The Warriors strut into this series having swept the Mavericks during the season. The Warriors averaged 111.7 points per game while allowing the Mavericks to score only 95.3 points per game. This is the first time the Warriors have made the playoffs since 1994! Don’t forget that Don Nelson would like nothing more in the world then sending the Mavericks home after how they treated him at the end of his career there. Here are the key matchups in this series:

POINT GUARD: Baron Davis is a clutch player and he’s the one that makes everything go for the Warriors offense. He averaged 20.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game this season. He’s going to be a huge problem for the Mavericks to contain. Devin Harris will likely be starting at point guard for the Mavericks for defensive reasons. He’s got a decent offensive game but the Mavericks don’t let him show it much. He averaged 10.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this season. EDGE: BIG ONE FOR THE WARRIORS

SHOOTING GUARD: Monta Ellis will be the starting shooting guard for the Warriors in this series. He was one of the most improved players in the NBA this season which was his second. He averaged 16.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this season. Jason Terry is a very clutch player as he often moves between shooting guard and point guard. He averaged 16.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game this season. Terry also is an excellent outside shooter. EDGE: SLIGHT FOR THE MAVERICKS

SMALL FORWARD: Jason Richardson had a slow start to the season but he’s dominated since returning from injury. He’s a good outside shooter and a fantastic finisher on the fast break. He averaged 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game this season. Devean George will be starting at small forward as the Mavericks try to adjust to the Warriors small lineup. He has averaged 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game this season. George is a veteran of the playoffs and is sure to have some tricks up his sleeve. EDGE: WARRIORS

POWER FORWARD: Josh Howard will be playing closer to the basket in this series. That’s a good thing because he has a nice assortment of moves in the paint and he’s a good rebounder. He averaged 18.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game this season. Stephen Jackson will start at the “power” forward position for the Warriors. He’s small, but he’s a good offensive player that fits in well in the Warriors offensive running scheme. Jackson has averaged 15.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this season. EDGE: MAVERICKS

CENTER: Dirk Nowitzki will shift to center for most of this series…at least on defense. He’s a fantastic basketball player as he does everything well. He may be the best shooting 7-foot basketball player of all time as he’s a great 3-point shooter! Nowitzki averaged 24.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game this season. He gets my vote as MVP of the NBA this season. Al Harrington will be playing the center position most of the time for the Warriors in this series. Harrington averaged 16.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game this season. EDGE: HUGE FOR MAVERICKS

BENCH: The Warriors also have a high flying, versatile bench. F/G Mickael Pietrus is an outstanding defensive player but he also has game on offense. He averaged 11.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game this season. F/G Matt Barnes also is a speedy player that is a good shooter and finished on the fast break. He averaged 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season. Center Andris Biedrins had a fantastic year and if the need to go big arises, he is a legit 7-footer. He averaged 9.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game this season. Guard Kelenna Azubuike is also a sleek, athletic player that fits right into the Warriors running style. He averaged 7.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game this season.

G/F Jerry Stackhouse is one of the best 6th men in the NBA. He averaged 12.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game for the Mavericks this season. Starting center Erick Dampier will be playing off the bench in this series as the Mavs try to combat the speedy lineup that the Warriors will start. He averaged 7.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game this season. Center DaSagana Diop also will see his playing time cut down in the playoffs. He averaged 2.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. He is a very good shot blocker and the Mavs might need him to use that skill often in this series. Guard Greg Buckner is known for his defense and that will be needed in this series. He averaged 4.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game this season. EDGE: WARRIORS

PREDICTION: My head says to take the Mavericks in 7, but my heart says it’s the Warriors in 7. We’ll see which part of my body is right in a little while.

The grade is so low because of first round pick Patrick O’Bryant who played more games in the D-League than he did for the Warriors. Sleek (G/F) Kelenna Azubuike is the reason for the pumped up grade. Azubuike played in 41 games this season and he averaged 16.3 minutes, 7.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists. He also shot an amazing 43% from three-point range. He’s a perfect backup player for Don Nelson’s team as he can shoot well and run the floor. Center Patrick O’Bryant played in 16 games and he averaged 7.4 minutes, 1.9 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He also shot a very poor 31.3% from the floor. If O’Bryant doesn’t improve soon, his NBA career will be a short one.

The Golden State Warriors finished the season tied with the LA Lakers for second place in the Northwest Division with a 42-40 record, 19 games behind the Phoenix Suns. The Warriors were awesome at the Oracle with a 30-11 record, but they were only 12-29 on the road. They were a solid 28-24 against the Western Conference but only 6-10 within the Division. The Warriors averaged 106.5 points per game and allowed 106.8 points per game. The Warriors ended the season smokin’ hot as they won their last 5 games and 9 of their last 10.

Early in the season it seemed as if Richardson couldn’t adjust to Don Nelson’s offense and then he got injured and missed a big chunk of the season. But now, Richardson is turning into a dominant force for the Warriors at the right time of the season. He has played in 6 games the last two weeks and he’s averaged 23.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.2 blocked shots per game. Richardson has shot 51% from the floor and he’s hit 29 of 61 (47.5%) three-point shots the last two weeks. If Richardson keeps playing at this level it’s quite possible that the Dallas Mavericks could be in big trouble if the Warriors get the #8 spot in the playoffs.

The Golden State Warriors are sitting at 37-40 on the season and are currently the #9 team in the Western Conference Standings. The Warriors are only 1 game behind the Clippers and 3 games behind the Lakers, but, they must keep very focused as the Hornets are only 1 game behind them. The Warriors are one of the funnest teams in basketball to watch as they are averaging 105.6 points per game this season, but, they allow 107.4 points per game and they need to improve on that side of the court. The Warriors are 27-11 on the season at home and have 3 games left to play there, but they are only 10-29 on the road and will likely need to win at least one of their last two road games if they want to make the playoffs. One team that doesn’t want the Warriors to make the playoffs is the Dallas Mavericks. Don Nelson is still bitter about how he was replaced after getting sick and his Warriors have played well against the Mavericks this season.