San Antonio, TX (My Sportsbook) - The Lone Star State showdown begins tonight, as the Dallas Mavericks travel to San Antonio to take on the Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

It was a forgone conclusion to most that the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings would square off to determine who would represent the West in the NBA Finals. Now, the conference finals are upon us, and neither the Lakers nor Kings are still around.

The Dallas Mavericks burst out of the gates and had the best record in the NBA for most of the regular season. Down the stretch of the campaign, the San Antonio Spurs caught fire and edged out the Mavs in both the Midwest Division and the overall Western Conference standings based on head-to-head play. Now, the two teams that ruled the roost during the regular season will meet in the conference finals.

This all-Texas affair will feature two teams with drastically different styles.

First, there are the run-and-gun Mavs, who streak down the floor and hoist up treys in transition. It's been said many times that this style will not allow a team to enjoy postseason success - yet the Mavs find themselves four wins away from the NBA Finals.

"I was hired here [February 1997] to turn the franchise around and we've done a pretty good job of doing that," coach Don Nelson said. "We're not world champions yet, or anything like that, but we're on our way and we still have work to do. "Things have turned around in Dallas for the positive, and I'm very proud of that."

The Spurs play a much more traditional style of NBA basketball. They use size in the post and speed on the perimeter. San Antonio's disposal of the Lakers has now made it Vegas' favorite to hoist the hardware in June.

"We've been put down by these guys the last couple of years," Tim Duncan said after getting 37 points and 16 rebounds in the decisive Game 6 win over Los Angeles. "More than ending their reign, that felt a lot better -- ending their season and going on."

Duncan and company now have bigger fish to fry, as they look to regain the NBA title they handed off to the Lakers four years ago.

POSITIONAL BREAKDOWN

CENTER: David Robinson is hungry to end his career on a championship note. Robinson has fought through injuries all season, but should have enough left to compete at a high level for the last month of his stellar career. Dallas has received next to nothing from its two center - Raef LaFrentz and Shawn Bradley. Both players were ineffective against Sacramento, forcing the Mavs to go small with Dirk Nowitzki at the pivot much of the time.

EDGE: San Antonio

FORWARDS: San Antonio's greatest advantage in this series will be Duncan's matchup with Nowitzki. While Nowitzki's offensive game will make Duncan work awfully hard, it will be nearly impossible for Dirk to check Duncan on the other end. The Spurs will probably provide plenty of weakside help once Duncan catches the ball. Bruce Bowen starts at the small forward for San Antonio. Bowen is a tenacious on-ball defender and will also take and make the big shot. Dallas will give the Spurs a couple of different looks in the frontcourt. Michael Finley usually starts at the shooting guard, with Eduardo Najera and Adrian Griffin splitting the small forward duties. Finley also slides up to the small forward to let Nick Van Exel and Steve Nash combine in the backcourt. Finley against Bowen will be an interesting matchup when it comes up.

EDGE: Even

GUARDS: Van Exel basically took a no-fear approach and shot the Mavs right into the conference finals. Dallas will ride the hot hand, and Van Exel will see plenty of minutes in this series. Nash will be on the floor for basically every minute of this series and will likely be responsible for checking Tony Parker. Parker is very quick off the dribble, but after a series of guarding Mike Bibby, Nash should be prepared. When Finley is in the backcourt, he gives the Mavs a distinct advantage over Stephen Jackson.

EDGE: Dallas

BENCH: San Antonio has some significant reserves that play a major role in its attack. Emanuel Ginobili has been instant offense for the Spurs, even though his unpredictable style causes trepidation for both his own coach and the opposition. Steve Smith is also available for additional backcourt depth. Malik Rose and Kevin Willis provide the Spurs with some front court depth. Dallas also sends waves of players at the opposition. The Mavs have a lot of defensive stoppers they can bring off the bench in Najera, Griffin, Raja Bell and Tariq Abdul-Wahad. Nelson's best offensive reserve weapon is Van Exel, who is talented enough to give Nash all the rest he needs. Van Exel also plays heavy minutes at the shooting guard with Finley sliding up to the small forward. This gives the Mavs a lightning quick lineup that can really fill up the bucket.

EDGE: Dallas

COACH: Nelson has done a fine job this season, but it's hard to go against the reigning Coach of the Year.

EDGE: San Antonio

OUTLOOK: Dallas has done quite well for itself with its frenetic style of play. It's a credit to all involved that the Mavs are in the conference finals. That being said, Dallas is too soft inside and will likely drop the series in five games.