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League-leading Mavericks face pesky Warriors in Game One

Apr 22, 2007 - 2:19 PM Golden State at Dallas 9:30 pm EDT Western Conference First Round Game One

DALLAS (Ticker) -- It seemed as if the Dallas Mavericks couldn't lose this season, except when they played the Golden State Warriors.

The league-leading Mavericks will start their attempt at a second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals when they face the eighth-seeded Warriors in Game One of their first-round playoff series on Sunday.

It will be Golden State's first playoff game since the 1993-94 season.

After starting the season with four straight losses, Dallas went on to win a franchise-record 67 games en route to the league's best record - tied for sixth best in NBA history - and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Mavericks reeled off three impressive winning streaks of 12 or more, including a 17-game run from January 27-March 11.

But despite all its accolades, Dallas failed to defeat the Warriors in three tries this campaign. However, it does not guarantee Golden State anything in the postseason.

The first win came before a huge trade which sent Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy - who were in Golden State's rotation that night - to Indiana. And the last victory came on April 17, the season's final week, when Dallas benched its stars and started a group of little-used reserves.

The coaching matchup also is an intriguing story line. Mavericks coach Avery Johnson's relationship with Warriors coach Don Nelson dates to the 1993-94 season, when they were together in Golden State.

However, while Johnson is a leading candidate for coach of the year, Nelson has transformed the underachieving Warriors into contenders. Golden State finished the season 9-1, using its run-and-gun style, to hold off the Los Angeles Clippers for the final playoff spot in the West.