First look: What to know about Suns vs. Mavericks Western Conference semifinal series

The Suns are barely toweled off from their series-clinching win in New Orleans, but they have a date looming with a new opponent — the Dallas Mavericks — in the Western Conference semifinals.

Here's a first look at the best-of-seven series that starts Monday in Phoenix:

More: Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns picks, predictions, odds: Who wins NBA Playoffs series?

What is the Suns-Mavericks schedule?

Here is the schedule for the Western Conference semifinal series between Phoenix and Dallas:

Monday May 2, Game 1, at Phoenix, 7 p.m. (TNT)

Wednesday May 4, Game 2, at Phoenix, 7 p.m. (TNT)

Friday May 6, Game 3, at Dallas 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Sunday May 8, Game 4 at Dallas, TBD

Tuesday May 10, Game 5* at Phoenix, TBD (TNT)

Thursday May 12, Game 6* at Dallas, TBD (ESPN)

Sunday May 15, Game 7* at Phoenix, TBD

*-if necessary

More: Sports TV listings for Phoenix

More: Arizona team schedules: Next three games

How'd Suns do vs. Mavericks this season?

The Suns swept the season series with Dallas, 3-0, with two of the games coming two days apart, Nov. 17 and 19, at Footprint Center. The Suns took those games 105-98 and 112-104, respectively. The only game in Dallas was on Jan. 20, with Phoenix prevailing 109-101.

How did the Mavericks get here?

Dallas rallied late on Thursday to defeat the Utah Jazz, 98-96 in Salt Lake City, to take the series 4 games to 2. The Mavericks won in the first round for the first time since since winning the 2011 NBA championship. Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson each scored 24 points, but Dallas had to survive a last-second shot by Bojan Bogdanovic that came up short.

Do Suns, Mavericks have playoff history?

The Suns and Mavericks have met twice in the postseason, in back-to-back seasons during the "Seven Seconds or Less" era of the mid-2000s. Both years, Steve Nash was named the league's MVP.

The second of those playoff series cost the Suns a shot at the NBA Finals.

In 2004-05, the first year of the Mike D'Antoni-Nash-Amare' Stoudemire run in which the Suns won 62 games, matching the franchise record that was broken by this season's team, the Suns and Mavericks met in the Western Conference semis, with Phoenix winning 4 games to 2.

The following year, the stakes were higher — the matchup came in the conference finals. This time, though, Dallas came out on top, 4 games to 2. In the clinching game played in Phoenix, the Mavericks had to erase an 18-point deficit. The Mavs' reward was their first trip to the NBA Finals, where they lost to Shaquille O'Neal, Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat in six games.

Of course, these series had extra juice because Nash, originally drafted by Phoenix, had played in Dallas for six seasons. He became a free agent after the 2003-04 season and was offered a six-year, $65 million deal. Nash gave Dallas owner Mark Cuban a chance to match it. He didn't, and came to deeply regret it.

Jason Kidd's in charge in Big D

The Suns just got done facing one familiar face in New Orleans coach Willie Green, who was one of their assistants before taking the Pelicans' top job this season. Now they are going up against one of their bigger stars of a long-ago era.

Jason Kidd, who was a three-time All-NBA first teamer for the Suns (1999-2001), is in his first season coaching Dallas, with whom he had two stints as a player.

Kidd replaced longtime Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle as head coach this season. It's Kidd's third NBA head coaching job after the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.

Kidd developed as an elite NBA playmaker in Phoenix, but his tenure in the desert was tainted by a domestic abuse charge in January 2001, to which he pled guilty. It's considered a big reason why Kidd was traded after the season to the then-New Jersey Nets.

Another familiar face on sideline

Former Suns coach Igor Kokoskov is an assistant coach for the Mavericks.

Kokoskov was the Suns' coach for the 2018-19 season. Kokoskov has coached Mavericks star Luka Doncic as the coach of the Slovenian national team.

The Suns went 19-63 in his one season as Phoenix's head coach.

Is the Mavericks' Luka Doncic healthy?

Luka Doncic, Dallas' star from Slovenia, missed the first three games of the Utah series because of a lingering calf strain. He averaged 29 points in the three games he played, and also averaged 10.7 rebounds per game. So, the answer would seem to be yes.

Deandre Ayton vs. Luka Doncic debate

The series will feature Deandre Ayton, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA draft and Luka Doncic, the No. 3 pick in that same draft.

Since that draft, the Suns have been under scrutiny for the Ayton pick, with many believing the team should have drafted Doncic to pair in the backcourt with Devin Booker.

With the Suns getting Chris Paul and Ayton elevating his game, however, it appears that the draft worked out for both teams. But the comparisons will likely continue throughout their careers.

Former Suns players on Mavericks

Former Suns' first-round draft pick Marquese Chriss is on the Mavericks' roster. Chriss played in four minutes in the series against the Jazz.

Reggie Bullock, who played with the Suns in 2014, is a key contributor for Dallas.

He is averaging 10.7 points and six rebounds per game for the Mavericks in the postseason, playing in 42.3 minutes per game.

Mark Faller is sports editor of the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach him at mark.faller@arizonarepublic.com, and follow him on Twitter @falleraz.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What to know: Suns, Mavericks meet in playoffs for 1st time since 2006