Mavericks face Thunder in Western finals showdown

By Stabroek News On In Sports |
Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki (L) of Germany celebrates a basket by a teammate against the Los Angeles Lakers during Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference semi-final basketball playoff in Dallas, Texas on May 8.
Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki (L) of Germany celebrates a basket by a teammate against the Los Angeles Lakers during Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference semi-final basketball playoff in Dallas, Texas on May 8.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – A young Oklahoma City team  take on the wily Texas sharp-shooters of Dallas in a Western  showdown between the Mavericks and Thunder starting today  with the survivor heading on to the NBA Finals.

Dirk Nowitzki, the deadly accurate shooter for the Dallas  Mavericks, will be pitted against the league’s 22-year-old  scoring champion Kevin Durant in a best-of-seven series for the  Western Conference crown.

Dallas, 57-25 in the regular season, won