old are you?

Anyway, what dreams? Didn't read this post?

You're in here talking hot shit, like OKC is unbeatable. I guess you're conveniently forgetting that Dallas is up in that series in the regular season. I guess you also haven't paid a lick of attention to any basketball, ever. Right. Talking heads didn't watch any OKC basketball. At all. Genius.


For the record, you're a dumbfuck for many reasons. This doesn't even come close to topping the list.

[Durantula]

You're in here talking hot shit, like OKC is unbeatable. I guess you're conveniently forgetting that Dallas is up in that series in the regular season. I guess you also haven't paid a lick of attention to any basketball, ever. Right. Talking heads didn't watch any OKC basketball. At all. Genius.

Soo I'm talking hot shit for insisting OKC will put up a good fight but you all are in the right for suggesting Dallas sweeps them. Fuck logic, amirite?

OKC is a great team and OKC Arena is one of the top 3 toughest places to play in in the NBA. All I'm in here saying is none of you are giving this team any credit.

For the record, you're a dumbfuck for many reasons. This doesn't even come close to topping the list.

[momo]

i think this is a lot harder series than what most of you think.

mavs in 6, i just hope they take game 1.

[pHILSANITY07]

i think this is a lot harder series than what most of you think.

mavs in 6, i just hope they take game 1.

this right here. The Thunder arent going to roll over. Yea they might be a little tired, but at the sametime the Mavs could be a little rusty. Plus the Thunder might be better off like this cause they are playing in a rythem, constantly playing.

For the Mavs to win, they have to be able to slow Durant down and not let him go off. Durant averaged 29 points against Dallas this season. Also a key matchup will be the speed of Westbrook versus an old Jason Kidd and young J.J Barera. The Mavs have to be able to slow him down and also make him make mistakes. I see the Mavs winning this series, they have to have a 2-0 lead going to OKC.

[Bringit]

Looks like alot of people discussing the NBA, that dont know a whole lot about the NBA at all. Lots of hate, and one dimensional dilusion around here for sure. Oklahoma City will be much better competition than Los Angeles. The mathchups are different, and OKC is MUCH more physical than the Lakers. And then theres the whole defense thing. With the addition of Perkins on the inside, the Thunder has held their opponants to the lowest scoring percentage, and total points in the NBA.

It's one thing to have an opinion, but there should be some validity to it.


I think Dallas will win the series in 6 games, with each team winning on their home court. It will be a battle, either way. OKC is better than Portland and L.A. both.


I'll be heading down to Dallas for game 2, and will be here in OKc for games 3 and 4. Anyone that wants to meet up, the Beer is on me.

Soo I'm talking hot shit for insisting OKC will put up a good fight but you all are in the right for suggesting Dallas sweeps them. Fuck logic, amirite?

Does that really surprise you? Its always been that way around here.






.

[06S197GT]

Sure, regular season statistics are meaningless in the playoffs but look at these numbers taken from NBA.com statistics, compiled by ESPNDallas.com. Matchups seem to favor the Mavs for the most part.

Jason Kidd vs. Russell Westbrook

Westbrook: 14.9 points on 32 percent shooting, 9.1 assists, 4.0 rebounds

Kidd (+9.1): 6.5 points on 25 percent shooting (4-of-17 3-pointers), 9.5 assists, 6.9 rebounds.

Analysis: This one will probably surprise people who didn’t watch the Mavs-Thunder games or have a foggy recollection of them. Westbrook’s quickness is a major weapon, but he still wasn’t effective against a man 16 years older than him. The Mavs’ big men deserve a large share of the credit for containing the All-Star. The majority of Westbrook’s shots against Kidd came in the paint, but he was only 10-of-26 on those attempts, including 8-of-18 at the rim.

DeShawn Stevenson vs. Thabo Sefolosha

Sefolosha: 5.1 points on 60 percent shooting (3-5 in 56 minutes), 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists

Stevenson (+1.3): 13.5 points on 50 percent shooting (6-10 3s), 1.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists.

Analysis: Neither of these defensive-minded role players are expected to put up big numbers, but Stevenson ranked among the NBA’s best 3-point shooters early in the season. He knocked down 6-of-10 3s when on the floor against Sefolosha. It’s a big bonus for the Mavs if Stevenson can shoot anywhere near that well in the West finals.

Shawn Marion vs. Kevin Durant

Marion (+3.6): 23.2 points on 65 percent shooting, 7.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists.

Durant: 23.7 points on 53 percent shooting, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists.

Analysis: The Mavs’ biggest mismatch problem in this series was surprisingly even. However, a lot of Marion’s minutes came at power forward, especially in the win when Dirk Nowitzki sprained his knee during the first half. The Mavs will need to make Durant work on defense, which means they’ll need to get Marion involved as a cutter and slasher in their halfcourt sets.

Dirk Nowitzki vs. Serge Ibaka

Nowitzki (+4.9): 40.9 points on 70 percent shooting, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists.

Ibaka: 22.9 points on 67 percent shooting, 9.8 rebounds, no assists.

Analysis: The 21-year-old Ibaka is one of the NBA’s best shot blockers, but the crafty Nowitzki uses that against him with an assortment of pump fakes Ibaka has to respect due to Dirk’s shooting ability. Nowitzki averaged 16.4 free throw attempts per 36 minutes against Ibaka, who will probably spend a lot of the series in foul trouble.

Dirk Nowitzki vs. Nick Collison

Nowitzki (+15.2): 32.2 points on 56 percent shooting, 5.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists

Collison: 3.8 points on 100 percent shooting, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists

Analysis: Collison, a savvy veteran, played most of Game 7 against the Grizzlies and did a solid job defending Zach Randolph. Based on these numbers, however, Collision doesn’t appear to be the answer defending Dirk.

Tyson Chandler vs. Kendrick Perkins

Chandler (+9.0): 10.3 points on 57 percent shooting, 18.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists.

Perkins: 11.6 points on 80 percent shooting, 14.1 rebounds, no assists.

Analysis: These stats are from Perkins’ days with the Celtics. Neither big man should be judged solely on individual numbers. They have similar mindsets, but Perkins is much bulkier and Chandler much more athletic. Perkins has problems catching and finishing and isn’t a shooting threat, so Chandler won’t hesitate to help off him on defense.

Jason Terry vs. James Harden

Terry: 16.6 points on 43 percent shooting, 5.5 assists, 1.1 rebounds.

Harden (+4.4): 13.3 points on 38 percent shooting, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists.

Analysis: The battle of the sixth men shooting guards is a tough matchup for Terry. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Harden is a versatile player who will have a huge size advantage. Of course, if Terry hasn’t cooled off during the long layoff since his record-setting Game 4 shooting exhibition, size won’t matter.

J.J. Barea vs. Eric Maynor

Barea: 18.5 points on 50 percent shooting, 7.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists

Maynor (+6.5): 12.0 points on 36 percent shooting, 9.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds

Analysis: There aren’t many backup point guards who I’d take over Barea, but Maynor is one of them. He’s a mid-first round pick who fell in the Thunder’s laps because the Jazz wanted to avoid the luxury tax. Maynor is a pure point guard, while Barea is an explosive scorer who embarrassed the Lakers with his penetration off of pick-and-rolls.

Brendan Haywood vs. Nazr Mohammed

Haywood (+36.0): 9.0 points on 50 percent shooting, 15.0 rebounds, no assists

Mohammed: 12.0 points on 50 percent shooting, no rebounds, 3.0 assists

Analysis: These numbers are from a sample of only 12 minutes, but the Mavs should have a significant edge when the backup big men are on the floor. Mohammed has a championship ring from his time in San Antonio, but he’s no longer a starting-quality center. Haywood is, as he’s proven during the playoffs.

Sry for the long post...lol

[sickpony]

Mavs in 1 cuz OKC will quit after the first devastating loss.

[GT Fanatic]

I like this match-up. I think OKC is drained down from playing Denver and Memphis. Didn't they play every game of both series? To lazy to look right now. I think Dallas will benefit from this and with plenty of rest and prep time.