Kidd did a good job on Kobe. Plus, I expect Chandler and Haywood to lay the wood when Rose barrels into the paint. They are far more physical than the Heat and Hawks. I don't recall a single hard foul from Atlanta. The Pacers were able to hang close just about every game by being physical with Rose and they aren't even good. Mavs have twice the talent the Pacers do and twice the shooters. Pacers were one of the worst jump shooting teams in the NBA. They might have been last in 3 point percentage. I just think the west is head and shoulders above the East. Like I said, I think the 8th seed Griz would have made a run at the 1 seed in the East.
You have to keep in mind that the 8th seed(Pacers) in the East had a losing record and they also had the 2nd best record in the Central behind the Bulls. Not exactly a hard route to the easy route in the playoffs.
I won't go as far as saying the Bulls or Heat couldn't win the championship but I would go as far as saying the Mavs just swept a more talented team than both of them. Personally, I'd take Bynum, Gasol and Odom over Noah, Boozer and Gibson as far as bigs go. Mavs just swept them. I know Rose and Deng are really good as well but so is Kobe. I just don't see how the Bulls are any better than the Lakers and the Lakers got swept by the Mavs.
Time will tell but I think the Thunder is the biggest obstacle in the Mavs way. And they just came off a 7 game series + 4 overtimes. Mavs might pull another sweep.