Oklahoma City, Dallas Meet for Western Conference Finals

It's the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 Western Conference Finals. The Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday to finally advance on their side of the bracket, and they will now take on the team that eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers. Having the Thunder and Mavericks meet up in the Western Conference Finals wasn't something that many analysts predicted, but now it's bound to be one of the most exciting series of the postseason.

Yahoo! Sports reported that the Thunder best the Grizzlies in Game 7 of their series Sunday. It was a tough series all around, but the tandem of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook proved to be too much to handle. Durant scored 39 points on just 13-of-25 shooting, and Westbrook posted a triple-double with 14 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds. Taking on the task of passing rather than looking for his shot first, Westbrook showed how he could be one of the best point guards in the NBA.

The Mavericks have been biding their time ever since sweeping the Lakers in just four games. The time off has probably been good for the aging team, especially 38-year-old point guard Jason Kidd. That might put the two teams on an even playing field when it comes to the Western Conference Finals, and it could afford Kidd the chance to keep up with the much younger Thunder backcourt. It will be advantageous for the viewers as well; this could prove to be a much higher scoring series than what is going on in the Eastern Conference.

Game 1 of the series tips off Tuesday. The series will begin down in Texas, as the Mavs had the No. 3 seed heading into the playoffs. Game 2 will also be played in Dallas, taking place Thursday. After that, he teams will head to Oklahoma City for two games, and potentially have a Game 5 back in Dallas. Every game of the series will begin at 9 p.m. ET and is scheduled to air on ESPN. That should make it easy for fans of both teams to remember, especially with the perfect spacing of a game day followed by an off day throughout the series.

The winner will head to the Finals to play either the Miami Heat or the Chicago Bulls, giving fans a match-up that is much different than what the Lakes and Boston Celtics have given everyone the past few years. It should be an interesting progression of games, with both franchises really trying to prove they are the heir apparent to the fallen Lakers.