You can't help but love the Shakespearian storylines in this series. Players who were 2011 Finals Champions together are now on different sides. Players returning to fan bases who feel betrayed. The opportunity for revenge and for stars to rise. The potential for our hero, Dirk Nowitzki , to get another shot at the enemy and make fools of them all. And, of course, some pretty damn fun basketball.

The Mavericks and the Rockets have certainly provided some of the NBA's more entertaining match-ups in recent years. And the events of the 2014-15 offseason only intensified the drama. As early as the first matchup of the season on November 22, we had booing, a delay of game call (on Rick Carlisle for messing with JET), double technicals on Tyson and Harden.

Just before the season, the Houston Rockets brought Jason Eugene "JET" Terry, beloved member of the Mavericks' 2011 championship team, into their ranks via trade. I had cheered for Terry in Boston, wished him well with the Nets, and would have been fine with him Sacramento. But Sept. 17 was the day I stopped rooting for JET.

This offseason, when Mark Cuban made a play for restricted free agent Chandler Parsons , the city of Dallas collectively held their breaths for four days as Houston and Daryl Morey toyed with our emotions. Would they match or would they decline? "It's more of a rivalry since Cuban and what's-his-face went back and forth a little bit," admitted Dirk.

BY THE POSITIONS

Point Guard

Houston enters the series with a disadvantage at point. In late March, starting point guard Patrick Beverley suffered a torn ligament in his left wrist and subsequent surgery to repair the injury ended his season. That leaves the Rockets shorthanded with two point guards as they enter the playoffs: Jason Terry and Pablo Prigioni.

Mavs fans are familiar with Terry after the eight seasons he spent in Dallas. Now, he is starting in Houston. While Terry has lost a step (he's 37), he is still a competent ball handler and has the ability to stretch the floor with his outside shooting. Since replacing the injured Beverley, JET has averaged nine points on 46 percent shooting, including 40 percent from behind the arc in the seven shot attempts he takes a game.

As for Prigioni, he is more of a facilitator than gunner. He has averaged 3.5 assists per game since Beverley was sidelined. While that number may not seem remarkable, he is intelligent with his passes. Prigioni averaged less than one turnover during that span. It's his shooting, though, that leaves something to be desired. The career 40 percent 3-point shooter is hitting only 28 percent with the Rockets.

Dallas, it would seem, has the upper hand at point. Rajon Rondo will be Dallas' starter, as he has been since his arrival in December. While Rondo's play has at times left something to be desired, he is a far superior player to Terry.

Rondo's scoring ability has been suspect throughout his career and it's anyone's guess as to how he'll perform in the playoffs. However, he has shown the ability to rise to the occasion when the spotlight is at its brightest. But the biggest concern with Rondo is turnovers. Since arriving in Dallas, Rondo has a turnover percentage over 22 percent. Against the Rockets, a team that likes to jump passing lanes and get out on the break, that could become an issue if Houston is able to convert those turnovers into points.

Backing up Rondo is Devin Harris, J.J. Barea, and Raymond Felton. Of the three, Harris is the primary sub. He's expected to play Game 1 despite a turf toe injury in the season's second-to-last game. What will be interesting to see is who Carlisle turns to after Harris. Recently, Felton has seen his minutes increase as Harris was sidelined. In that time, Felton has played well and shown a level of confidence in his shooting and play making. He could very well usurp Barea in the rotation depending on Carlisle's mood and the flow of the game.

Each of Dallas' point guards has a distinct advantage over the players Houston has at its disposal. However, at least defensively, they may not see much time defending their counterpart as guarding James Harden will be the focal point of the perimeter defense.

Shooting Guard

Harden will be a handful for the Mavericks in the series. He is the alpha and omega of the Rockets' offense. What makes him so dangerous is his combination of ball handling, shooting and ability to get to the rim while also drawing a bevy of fouls. The MVP candidate averaged 25 points on 44 percent shooting (including 40 percent from deep) against Dallas this season. He also attempted more than 10 free throws per game in the four contests.

Backing him up is the versatile Corey Brewer, a swing player who can play both shooting guard and small forward. What makes him unique and effective is his constant energy. He lurks in the corner on offense, stretching the defense, but is also primed to crash the paint for an offensive rebound. Defensively, Brewer's energy and length are his best assets. He is a disruptive presence who will leak out at the blink of an eye converting a Rockets' rebound or defensive stop into a scoring opportunity at the other end before opponents have time to react.

Squaring off against Harden is Monta Ellis. In his second season with the Mavs, Ellis led the team in scoring, averaging 19 points per game. It's the first time in 14 seasons that Dirk Nowitzki isn't atop the team in that category. Questions abounded when Dallas signed the mercurial guard two summers ago and plenty still remain. However, Ellis has become the focal point of the Mavericks' perimeter offensive attack.

Ellis is extremely effective in the high pick and rolls which gives him the opportunity to either drive the lane or pull up for a midrange jumper. Against Houston, his ability to get to the rim will be tested by the presence of Dwight Howard and the Rockets' other bigs. If the Rockets' defense continually thwarts Ellis' moves to the basket, he could overuse his jumper. While Ellis has shot pull-up jumpers well since the All Star break, Dallas is better when he attacks.

Ellis shot just over 17 percent on 3-pointers above the break since the All Star break, where the majority of his 3-point attempts come from. This is a dramatic decline from before the break when Ellis connected on over 30 percent, while also taking more corner 3-point attempts. What happened to Ellis is anyone's guess, but he's going to have to find away to get going again against the Rockets if the Mavs hope to cancel out at least some of Harden's scoring.

Behind Ellis, Dallas is much like Houston. Richard Jefferson sees time playing the 2 if the Mavs decide to go big. Like Brewer, Jefferson can play either wing position. Dallas will also put a second point guard at the two.

Slowing down Houston will be a tall order for the Mavericks. It stands to reason that Carlisle will attempt to hide Ellis defensively, moving him over to guard whatever point guard the Rockets have on the court. Rondo, Jefferson and a variety of other players will spend time defending Harden throughout the series as the team tries to slow him down.

Small Forward

Trevor Ariza was the Rockets' replacement for Chandler Parsons this summer and quietly has been Houston's second leading scorer this season due, in most part, to Dwight Howard missing 41 games. While Ariza's numbers are down from his time with the Wizards, he is still a formidable two-way player.

Ariza is shooting just over 40 percent for the season and only 35 percent from downtown. However, since the All-Star break, he is connecting on more than 50 percent of his right corner 3-point attempts. It is here where he is the most effective on the offensive end outside of the restricted area. The only other area of the floor where he takes a significant amount of shots is above the break. He converts those attempts 32.7 percent of the time.

Defensively, Ariza is stingy. He has the length and athleticism with his 6'8" frame to guard four positions and will likely see time on whoever is hot for the Mavericks. His defensive win shares are second only to Harden's this season. Combined with the rangy Brewer, who will also see time at small forward, Houston's perimeter defense will be formidable.

Parsons will be tasked with softening that defense. Did you know that he used to play for the Rockets? During this series, you will be reminded of that fact countless times. Unfortunately, a swollen knee makes him questionable for Game 1. Dallas needs their star small forward in the series if they hope to keep up with the Rockets' potent offense. He was the third-leading scorer for the Mavericks this season. He averaged 15.7 points per game and made just over 46 percent of his shots, plus an equally effective 38 percent from deep.

Perhaps the biggest unknown for Dallas, and their potential X-factor, is Al-Farouq Aminu. During the latter half of the season, Aminu saw more playing time and showed a level of versatility and defensive prowess that the Mavericks often lacked. Although not a reliable scoring threat, Aminu disrupts opposing offenses by being active, jumping the passing lanes, and blocking shots. He is the team's leading shot blocker and second in steals.

Where he is potentially most valuable, beyond being able to guard multiple positions (read: he will guard Harden), is his ability to rebound. Aminu averages 12.6 rebounds per 100 possessions, including 4.2 offensive rebounds. Against Houston's frontline, Tyson Chandler is going to need all the help he can get on the glass and Aminu can be that guy.

Power Forward

Power forward starts and ends with Dirk Nowitkzi. Dirk has had a weird year, and a very much off one by his standards -- he shot 45.9 percent from the field, tied for the third worst mark of his career. What's especially troubling was Dirk continuing to transition to more "dynamo spot-up guy" after being "isolation post monster" for most of his career. In other words, Dirk shot worse than he has in years and missed more catch and shoot and "open" shots than ever before. At one point in the middle of the season, Dirk was one of the Mavericks' WORST 3-point shooters. (Fortunately, a return to normal, blazing Dirk from behind the arc to end the season helped him climb to a more than respectable 38 percent from deep.)



Basically, the Mavs need Dirk to elevate above his general meh-ness of his regular season. We've seen signs: Dirk had a fantastic April (20 points per game, over 50 percent from the floor) and has been lifting weights, sacrificing regular season production, to be fresh for the playoffs. If you remember, Dirk still got rest last year but had to be at peak level all year as the Mavs scratched out an eighth seed. Then Dirk looked awful and worn out in the playoffs against the Spurs. I'll trade a down Dirk regular season for a return to playoff god mode Dirk any day of the week.

The Rockets have a slew of options to defend Dirk and attack him at the other end. Terrence Jones is back in the lineup after an up-and-down season of health. Jones offers nice shooting, size, smarts and passing from the four and can help stretch Dirk away from the rim, making it even tougher for him to recover in the paint than it already is for his older knees. Josh Smith isn't Atlanta Josh Smith anymore -- but in Houston, he isn't Detroit Josh Smith either. He can take Dirk down low and stay with him at the hip on the perimeter while guarding him. No Donatas Motiejunas for the Rockets really hurts -- he turned into a solid post-up guy/help defender who could carry Rockets bench units when Harden took a breather. They're going to really miss his production.

I wonder how quick Rockets coach Kevin McHale will go to Smith in this series. As great a young talent as Jones is, Dirk has absolutely torched him in one on one match-ups. Smith offers the best defensive option, and of course, don't be surprised to see Trevor Ariza spend some time on Dirk as well. The Rockets also have a history of switching the small onto Dirk so hopefully Dirk can take advantage. With Amar'e Stoudemire being a defensive sieve, expect Al-Farouq Aminu to (hopefully) see lots of minutes behind Dirk up front. Aminu shined against Houston this year and pretty much all of the Mavs best net-rating lineups from NBA.com have Aminu in them. He has to see the floor.

Center

Tyson Chandler is a lonely man on a deserted island. That's how his Mavericks experience has been this season. While Chandler Parsons has made improvements and Aminu has been yanked in and out of the lineup, Chandler has often been the Mavs' lone positive defender and at times, only positive rebounder. Dirk's rebounding has fallen off tremendously and it's often up to Tyson to clear the glass himself.

Lucky for the Mavs, Chandler's been more than up for it. His numbers this season are even better than his first run through in Dallas and he's been a maniac whenever he's on the floor -- screaming, dunking, rotating and back-tapping offensive boards. For me, he's the Mavericks' team MVP this year. When Chandler isn't on the court, the Mavericks are a lottery team in the brutal West (106.6 offensive rating, 105.8 defensive according to NBA.com). When he's on it, they can somehow scrap together a somewhat respectable defense (102.1 defensive rating). His offense dipped a bit due to the Rondo trade and his own health, but he's an important cog for the Mavs on that side of the floor: rolling to the rim and sucking in the defense so Dirk, Ellis and Parsons have more room to work.

Dwight Howard has finally returned for the Rockets after knee issues sidelined him for a good chunk of the season. He has been limited to about 20 minutes a night, but has looked good in short bursts -- and the Rockets without him were already defending really well. He'll push them over the top and give Harden a place to dump the ball to when he needs a possession off. Think about the Rockets rotation -- who else besides Harden can generate their own offense consistently and efficiently? Howard's post-ups will be key.

Both teams offer meager backups. Amar'e Stoudemire has been a beast on post-ups but he's been his same laughable self on the boards and on defense (Mavs have a 110.3 defensive rating when Stoudemire is on the floor). The Dirk-Amar'e lineup sports a disgusting 112.7 defensive rating and simply put, there's no way Carlisle can use that lineup in a playoff series where the Mavs are already underdogs. Every minute, every possession matters now. Houston's backup bigs aren't much better, and without Tarik Black we'll likely see the Rockets putting Smith at the five because there's no way McHale can afford Joey Dorsey and his 28.9 percent free throwing shooting any extended burn.

Coach

After realizing what he had in Rick Carlisle shortly after hiring him, Cuban smartly pushed all his chips in the Carlisle pot. The only championship coach in franchise history has cemented himself as one of the top three coaches in the game and people around the NBA regularly consider Carlisle the 1B to Gregg Popovich's 1A. How many NBA franchises regularly tout their coach as one of the premier reasons to join their team? Carlisle has worked magic in Dallas, constantly turning re-shuffled rosters into competitive units. Almost every team in the West has had the same relative core for the last two to three years. Carlisle hasn't had the at least three starters in consecutive seasons since the title year ... think about that! I've long wondered what Carlisle's best trait is. It has to be his adaptability.

There's perhaps no other coach besides Popovich that gives this sense of fear to the opposing team -- Carlisle will adjust, change lineups and strategies on the fly. Last year's less-talented Mavs took the eventual champion Spurs to seven games! With Dirk shooting under 40 percent for most of it! Carlisle is perhaps the only coach besides Popovich that inspires (or should inspire, anyway) fear from opposing fan bases.

Kevin McHale isn't in Carlisle's league as a strategist. But he does need to be commended for fully running with the organization's analytics-based approach. The Rockets pretty much only shoot threes, free throws and layups, and that's in part due to G.M. Daryl Morey's prerogative -- but McHale has embraced it completely. He also has a good grip on the locker room and players respect the hell out of him. I mean, that locker room has even survived JOSH SMITH. The Rockets' season could have spiraled out of control with all their injuries, but with James Harden and McHale's steadiness on the bench, they not only survived, they thrived. Give McHale some credit for that, even if we've yet to see him prove his worth in a playoff series.

- Doyle Rader and Josh Bowe