Mark Cuban: James Harden should be MVP 'because that's not a very good team'

The NBA playoffs give players a chance to shine on the national stage.

It also provides Mark Cuban with another platform to talk.

The Dallas Mavericks owner didn't even wait for his team's first-round series against the Houston Rockets to begin before chucking a few darts at the opposing side.

Talking with Grantland's Kirk Goldsberry, Cuban spoke about the kinds of adjustments good coaches make come playoff time.

"(The biggest difference is) practice time. There's no more predictable team than the Rockets. You know exactly what they're gonna do," Cuban said. "But James Harden is so good. That's what analytics have begot. Right? Predictability. If you know what the percentages are, in the playoffs, you have time to counter them. Whether you're good enough to do it is another question. Because they are very talented, and James Harden, I think, is the MVP. Because that's not a very good team over there."

In Cuban's defense, the interview was conducted prior to learning the Rockets were the Mavericks' first-round opponent, but that's probably not going to score him any points in Houston.

The first game in the series goes Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET.