They will need to maintain that sharpness to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Mavs also need for guard Steve Nash and forward Dirk Nowitzki to be healthy, something they haven't been recently.

The Mavs open their best-of-five first-round Western Conference playoff series Sunday at American Airlines Center, where the Mavericks sold out 34 of their 41 games this season, their first in the facility.

Dallas and Minnesota split their four regular-season games, with each team winning a road game. The T'wolves won the past two, winning in Dallas on Feb. 19 and in Minnesota on March 28.

Here are five keys to the Mavericks eliminating the T'wolves and advancing to the second round.Mavericks vs. Timberwolves