Why Westbrook and Durant make Thunder-Mavs worth watching
EAST: IND vs. TOR I DET vs. CLE I CHA vs. MIA I BOS vs. ATL
WEST: POR vs. LAC I MEM vs. SA I HOU vs. GS
The first round of the Western Conference playoffs should be rather routine, with the top four teams all heavily favored to wipe the floor with the bottom four.
The No. 3 versus No. 6 matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks is no different, and that might leave fans wondering why they should tune in to what could quickly become a bloodbath of a sweep.
With all due respect to the ever-present potential for a vintage performance from Dirk Nowitzki, the reasons to tune in to Thunder-Mavs are quite simple - Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, together again and finally healthy.
Since the Thunder reached The Finals in 2012 and appeared to be on the cusp of perennial greatness, Oklahoma City has lost more than just James Harden. They've also lost each of Westbrook and Durant for significant periods of time.
Westbrook's knee injury early in the 2013 playoffs doomed that team's run and carried into the next season, while Durant's 2014 foot injury led to the Thunder missing the playoffs last year. Sure, they were together for the 2014 playoffs, but then Serge Ibaka got hurt and couldn't get back to 100 percent as OKC fell to San Antonio in the West final.
This is the first time in probably four years that the Thunder are going into the postseason with Durant and Westbrook both fully healthy and their supporting cast intact, and while the Warriors and Spurs are the understandably heavy favorites to emerge from the West, it's going to be fun watching the league's most explosive duo try to will their way past those two all-time teams.
Keep in mind, too, that playoffs mean shorter and tighter rotations, which in turn means a lot more shared court time for the Durant-Westbrook duo. And for what it's worth, the Thunder posted a net rating of plus-12.3 per 100 possessions with KD and Russ both on the floor. The Spurs' league-leading net rating was plus-11.8, the best the NBA has seen in 19 years.
Durant and Westbrook are on a mission. Their opening-round series against the 42-win Mavs may not deliver very competitive basketball - although Nowitzki and Rick Carlisle can never be counted out - but if you want to see that mission launch, and want to watch one of the game's most entertaining duos ever spend more time on the court together than they have in years, there's still plenty of reason to watch.