J.J. Barea, the smallest Maverick, is living large in the NBA Playoffs

He had 21 points off the bench Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, doing pretty much as he pleased in a 121-112 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Barea beat the Thunder inside and out, shot 8 for 12 from the field in what often amounted to a layup drill, and also buried two 3-pointers while standing calmly behind a teammate's screen beyond the arc.

Barea did all this damage in 16 measly minutes. Dirk Nowitzki had 48 points in 41 minutes. Had Barea played 41 minutes, he'd have had 54 points.

Nowitzki stands 7-foot, but there's no denying Barea stood just as tall on Tuesday.

Lately, some have compared Barea to a young Steve Nash. "Oh, no. That'd be awesome," the 26-year-old Barea said. "I love Steve Nash. Him and J-Kidd (teammate Jason Kidd) were my favorite players growing up."

Barea was so impressive against the Thunder, even Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum sent out a tweet commending him for his performance: "JJ Barea has a great story, worked his butt off and now killing on the big stage! Congrats you deserve it!"

Bynum is the one who chopped Barea out of mid-air the day the Mavs swept their second-round series against two-time defending champs. Bynum was fined $25,000 for the flagrant foul and will commence next season with a five-game suspension.

All of Puerto Rico adores Barea, especially Puerto Ricans who live in the Metroplex. He has become the local basketball ambassador to his country, much like former Oklahoma standout and Mexico native Eduardo Najera did when he played for the Mavericks a decade ago.

When we say all of Puerto Rico loves Barea, that includes girlfriend Zuleyka Rivera, who was Miss Universe 2006.