And Dirk Nowitzki against Tim Duncan.

It officially became a rivalry in 2006 when Nowitzki and the Mavericks won a Western Conference semifinal series against the Spurs. It couldn't possibly have been a rivalry until the Mavericks actually won a series.

Before that, the Spurs won playoff series against the Mavericks in 2001 and 2003. They were bullies and the Mavericks were happy just to be in the same fight with the Spurs after a decade like the '90s, when the playoffs were only a rumor in Dallas.

Now, Texas has another hoops feast with the Mavericks and Spurs meeting, although this time it's a little different. Unlike the previous two series, when the Spurs went on to win the NBA title in 2003 and the Mavericks made it to the NBA Finals in 2006, neither team is expected to go as far.

That's fine with the Mavericks. They fully believe this series is up for grabs and that they are the equal of the Spurs, even if they are the No. 6 seed and San Antonio is No. 3.

"We've banded together," Mavericks guard Jason Terry said. "We're battle tested. We're playoff ready. I keep saying it, but the best is yet to come."

The Mavericks have no choice but to think that way. Or else their third consecutive one-and-done playoffs will become a reality.

Spurs' key player Tony Parker

They just don't come more infuriating than Parker, if you're anybody but the Spurs.

The little Frenchman not only can penetrate any defense and make any defender pay for getting too close or laying off too far, he's also married to Eva Longoria.

Against the Mavericks, he's been particularly lethal. In late February, he played the Mavericks without Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili, dropped 37 points and 12 assists on them and led the Spurs to a 93-76 victory.

He's clearly their best player right now because of Duncan's periodic knee trouble. The Mavericks double teamed and trapped New Orleans' Chris Paul with some success late in the regular season. Expect to see the same tactic employed against Parker, at least if he becomes a total pain, which is likely.

Crunching the numbers

Tony Parker's numbers against the Mavericks and everybody else this season.

Vs. Points Assists Rebounds FG pct. FT pct.

Mavericks 31.3 7.3 3.5 .515 .821

All others 21.4 6.9 3.1 .505 .779

Mavericks' key player Josh Howard

The Mavericks were 2-1 against the Spurs in games that Howard played. They were 0-1 when he didn't.

They were 17-13 in games without him this season. That makes them 33-19 when he played.

Obviously, their chances are a lot better in this series and in any given game if Howard is healthy and playing well.

His ankle problem has been well-chronicled. It will require arthroscopic surgery in the off-season, the team says. That means he must play through pain. So far, he's done that late in the season, with the exception of two games, one of which was the second night of a back-to-back.

The best thing working for the Mavericks? After Howard's horrible playoff series last year against New Orleans, he would like nothing better than some atonement.

Crunching the numbers

Howard's numbers against the Spurs and everybody else this season.

Vs. Points Rebounds Assists FG pct. FT pct.

Spurs 20.7 8.3 1.0 .512 .867

All others 17.8 4.9 1,6 .447 .776

MVP worthy?

Dirk Nowitzki won the MVP award in 2007 when the Mavericks won 67 games. But his numbers this season scream that he was just as deserving, even though the Mavericks won only 50 games.

Tale of two seasons

Year Points Rebounds FG % 3-point % FT %

2007 24.6 8.9 .502 .416 .904

2009 25.9 8.4 .479 .359 .890

The Big Fundamental

It's hard not to like Tim Duncan. Or at least respect him a lot.

He has won four championships in 10 trips to the playoffs. And here's the bad news for the Mavericks: he's never lost a first-round series in which he's played.

Here's a few playoff numbers that should put his greatness into perspective, bad knee or no. Check out the free throw numbers. If you think he's a clank waiting to happen at the line, guess again. His career playoff free throw percentage is .691, only slightly lower than teammate Tony Parker's .713.

Category Number All-time rank/playoffs Rank/active*

Points 3,625 12 3

FTA 1,342 7 2

FTM 927 7 2

Rebounds 1,975 6 2

Games 155 23 2

* Duncan trails Shaquille O'Neal in every category and Kobe Bryant in points, among active players.

Tale of the tape

NBA ranking in parenthesis:

Mavs Category Spurs

50-32 2008-09 rec. 54-28

101.7 (9) Points 97.0 (23)

99.8 (15) Points against 93.3 (2)

.462 (9) FG% .466 (7)

.819 (2) FT% .761 (19)

12.7 (5) Turnovers 11.7 (1)

+1.35 (8) Rebound diff. +0.62 (15)

34-11, .756 (13) Scoring 100+ 30-2, .938 (2)

0 Championships 4

63-75 Playoff record 153-126

.457 Playoff win % .548

Head-to-head

Mavs Category Spurs

2 Wins 2

101.8 Points 102.3

43.5 Rebounds 40.3

21.3 Assists 18.5

.481 FG % .460

.354 3-point % .357

STAFF PREDICTIONS

Kevin Sherrington

Columnist

MAVS IN 6

Mavs showing toughness for first time in at least two years.

Jean-Jacques Taylor

Columnist

MAVS IN 7

Without Ginobili, the Spurs don't have enough offense.

Tim Cowlishaw

Columnist

Spurs IN 7

Mavs compete better than they have the last two years, but Tony Parker is the best player in this series.

Eddie Sefko

Mavericks writer

Spurs IN 7

Year-long road woes finally pitchfork the Mavericks.

David Moore

NBA writer

Spurs IN 7

What, you thought Tim Duncan would just step aside?