NBA First Round Preview: Thunder vs Mavericks

(photo credit: star-telegram.com)

The Oklahoma City Thunder will face off against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs. The Thunder are the three seed and the Mavericks clinched the sixth seed.

The Thunder are in the playoffs after missing the playoffs last season by one game. They will have their whole team healthy this time around, as Kevin Durant missed the end of last season with injury, forcing Russell Westbrook to lead the team. He's done it again this season, but has had the help of Durant and Serge Ibaka. This Thunder team is coming into this series strong.t

The Mavericks come in to the playoffs just two games over .500. This has not been an easy season for Dallas, but they managed to make it into the playoffs as the sixth seed.

The Thunder swept the season series between these two. The key to success in this series is simple. For the Thunder, Russell Westbrook needs to continue to be a triple-double machine. For the Mavericks, they need to find a way to stop Westbrook and Durant.