Bodog Beat

Will you be betting on Dallas? (AP Images)

These state and division rivals meet in the postseason for the first time since the Dallas Mavericks beat the San Antonio Spurs in a thrilling Western Conference semifinal in 2006, winning Game 7 in overtime in San Antonio.

The Spurs, who are listed at +800 to win the West, are playing without Manu Ginobili but still managed to win their last four to clinch the Southwest title. Dallas also finished strong to vault all the way to the No. 6 seed. Get NBA basketball picks before the big game.

The teams tied their season series with two wins each, with the highlight being the Spurs’ 133-126 double-overtime victory in Dallas on Dec. 9. Josh Howard averaged 20.7 points in the three games he played, missing one of Dallas’ losses. Dirk Nowitzki had a pair of 30-point games for Dallas.

If Ginobili were playing, this would have been a matchup of the NBA’s two best sixth men. Now Jason Terry is easily the top game-changer in the series.