NBA Playoff Preview - Dallas vs. Golden State

By Warren Blatt, NBA Editor

Dallas Mavericks: 1st Seed, West (67-15)

Golden State Warriors: 8th Seed, West (42-40)

The top-seeded Dallas Mavericks begin their quest to try and make it back to the NBA Finals, as they face the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs.

Dallas lost in six games last season to the Miami Heat in the championship round.

The Mavericks reached the 60-win mark for the third time in franchise history during the 2006-07 regular season, as they won a franchise-best 67 games.

Head coach Avery Johnson continues to get the most out of his squad, while All-Star Dirk Nowitzki played like an MVP and Josh Howard earned his first spot in an NBA All-Star Game. Nowitzki led Dallas in scoring (24.6 ppg) and rebounding (8.9 rpg), while Jason Terry dished out a team-best 5.2 assists per game.

After starting the season with four straight losses, the Mavericks won 12 straight and 27 of their next 30 games to take control of the Southwest Division and finish with best overall record in the league.

The emergence of Howard, steady play off Terry and the all-around game of Nowitzki have made the Mavericks the team to beat in the West. Devin Harris and veteran Jerry Stackhouse lead a supporting cast that has helped Dallas play like a team on a mission all season long.

The last time the Mavericks lost in the first round of the playoffs was in 2004, when they were ousted in five games, 4-1, by the Sacramento Kings.

Golden State, which had the longest playoff drought in the NBA, returns to the postseason for the first time since 1994, when it was led by Chris Mullin, Latrell Sprewell and Chris Webber. The Warriors were swept, 3-0, by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.

The Warriors last playoff victory was on April 25, 1992 at home against the Seattle SuperSonics. Golden State fell in four, 3-1, to the SuperSonics in the opening round of the playoffs that year.

Veteran head coach Don Nelson returned to the bench for Golden State this season. Nelson, who was general of the Warriors for six-plus seasons beginning in 1988, compiled a 277-260 record with the squad before resigning halfway through the 1994-95 season.

Nelson spent parts of eight seasons as the head coach of Dallas, and guided the Mavericks to four 50-plus win campaigns. He resigned as head coach on March 19, 2005 and served as a consultant with Dallas until being hired by the Warriors on August 30, 2006. Nelson is 70-85 all-time in the playoffs.

Nelson's unorthodox system started to work when the franchise pulled off a blockbuster trade. On January 17th, Golden State acquired swingman Stephen Jackson, forwards Al Harrington and Josh Powell and guard Sarunas Jasikevicius from the Indiana Pacers for Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Ike Diogu and Keith McLeod.

The athletic Harrington, who has played center and power forward for the Warriors, and Jackson gave Nelson the flexibility with his rotation that he lacked. Two-time All-Star guard Baron Davis led the team in scoring (20.1 ppg) and assists (8.1 apg), while high-flying Jason Richardson is healthy and Monta Ellis has been, arguably, the biggest surprise in the league this season.

The Warriors have played their best basketball in the month of April, as they registered and 8-1 record and ended the campaign on a five-game winning streak.

Dallas and Golden State are meeting in the playoffs for the first time.

During the regular season, the Warriors swept the Mavericks, 3-0. Golden State won a pair of games at ORACLE Arena and defeated Dallas, 107-104, on November 6th at American Airlines Center.

FRONTCOURT: All-Stars Howard, who averaged 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season, and Nowitzki team with center Erick Dampier to give the Mavericks an excellent frontcourt. Howard is a slasher and has continued to improve his all-around game, while the 7-0 Nowitzki has to be guarded wherever he is on the court. Nowitzki can drain the outside jumper from anywhere, and can also burn his opponent by putting the ball on the floor and driving to the hoop.

Dampier, who spent the seven years with Golden State before being traded to Dallas on August 24, 2004, is not an offensive force, but he is a solid rebounder and can hold his own defensively. The veteran center knows his role.

Nelson has been using a frontcourt of Harrington, Jackson and Richardson, who missed 31 games during the season because of injuries. What this frontcourt lacks in size, it make up with athleticism.

Harrington is the strongest low-post player of the three, while Jackson is a dangerous shooter from the perimeter and Richardson excels in the open court and especially in transition.

Shaking up the lineup with a new frontcourt has been a big positive for the Warriors. However, Howard, Nowitzki, and Dampier get the edge in this matchup.

EDGE: MAVERICKS

BACKCOURT: Davis is healthy and is playing some of the best basketball of his career, while Ellis, who averaged 16.5 points and 4.1 assists in just his second season in the league, has given Nelson another dangerous outside shooter who is athletic and runs the floor very well. Even though Davis is the point guard, he looks to shoot first but also has a knack for finding the open man.

Harris and Terry give Dallas a backcourt with decent size, which has helped the Mavericks defensively. The 6-3 Harris is a pure point guard, while Terry, who averaged 16.7 points per game, provides the offense from the duo.

The Mavericks starting backcourt will have to keep the explosive Davis from single-handedly winning games, while they should be able keep Ellis from filling up the stat sheet. Terry and Harris fit perfectly into Johnson's schemes and will hold their own against Golden State's talented tandem.

EDGE: EVEN

BENCH: Both teams are well represented on the bench. The reserves won't be the difference in the series, but it will come into play sometime during the series.

Veteran Jerry Stackhouse, who can play shooting guard and small forward, adds scoring off the pine for Dallas, while DeSagana Diop shares the duties in the middle with Dampier and is on the court for his defensive ability. Like Stackhouse, Devean George, who signed as a free agent last offseason, can play multiple positions and forwards Greg Buckner and Austin Croshere are serviceable.

Mickael Pietrus, Matt Barnes, Andris Biedrins, Kelenna Azubuike and Jasikevicius give Nelson the versatility he needs with his rotation and lineups. Pietrus and Barnes can score if they are hot, while Biedrins, who averaged 9.5 points and 9.3 boards, has developed into a solid low-post player.

The Mavericks and Warriors have deep benches. Make no mistake about, both teams strengths are in their starters. Nelson is more creative, but Johnson has the players.

EDGE: MAVERICKS

PREDICTION: Forget about the regular season, this is the playoffs. Dallas is too strong in a best-of-seven series for Nelson's Warriors. Nowitzki and the Mavericks take the first step towards making it back to the NBA Finals.

MAVERICKS IN FIVE