Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks: NBA Playoff Predictions, Schedule & Preview for First Round West Series

By Damon Salvadore First Posted: Apr 16, 2015 02:16 PM EDT

The Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks are set for a Texas showdown in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The Rockets drew the No. 2 seed, while the Mavericks finished as the No. 6 in the West this season. Thanks to the New Orleans Pelicans defeating the San Antonio Spurs on the final day of the regular season, the Rockets were able to get that No. 2 spot.

Let's break down the two teams, and see who has the edge:

Houston Rockets (2)

This Rockets team finished the regular season with 56 wins, their most since the 1996-97 season. While many NBA experts have Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry as the NBA MVP, James Harden has been equally impressive this season. Harden led the Rockets in points (27.4), assists (7.0) and steals (1.9) per game this season.

Dwight Howard missed much of the season because of injuries, but he's back now. His offense continues to be questionable and inconsistent, but it's time for the former No. 1 overall pick to show up in the playoffs. Watching Howard against Tyson Chandler will be one of the key matchups in this series.

Scoring will not be an issue for the Rockets as they ranked No. 6 in offense during the regular season, but they did rank 17th in points allowed. The Mavericks aren't a juggernaut, but they know how to get the job done with champions like Rajon Rondo, Chandler and Dirk Nowitzki. Unfortunately, Patrick Beverley is out with a wrist injury, but Jason Terry and Trevor Ariza can help fill that void.

Dallas Mavericks (7)

For the 14th time in the last 15 years, the Mavericks will be playing in the postseason for a chance to win the NBA Championship. Even though Rick Carlisle's team was eliminated in the first round last season, the Mavericks were the only squad to take the Spurs to seven games. This team has the pieces, they just don't always seem to fit.

Similar to the Rockets, the Mavericks have a great offense. The Mavericks offense, now with Rondo at point guard, ranks No. 3 in the league. Monta Ellis, Chandler Parsons, Nowitzki, Chandler and even Amar'e Stoudemire are all averaging double digit points per game. But, defense has been their Achilles heel. The Mavericks defense ranked No. 25 in NBA this year.

The Mavericks have to have a game plan to at least contain Harden. They know they can't completely stop him, but if the Mavericks can at least limit him to 20 points per game, they have a good sporting chance to win. The Mavericks will not have home-court advantage, so stealing a game in Houston is needed if they want to win this series.

Predictions

Both teams have great offenses, so we should expect a lot of scoring. The difference will be Harden, and his free throws. Nobody gets to the free throw line as much as Harden does. Having home-court advantage will help as well, as the home team won all four games during the regular season.

Rockets win series 4-2