The Dallas Mavericks held off the Portland Trailblazers in a tough first round series while the Hornets gave the Lakers more trouble than expected. It will be interesting to see which team steps up in this series as the matchups gets much tougher for both of them. Here is a look at the matchups in this series:
POINT GUARD: Jason Kidd will need to turn back the clock in this series, like he did in the first couple of games of the Portland series. Kidd played in 6 games (all starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 34.7 minutes, 11.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Kidd will have to use his size advantage a bit in this series against Derek Fisher.
Derek Fisher always seems to step up in big games and there will be some of them in this series. Fisher played in 6 games (all starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 33.7 minutes, 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Fisher also shot 52.6% from the floor as he is deadly when left alone, which happens more than you would think.
EDGE: MAVERICKS
SHOOTING GUARD: DeShawn Stevenson is just the guy who starts the game at SG for the Mavericks. He played in 6 games (all starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 12.7 minutes, 2.8 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He only shot 33.3% from the floor in the first round. The Mavericks would be happy if Stevenson plays hard on defense when he’s on the court against Kobe Bryant.
Kobe Bryant might not be the player he used to be in the past, but he’s still pretty darn good. Bryant played in 6 games (all starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 34.3 minutes, 22.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Kobe is still the guy the Lakers turn to when they need someone to make the big shot and I think he’s going to have a big series against the Mavericks.
EDGE: GIGANTIC FOR THE MAVERICKS
SMALL FORWARD: Shawn Marion is a key for the Mavericks, as the offense usually purrs when he plays well. Marion played in 6 games (all starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 31.0 minutes, 10.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Marion needs to take his fair share of shots in this series so that Ron Artest won’t be able to play help D for the Lakers.
Ron Artest was sleepwalking during the regular season but he was outstanding against the Hornets in the first round of the playoffs. Artest played in 6 games (all starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 32.7 minutes, 11.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Artest also shot 50% from the floor in the first round of the playoffs.
EDGE: EVEN
POWER FORWARD: Dirk Nowitzki is the key for the Mavericks in this series. If he gets his points, the Mavericks will have a good chance of pulling an upset in this series. Nowitzki played in 6 games (all starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 38.7 minutes, 27.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. The Mavericks hope to drag Pau Gasol away from the basket when they have the basketball, due to Nowitzki’s outside shooting.
Pau Gasol might explode in this series as their were whispers that he was playing soft against the Hornets. Gasol played in 6 games (all starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 35.8 minutes, 13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 blocked shots per game. The Lakers need Gasol to get tough in this series and I think he will be back to his old self.
EDGE: VERY SLIGHT FOR MAVERICKS
CENTER: Tyson Chandler needs to play good defense and fight for every rebound in this series, as the Lakers have a big frontcourt. Chandler played in 6 games (all starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 28.8 minutes, 6.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Chandler is a good player when he wants to be, and the Mavs need him to play well in this series.
Andrew Bynum is stepping up so far in the playoffs and the Lakers need that to continue in this series. Bynum played in 6 games (all starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 30.8 minutes, 15.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.8 blocked shots per game. Bynum is a big key in this series, because if he rules the paint, the Lakers are going to make quick work of the Mavericks.
EDGE: LAKERS
BENCH: The Mavericks like to use the bench quite a bit and they bring a lot of offense with them. Jason Terry is the main man off the bench for the Mavericks. He played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 33.2 minutes, 17.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The Mavericks need Terry to have a big series if they are going to have a decent chance at an upset in this series. Backup SF Peja Stojakovic is also likely to be an asset off the bench in this series. He played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 23.5 minutes, 9.5 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. Brendan Haywood will give Chandler a blow when he needs one, and the Mavericks need him to bang away in the paint when he’s on the court. Haywood played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 18.8 minutes, 2.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. PG/SG J.J. Barea will give Jason Kidd a break when he needs one. Barea played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 17.7 minutes, 5.2 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. But, he only shot 32.4% from the floor and that’s not going to get it done. Corey Brewer and Brian Cardinal didn’t play much against the Blazers but they could see more minutes against the Lakers.
SF/PF Lamar Odom was the Sixth Man of the Year in the NBA this season and he will have a key role in this series. Odom played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 28.2 minutes, 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Odom will need to be on his game as the Lakers are going to need him to play a little better in this series. Shannon Brown gives Kobe a break when he needs one. Brown played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 16.3 minutes, 5.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. SF Matt Barnes will give Artest a break once in a while in this series. Barnes played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 13.7 minutes, 3.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game. PG Steve Blake will give Derek Fisher a break when he needs one. Blake played in 5 games (0 starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 15.2 minutes, 2.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
EDGE: EVEN
COACHING: Rick Carlisle is a good NBA head coach, but even with the win in the first round of the playoffs, he’s only 41-43 (48.8%) in his career in the post-season. Now he has to match wits with Phil Jackson and that’s not going to be easy.
Phil “The Zen Master” Jackson is the best coach in the NBA right now, period. He is now 229-100 (69.6%) during the post-season in his NBA career and he has 11 NBA Titles as a coach.
EDGE: BIG FOR THE LAKERS
PREDICTION: I think the Lakers are going to have a rough time in this series, especially in Dallas. But, they are still the better team, so I like the Lakers in six games.
