Ask Sherwin Williams

As the Western Conference Finals start up tonight, be prepared to see a lot of paint. But, luckily, you won't have to ask Sherwin Williams for help. Tonight's paint will be blue, as in Dallas Mavericks' blue. And there won't be too many players occupying the nitty-gritty rectangle that hosts only the biggest and toughest ballers.

Dirk Nowitzki enters this series with a chance to do something he couldn't do against the Spurs. Off screens, defenders will probably be switch on him, which, against the Suns, means that Steve Nash or Leandro Barbosa will be guarding him off the pick-and-roll. This time, Nowitzki can post the smaller guards up, without worrying about a bona fide shot-blocker stepping into his path. Without Tim Duncan to worry about, Nowitzki will dominate this series.

Boris Diaw will be the key player for the Suns. Will he be able to get into the lane, rebound and score off that baby hook that he loves so much? He will probably face Nowitzki on both ends, so he will have some trouble getting his shot off over the taller defender. It will be fun to see the smaller lineups run and run and run. But I think Dallas has the capability to play both offense AND defense, something the Suns just don't do that well.

Key questions to ponder heading into tonight's game:

Will Nowitzki recognize his size advantage over the Suns, post up, and dominate the paint?

Can Boris Diaw and Tim Thomas guard Nowitzki AND be effective scorers on the other end?

Will the Suns tire out after two straight 7-game series?

How effective will Steve Nash be against younger and quicker guards with more stamina like Devin Harris and Jason Terry?

Can Terry continue to be effective with a better defender in Raja Bell guarding him all series?

This is going to be a great series. I think it will go six or seven games. I don't see the Suns keeping their flow all series, however, as they've played 14 games in a month. Fourteen games in high pressure intensity can wear on a team, especially a team that's played two Game Sevens and plays such a short rotation

So watch for some key matchups and make sure you let me know your thoughts on the series opener.

Phoenix at Dallas- Game One- Tonight at 8:30 ET in Dallas