Carlisle doesn’t want to talk about possibly facing Houston in the playoffs

If the playoffs started today, the Dallas Mavericks would open on the road against the Houston Rockets in a best-of-seven series.

But the good news for the Mavs is that the postseason doesn’t start until April 19. The bad news?

If the Mavs are matched up against the Rockets in the first round, Houston could indeed be a problem for owner Mark Cuban’s favorite team.

The Rockets rallied from an 11-point deficit in the third quarter and defeated the Mavs, 108-101, Thursday night at American Airlines Center. That meant Houston won the season series 3-1, and won the all-important mental game that always comes when arch rivals meet.

Afterwards, coach Rick Carlisle side-stepped a question concerning a possible first-round best-of-seven series against the Rockets.

“I don’t like to talk about future matchups,’’ Carlisle said. “I’m more focused on what we can do to get ourselves playing better, but they’re a tough team.’’

This story was originally published April 2, 2015 at 11:23 PM with the headline "Carlisle doesn’t want to talk about possibly facing Houston in the playoffs."