The Blazers face off against the Mavs on April 16th, 2011 at 6:30pm in Dallas, TX.

The Mavs will be powered by "Schnitzel Sensation" Dirk Nowitzki along with Jason Kidd manning the point guard position. They'll also need to get contributions from Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler & Rodrigue Beubois.

Meanwhile the Blazers will be utilizing a "Fearsome Foward Combo" of "LaMonster" LaMarcus Aldridge & the "Asskickin' Alabaman" Gerald Wallace. While LaMarcus will be playing mainly on the inside, the interior athleticism of Wallace, along with his accurate three point shooting, will probably be the hardest match-up for the Mavs. Brandon Roy coming off the bench may also send the Mavs defense for a spin. While Roy has been hampered with knee issues all season defenses still give him a lot of attention which may open the floor up for some of the Blazers outside specialist such as Rudy Fernandez, Nicolas Batum or Wes "Thee Goggles" Matthews.

The main thing the Blazers need to focus on is playing with intensity from the start & not allowing themselves to get stuck in a hole. Both of the last two playoff series the Blazers have played involved extremely embarrassing double digit losses on the road & at home. That cannot happen this series or else the Blazers may has well start making vacation plans for an early summer.