Western Conference 2nd Round Matchup: Mavs vs. Lakers

After securing a 4-2 first-round series victory over the Blazers, the Mavs advance to the second round to face the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the post-season for the first time since 1988.

It seems that the odds are against the Mavericks in this match-up based on stats of the past. A game 1 victory is crucial for Dallas; when Phil Jackson wins game 1 in any playoff series, his teams are 48-0 (24-0 with Chicago and 24-0 with the Lakers). When his team has any kind of lead in the series, they are 55-1 all-time.

With this being said, stepping onto the Lakers' court for game 1 is nerve-wrecking for any team, but the Mavs have an advantage; they are tied with Miami for the league's best road-record of 28-13, so the Mavs have an opportunity to use their strength on the road to get the early lead in the series.

As far as match-up's go, the Lakers have great length and size inside, so Dirk and centers Chandler and Haywood will have to try to keep Gasol and Bynum from dominating on the inside.

Bynum has had his highest averaged points verse any team, 16.7, against the Mavs in the regular season, so stopping him will be the ultimate test for Dallas' centers.

Shawn Marion has averaged 18.7 points against the Lakers in the regular season which is his third highest average against any team this season. If he carries this high average into the post-season along with the help from Stevenson and Kidd, the Mavs shouldn't have too much difficulty in containing Kobe.

In contrast, over the last two seasons, Kobe as averaged 18.6 points against the Mavs which is his lowest against any team.

We all know who the star player on each team is;
now lets compare them in their previous post-seasons:

Kobe has made it to the playoffs 14 times out of his 15 seasons.
These are his post-season stats:
PPG= 25.4
FG%= 44.8
3-point%= 33.8
FT%= 81.6
Player Efficiency Rating= 24.7

This is Dirk's 11th consecutive trip to the playoffs in his 13 years of playing.
These are his post-season averages:
PPG= 25.7
FG%= 45.9
3-point%= 37.4
FT%= 88.3
Player Efficiency Rating= 24.7

Dirk and Kobe are clearly both solid leaders of their teams, and as you can see, they have very similar averages in the post-season-in not just one field but in all of them. It will be interesting to watch these two battle it out in a 7-game series.

Lets take a look at their previous regular season match-ups:
Game One: January 19th- Mavs won 109-100
Game Two: March 12th- Lakers won 96-91
Game Three: March 31st- Lakers won 110-82

The Mavericks have lost 10 of the last 13 meetings with the Lakers. They have also lost 35 of the last 39 games on LA's home court. The Mavs are also 6-4 in the last 10 meetings with the Lakers at home.

Despite losing 2 of the 3 match-up's with the Lakers during the regular season, the Mavs head into this series with a confident attitude, hoping to get at least one win at the Staples Center.

The second-round series schedule for the Mavs and Lakers are as followed:
Game 1: Dallas at LA, May 2nd, 10:30pm ET on TNT
Game 2: Dallas at LA, May 4th, 10:30pm ET on TNT
Game 3: LA at Dallas, May 6th, 9:30pm ET on ESPN
Game 4: LA at Dallas, May 8th, 3:30pm ET on ABC
Game 5*: Dallas at LA, TBD on TNT
Game 6*: LA at Dallas, TBD on ESPN
Game 7*: Dallas at LA, May 15th, 3:30pm ET on ABC
*If Necessary