Dallas Denies a Spurs Repeat

The Dallas Mavericks had procrastinated long enough against their in-state rivals.

A 3-1 series lead over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, squandered. A 20-point lead in Game 7, dried up.

Then, in overtime, it was finally time for Dirk Nowitzki and his new collection of Dallas teammates to get over the San Antonio hurdle.

The Mavericks beat the Spurs, 119-111, Monday night on the strength of 37 points from Nowitzki and 27 from Jason Terry, who was suspended for Game 6 for punching former Maverick Michael Finley below the belt the game before.

“We battled against a championship team, a team with a lot of guts,” Dallas Coach Avery Johnson said. “Now we haven’t won the championship, but how about those Mavs?”

Tim Duncan scored 41 to lead San Antonio.

“It was a special series,” Nowitzki said. “We just believed it was our time to win it.”

Dallas advanced to the Western Conference finals for the second time in four years, but with almost an entirely new team. Nowitzki is the only starter left from the team eliminated by the Spurs in 2003.

The Spurs won a franchise-record 63 games, grabbed the West’s top seeding and were thinking this would finally be the year they repeated as champions. Instead, they’ll have to try again next year to add to the titles they won in 1999, ’03 and ’05.

“This is the best series I’ve ever played,” Duncan said.

Dallas built its 20-point lead early by spreading the floor and penetrating, only to watch San Antonio change the pace and rally with defense and Duncan.

“The first half was the worst half of basketball we’ve played all season,” Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said. “We dug down and gave ourselves a chance to win.”

The Spurs, who trailed most of the game, led, 104-101, on Manu Ginobili’s three-point basket with 32 seconds left in regulation. Nowitzki then converted a three-point play to tie it.

The Spurs had a chance to win it in regulation, but Ginobili missed on a drive and Duncan’s putback was blocked by Nowitzki.

Dallas never trailed after scoring the first two baskets in overtime.

“We put ourselves in a position to win the game,” Duncan said. “We fought all the way back and in overtime we didn’t have much left in the tank.”