nba-playoffs-dall-newo - AthlonSports.com

2008 FIRST ROUND WESTERN CONFERENCE

KEYS TO THE SERIES : EXPERIENCE

Will New Orleans' lack of depth come back to haunt the Hornets? Or will their starters' production be enough? The scoring of Josh Howard and Jason Terry will win this series for Dallas. Chris Paul's undeniable talent will be on full display, David West will come to play and Tyson Chandler will be a beast on the glass. Dallas knows how to win (and lose) playoff games, and its experience and depth will be the reason the Mavs advance.

ATHLON SPORTS PICKS : DALLAS IN SEVEN

No. 3 Chris Paul PG
Points – 21.1
Assists – 11.6
Rebounds – 4.0
Minutes – 37.6

No. 41 Dirk Nowitzki PF
Points – 23.6
Assists – 3.5
Rebounds – 8.6
Minutes – 36.0

No. 3 Chris Paul PG
A serious candidate for MVP in only his third season, Paul electrified the league this year with his precision passing, lightning-quick first step and his ability to finish around the rim as well as score from the outside. He became just the sixth player in NBA history to average at least 20 points and 10 assists. The others are Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Tim Hardaway and Tiny Archibald. The 22-year-old Paul finished first in the NBA in assists and steals, increased his scoring from 17.3 to 21.1, increased his assists from 8.9 to 11.6, increased his steals from 1.8 to 2.7 and his field-goal shooting rose from 43.7 to 48.5 percent. The biggest argument for Paul's MVP candidacy, however, is that he makes his teammates better.

No. 41 Dirk Nowitzki PF
Reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs with 23.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Nowitzki is looking to shake off last season's disappointing first round ouster at the hands of the Golden State Warriors and lead his team back to the Finals as he did in 2006. At 7-feet, 245 pounds, Nowitzki is one of the best shooters in the league making him one of the toughest players to guard. However, in last year's playoffs Nowitzki settled for too many jump shots rendering him largely ineffective. He'll need to take the ball to the basket in this series and rely on his teammates to knock down the open jumpers when afforded the opportunity. Nowitzki's matchup with David West will be one of the best of the series to monitor.

No. 16 Peja Stojakovic SF
Still one of the deadliest long-range shooters in all of basketball, Stojakovic had one of his best shooting seasons in his 10th year. He finished the season with a 44.1 percentage from 3-point range and a 92.9 percentage from the stripe. Chris Paul knows exactly when and where to find Stojakovic on the court. Look for his pinpoint accuracy and confidence to help New Orleans win at least one game in this series.

No. 2 Jason Kidd PG
Kidd was acquired to get the Mavs over the hump. It took him a little while to get acclimated to Dallas' system, but he appeared to hit his stride late in the season. His experience against perhaps the league’s best point guard, Chris Paul, will be key in this series. Kidd averaged 10.8 points, 10.1 assists and 7.5 rebounds this season, but only 9.9 points, 9.5 assists and 6.5 rebounds with Dallas, and the Mavs went just 15-14 after acquiring Kidd. Those numbers will need to improve against a tough New Orleans team.

The New Orleans Hornets are making their first appearance in the postseason since the 2004, while the Dallas Mavericks have had two highly memorable playoff exits the past two seasons. As a No. 1 seed last year, Dallas was eliminated by the No. 8 seed Golden State Warriors in embarrassing fashion. The year before, Dallas was bounced by Miami in the NBA Finals.

This series features last season's MVP Dirk Nowitzki and an MVP candidate for this season in Chris Paul. Paul is the first player to average 20 points and 10 assists in the same season since Golden State’s Tim Hardaway did it in 1992-93.

The Hornets are no doubt led by Paul, but also boast All-Star David West (20.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game), Peja Stojakovic (16.4 points per game, 44.1 percent from three) and Tyson Chandler (11.8 points and 11.7 rebounds per game).

The Mavericks boosted their backcourt when they traded for Jason Kidd (10.8 points, 10.1 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game) to team with Josh Howard (19.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game), Jason Terry (15.5 points and 3.2 assists per game and Nowitzki (23.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game). Kidd is excellent at leading the fast break and brings 100 games of playoff experience along with his 100 triple-doubles to the Dallas lineup.

Frontcourt depth is not one of New Orleans' strengths. Therefore, West and Chandler will need to stay out of foul trouble. Hornets coach Byron Scott has also expressed concern about the Hornets’ defense as the Hornets struggled to contain the opposition down the stretch.

Paul is perhaps the most competitive player in today's NBA, and he has shown the ability to will his team to victory. Still, with Jerry Stackhouse returning to the starting lineup, Dallas' backcourt is loaded. This series will go the full seven games, but when it's all said and done the experienced Mavs will emerge victorious and advance to the second round.

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