The Western Conference Finals really didn’t set up the way that most expert NBA handicappers envisioned this year, but there are still definitely two fantastic teams in the fold. The upstart Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks would both make great feel good stories to beat the NBA Finals odds, but only one can actually get the job done and make it to the big show. Check out our NBA odds and Thunder vs. Mavericks predictions for the big time series starting on Tuesday!

NBA Series Prices
Dallas -230 vs. Oklahoma City +190 @ Oddsmaker Sportsbook
Dallas -230 vs. Oklahoma City +190 @ SportBet Sportsbook
Dallas -240 vs. Oklahoma City +190 @ Bet Online Sportsbook

Series Trends and History
The regular season this year has been one for the dogs, and one for the roadies, and there is no doubt whatsoever that this series could largely end up being the same, exact way. The Thunder won the one game here in Big D, a 99-95 decision in January, but in comes with a huge asterisk, as Dirk Nowitzki didn’t play in that one. The Thunder, with Dirk in the fold, won both contests in the Sooner State, 111-103 in November and 103-93 in December just after Christmas.

In fact, if you’re talking about a series for the dogs, this is the one for you. The underdog is 9-3-1 ATS over the course of the last 13 meetings. Of course, Oklahoma City is also 9-3-1 ATS in the last 13 meetings, though the two stats aren’t identical to one another. The Thunder have indeed been favorites at times in this series, most notably this past season in the trip to Big D without Dirk in the fold.

The Mavericks have gone 18-7-1 ATS in their last 26 games overall, and they are coming off of arguably the biggest series in the history of the team, a four game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, the two time defending NBA champs. It is 8-0 ATS in its last eight home games dating back into the regular season, and in games in which Dirk has played at least 16 minutes, the team is 62-19 SU and 50-28-3 ATS, numbers which definitely aren’t ones to frown about.

The Thunder have reached the big time stage in the Western Conference Finals for the first time since they were known as the Seattle SuperSonics (which also surpassed the day in which they were just known as the Seattle Sonics). Behind the oomph of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, they have done everything that they have needed to do to keep on keeping on in the playoffs, though it hasn’t always been the prettiest. The Thunder have covered 10 of their last 15 games on the road, and they are sure to be a thorn in Dallas’ side in this series.

Keys to the Series
Key 1: Pace – If you had talked to many NBA betting pundits at the start of the postseason, you would have thought that the Thunder would have needed to really play at a frantic pace to still be alive in the playoffs. They haven’t quite done that this year though, as they are slowing things down and really trying to capitalize on their new found bulk on the inside in trade deadline acquisitions, Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed. Dallas, on the other hand, has transformed itself from an offensive, shoot ’em out team to one that is willing to take its time to run defensive sets and pressure ‘D’. The Mavericks have played devastating defense in this postseason, keeping the high flying Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers down to right around 88 points per game.

Key 2: Pretend Like You’ve Been There – The aforementioned Perkins might only be 26 years old, but he has a bevy of playoff experience that he has brought from his days with the Boston Celtics here to the Sooner State. Sure, his stats haven’t been great (in fact, they’re too embarrassing to even talk about), but we know that he has meant more to this team both on and off the court to measure. Perkins warned his OKC teammates that they hadn’t accomplished anything yet by going up 3-2 in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Grizz. The team came out and got blown away in the second half in Game 6 in Memphis. Now, it’s time for the big time against a big, bad Dallas team that is a heck of a lot more talented than the one on the other side of the court from this past series. If the Thunder seem content with their work, they will be dismissed from the playoffs in relatively easy fashion. They need to play like veterans in spite of the fact that they are all young and most have never been on this stage to succeed.

Key 3: Dirk Must Destroy Bad History in Big D – It’s been pretty well documented just how badly Dirk and the Mavs have struggled in the playoffs in their history. They’ve never won the NBA title. They’ve only been to the Finals once, and in that season, they choked away a 2-0 series lead to the Miami Heat in the finale. Nowitzki says that this team is better than the one that was on the court in ’06 that won it all, but regardless of that fact, there is still a heck of a lot of skepticism in Dallas. Few really believe that this really is the year that things change, especially after so many failed attempts with high hopes as well. Still, owner Mark Cuban and company would love nothing more than to finally give Dirk his ring, and the NBA betting public out there would love nothing more than to cash in with them on that quest as well.

Of the four series to make NBA playoffs picks on in the second round in the postseason, this one is it. The Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Dallas Mavericks, and many think that the winner of this series is going to be able to beat the NBA Finals odds and claim the 2010-11 NBA Championship.

NBA Series Prices
Los Angeles -375 vs. Dallas +275 @ Oddsmaker Sportsbook
Los Angeles -360 vs. Dallas +280 @ SportBet Sportsbook
Los Angeles -355 vs. Dallas +295 @ BetUS Sportsbook

Series Trends and History
The road team has been the one to dominate this series over the course of the last 15 clashes. The roadies, much to the surprise of NBA betting fans, is 10-4-1 in these last 15 meetings. Of course, the home team has still won six of the last nine meetings, and that’s the only stat that the Lakers truly care about right now. The last time Dallas won a game here at Staples Center was back in October 2009.

The first two meetings of the year were a split, but the third and decisive game that gave Los Angeles home court advantage in this series was a 110-82 ‘W’ in Tinseltown, the biggest win that this series has seen since January 2010 when LA won 131-96 at home.

Keys to the Series
Key 1: Dirk’s Drive to Be a Champ – Ric Flair had the greatest quote in the world about this series. In order to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man. My, how this will ring. Dirk Nowitzki has never been able to be the man, but at least this is a great chance to beat the man. The Lakers are the two time defending champs, and they have the head coach in Phil Jackson and the superstar in Kobe Bryant to have continued success. Nowitzki might have averaged over 27 points per game in the first round of the playoffs, but if he puts up 70 points per game and the Mavs lose, he is still going to end up with a heck of a problem in the Dallas media.

Key 2: Gasol, Bynum, and Odom Big in the Paint – The paint is typically an area that the Lakers dominate, and against a Portland team that is relatively undersized, this could be another big time advantage in this series. The Mavericks only averaged 41.4 boards per game this year, almost three rebounds per game fewer than what LA put up. Of course, we know that Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom are going to do their thing, as they all averaged at least six boards per game in the first round of the playoffs. They’re all double-double machines though, and we know that Gasol is going to end up being a heck of a lot better than he was against New Orleans (13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds per game).

Key 3: Point Guard Prowess – Both Jason Kidd and Derek Fisher have been around the block a few times in their NBA careers, and both picked a great time to come up big as scorers for their teams in the first round of the playoffs. Fisher, who often was held to just a bucket in a game, averaged 9.3 points per game and shot 55.6 percent from three point range. Kidd, a man who has about a zillion triple-doubles in the career, averaged 11.7 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game in the series against Portland. The one of these two that ends up playing better is almost certainly going to have the team that ends up winning this series, so keep a very, very close eye on the play of the point guards even though neither one might be stuffing the stat sheet.

When the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban okayed pulling the trigger on a trade that brought F Caron Butler, G DeShawn Stevenson, and C Brendan Haywood from the Washington Wizards, he engaged in a stare-down with the Los Angeles Lakers. Essentially, Cuban took 20 paces, cocked his cowboy hat, stroked his gun, looked straight in the eyes of Phil Jackson, and said, “Son, this here town ain’t big ‘nugh for the both of us.”

He might be right.

After posting a dud against Oklahoma City in the first game after the NBA’s trade deadline, the Mavericks have been on an absolute roll. Road games in Orlando and Atlanta? No problem. Hosting those dastardly Lakers? A breeze.

All things told, Dallas has run off six straight wins to move to 38-21, 4.5 games clear of the Spurs in the Southwest Division. The Mavs are currently stalking 39-19 Denver for the #2 seed in the Western Conference, and after that, their sights will be set on the defending champs from La La Land.

Historically, this Dallas team is one that puts together a fantastic roster chalk full of players like F Dirk Nowitzki and G Jason Kidd and then ultimately falls on its face at some point during the playoffs. Glitz and glamour is what the Mavs are normally after. However, this time, they’ve gone after grit, determination, and toughness, and that might be the key to the championship.

Yes, that glitz is still there. Nowitzki is still one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA. Look no further than his 37-point effort against the Hawks in Atlanta last night for proof of that. On this winning streak, the German national player is averaging 28.3 points per game, significantly higher than his 25.0 point average for the year.

Kidd is still one of the flashiest point guards in the NBA as well. He’s always been known as the king of the triple-double of this generation, and he had yet another one in Atlanta, scoring 19 points, dishing out 17 assists, and bringing down 16 rebounds. It was his 18th double-double of the year and his first triple-double.

G Jason Terry is as pure of a scorer as it gets. He’s averaging 16.9 points per game, and he’ll surely be a great candidate for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year honors.

When the Mavericks acquired F Shawn Marion in the offseason, it was the beginning of their transformation into a tough team. Marion is a former Defensive Player of the Year award winner, and he’s always doing the little things to keep his team going. His numbers aren’t fantastic (11.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game), but he’s the one that Dallas turns to get to step in front of that pass and start the fast break or go diving into the bench to try to save a loose ball.

Even though Dallas knew that it was probably heading towards another division championship and a high seed in the playoffs, Cuban and his front office knew that this team wasn’t tough enough to body with the likes of Kobe, Pau, and Bynum for the Lakers. Something had to be done.

Though everyone will look at the trade during the All-Star Break and call it the “Caron Butler deal,” truth be told, Butler for the departed Josh Howard would’ve been a comparable flip-flop.

The difference-maker has been Haywood. Talk about someone that has played like a man possessed! Since coming over from our nation’s capitol, the new center for the Mavs has recorded at least ten points and at least nine rebounds in all six of his games. He has averaged 11.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in that stretch as well, adding 19 blocked shots to boot.

Haywood’s defensive presence is starting to become contagious. Dallas has only allowed 92.3 points per game in its L/6 overall, and it is starting to play like a legitimate contender.

And if you don’t think that this winning streak can’t continue, just take a look at what’s on tap… New Orleans, Charlotte, Minnesota, Sacramento, Chicago, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Chicago, Boston, New Orleans, the Clippers, Portland, and Golden State… That’s the next 15 games for this team.

Look out, LA. If you’re not careful, the new sheriffs in town are going to overtake you, and the road to the NBA Championship will be going through Big D.

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Even though the 2010 NBA trade deadline wasn’t as active as some might’ve thought, there is still plenty of room for discussion. Here at Bankroll Sports, we’re issuing our grades for how teams did under the pressure of Thursday’s deadline.

New York Knicks: A+: There weren’t any teams that did a better job at the deadline than the Knicks. New York knew that it wasn’t competing for a championship this year, but it did successfully dump the salaries of Jordan Hill, Jordan Jeffries, Larry Hughes, Nate Robinson, and Darko Milicic in exchange for a couple first rounders and having to deal with Tracy McGrady’s garbage for the next couple months. Add G Sergio Rodriguez to the mix from Sacramento, and New York knows that these prudent deals can set it up nicely for a run at both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in the offseason.

Houston Rockets: A: The Rockets really answered the trade by the Mavericks by adding a host of talent from the Knicks and Kings in that three-way deal. Plus, they’re rid of Tracy McGrady now as well and will pick up a couple of picks from New York in the future. The biggest question for HC Rick Adelman is whether he’ll be able to find roles for all of his new starts.

Dallas Mavericks: B+: Any time you can pick up an All-Star, you tend to pull out the stops, but did the Mavs give up a little too much by dealing Josh Howard and Drew Gooden to DC? Caron Butler had better push Dallas into the playoffs an give F Dirk Nowitzki a good counterpart, or Mark Cuban may be regretting this move. All in all though, the Mavericks are probably a better team now than they were before the All-Star Break.

Cleveland Cavaliers: B: The question here isn’t whether GM Danny Ferry would’ve preferred Phoenix’s Amare Stoudemire coming to town or not. The question is whether LeBron James would’ve rather have Stoudemire over Antawn Jamison. Still, as we suggested in our article a couple days ago, Cleveland needed to do something to make sure that The King stayed happy, and this move only made things a heck of a lot harder for the rest of the teams in the Eastern Conference. If the Cavs don’t win the East now, they should be ashamed of themselves.

Utah Jazz: B-: The Jazz get a decent grade for not making a move that they might’ve regretted. Utah is probably going to make the playoffs, and had it dealt Carlos Boozer, that might not have ultimately been the case.

Miami Heat: C: Kudos to the Heat for not giving up too much to get either Amare Stoudemire, Antawn Jamison, or Carlos Boozer. Miami just needs to convince Dwyane Wade that it is really in it to win him another championship, and it might take a big free agent signing to do just that.

Sacramento Kings: D: Who knows what the Kings were thinking by trading away Kevin Martin and Sergio Rodriguez. There wasn’t a heck of a lot that came back Sacramento’s way. It’s pretty clear that the Kings came out as the butt of that three-team deal with the Rockets and Knicks.

Washington Wizards: D-: If you’re a Washington fan, what reasons do you have to show up to the games anymore? No more Gilbert Arenas, no more Antawn Jamison, and no more Caron Butler. The only good news is that this team couldn’t get much worse than it already was, so it may as well try to start over again.

Phoenix Suns: F: No one deserves a worse grade than the Suns at the trade deadline. How on earth can you sit there and shop Amare Stoudemire for weeks and weeks and ultimately do nothing? Take a box of basketballs for him for crying out loud! Now, their leading scorer is disgruntled and probably will be for the rest of the year. Phoenix may not make the postseason, and if that’s the case, heads should role in the desert.