Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle ranked the Thunder ahead of his team’s first two opponents in the playoffs.

“I think it’s important to point out that this is the best team we’ve played in the playoffs,” Carlisle said. “They’re better than the Lakers and they’re  better than Portland. And I think the numbers bear that out. They’re scoring 109 points a game on us. So I think it’s important to recognize them. And we’ve got to attack this team very aggressively because they are good.”

The Mavericks beat the Trail Blazers in six games and swept the two-time defending champion Lakers in the conference semifinals. But the Thunder already has done something neither of those two more seasoned opponents could and that’s win at American Airlines Center.

So Carlisle’s praise for the Thunder is clearly more than just coach-speak or gamesmanship.

“Right now they are a better basketball team,” he continued. “They’re in the Western Conference finals. They’re scoring on us at a high rate. I look at how we’ve fared against all three opponents and this is our toughest challenge.”