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Rivalry Sparks Mavericks First Round Matchup with Rockets

By Asher Feltman

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Jason Terry. Chandler Parsons. Corey Brewer. GREG SMITH!

With last night’s crazy NBA season finale wrapped up, the results are in.

The Mavericks beat Portland, which only matters because yay, 50 wins! We were the #7 seed before and are the same after.

But Houston beat a depleted Utah team, San Antonio fell to the Pelicans who won to get in over the Thunder and that’s really all you need to know in this case.

Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

San Antonio falls from 2 to 6, Houston climbs up to the 2 spot. Um, the Southwest division is scary good (Memphis is 5th and has home court vs. Division winning Portland).

So with that, it’s the Houston Rockets (56-26) and the Dallas Mavericks (50-32) in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs.

It’s the matchup Dallas wanted. When you play yourself down to the 7th spot, the eggs fall in the basket from other outlets, not yours.

So the eggs fell as they did, and yes the Mavericks luckily dodged the Spurs and got the team they wished for and absolutely match up against better in the Rockets.

They say be careful what you wish for, but in this case the Mavericks only chance for a first round upset and thus a chance for some sort of magical run in 2015 now has some substance to it with this favorable –albeit very lower seeded– first round matchup.

MVP candidate James Harden is priority number one for Dallas (and the refs) and of course Dirk Nowitzki is the top mission for Houston control. The Rockets offered Nowitzki a max contract this off-season.

Dirk never planned on leaving the Mavs, and on top of staying the Mavericks penned restricted free agent forward Chandler Parsons to a near-max contract to snatch him away from his former employers south of Big D. The health of the 6’10 small forward could be the difference maker in the series. More on that coming in The Smoking Cuban staff roundtable; Playoffs edition.

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In a follow up move of proportions less to do with talent and more to do with a **** you from Daryl Morey to Mark Cuban, Jason Terry was traded to the Rockets for Alonzo Gee and two 2nd round picks.

On local Dallas radio, the JET said he would love to come to Dallas, all but explicitly stating it. However, Cubes had no interest in bringing back the 2011 champ (Tyson Chandler was already back, J.J. Barea would come later) because it would have taken Ricky Ledo, a 2nd round pick and biting a little more money out of cap space.

Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Also, Morey made a great move to acquire Corey Brewer (and also spending some money, but Houston had some to spare after striking out on Chris Bosh and not re-signing Parsons) from the Minnesota Timberwolves for seldom used Troy Daniels. Great move.

And, oh yeah another middle finger to Mark Cuban as Brewer was a key part of defending Kobe Bryant in the 2011 Western Conference NBA Playoffs Semi-Finals.

A Josh Smith and an Amar’e Stoudemire later with Rajon Rondo in between and a returning Dwight Howard (from a back injury) after, and we’ve got one heck of a rivalry budding that will certainly get an incredible boost with this 2015 first round matchup.

Lets.

Go.

Mavs.

Next: 5 Under the Radar Free Agents the Mavericks Should Consider

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