Thunder at Mavericks
THE STORY: The Oklahoma City Thunder will not get much time to celebrate their thrilling seven-game victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Oklahoma City returns to action Tuesday night when it visits the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. The Mavericks have been off since May 8 after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in stunning fashion.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS: Dallas was expected to present a challenge for the two-time defending champion Lakers, but few expected the Mavericks to dismantle Los Angeles the way they did. Dallas wrapped up the sweep with a 36-point trouncing to earn eight days off before the start of the conference finals. Dallas hit a postseason record-tying 20 3-pointers in the rout - nine by Jason Terry, which also equaled the all-time single-game playoff mark. The Mavericks bench dominated the Lakers throughout, and could prove to be a major problem for the Thunder's reserve unit. Employing 7-foot sharpshooter Dirk Nowitzki - who is averaging 26.5 points in the playoffs - won't hurt, either.
ABOUT THE THUNDER: Oklahoma City needed strong efforts from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in Game 7 against Memphis on Sunday afternoon, and both men delivered. Durant had 39 points and Westbrook registered a triple-double as the Thunder pulled away in the fourth quarter of their 105-90 victory. This marks the franchise's first appearance in the conference finals since 1996, when it was based in Seattle. Oklahoma City will rely heavily on Durant and Westbrook to run the show on offense, while big men Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins will go head-to-head against a Dallas frontcourt that features Nowitzki and rebounding specialist Tyson Chandler, along with bruiser Brendan Haywood off the bench.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: James Harden finally excelled from beyond the arc when he made 4-of-8 attempts in Game 7. He had gone 6-for-26 from 3-point range in the first six games of the series. Terry was deadly in Games 3 and 4 against the Lakers, averaging 27.5 points off the bench on 75 percent shooting.
KEY STATISTIC: The Thunder are averaging 102.8 points per playoff game, tops in the NBA and the only team better than 100 points. The Mavericks boast the third-lowest points against through the opening two rounds at 88.2 points per game.
SEASON SERIES: Dallas won two of three meetings in the regular season, though the Thunder prevailed in the most recent encounter. Despite being a little more than 200 miles apart, the geographical rivals haven't faced each other since Jan. 6.
LAST WORD: "The job is not finished.” - Terry, following the Mavericks' win over Los Angeles.