Josh Howard scored 17 points and Keith Van Horn, in his first extended action since breaking his right hand March 31, scored 10.
"We really had a chance at winning this game and playing well, but we just couldn't get it in the basket," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. "We'll get back to practice Sunday, strap it up and get ready to go back to San Antonio."
The Spurs could become only the ninth team to overcome a 3-1 deficit -- and the second this season. Phoenix did it in the first round against the LA Lakers.
Six of the other winners were at home for Game 7, just like San Antonio will be.
"We're at home so everybody thinks we're going to win, but it's not automatic," Ginobili said.
This series shouldn't end with anything less than a winner-take-all clash. With enough drama and intensity of a great NBA Finals, five of the six games have been decided at the end. The five-point margin matched the second-biggest of the series.
"You just flip a coin and whichever way it lands that's the team that'll probably win that night," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Having blown their second straight chance of reaching the conference finals, the Mavs' only solace is that they'll get back Terry, their second-leading scorer.
"We love the challenge," Johnson said. "We don't have any fear."
Terry was suspended for punching Finley between his legs during a loose-ball scramble in the closing seconds of Game 5. He joined the team at an afternoon shootaround, but had to watch the game at home.
Dallas controlled the game for three quarters. San Antonio's biggest lead to that point was 2-0. Every time the Spurs went ahead, the Mavericks regained the lead on their next possession.
But Dallas was sloppy at the start of the fourth quarter. San Antonio was, too, but not as bad, and took its biggest lead yet at 74-71 on a three-point play by Duncan.
The Mavericks got three straight baskets to go ahead 81-80 with 3:37 left, forcing the Spurs to call a timeout with an arena-record of 20,986 going bonkers. Parker answered with his first basket since the first quarter.
Dallas seemed to catch a break when Duncan got his fifth foul immediately after. But Harris made only one of two free throws and Finley answered with his 3.
San Antonio essentially dared Harris to shoot in the fourth quarter. He took eight of Dallas' last 22 shots and made only two.
Terry wasn't forgotten. Fans in the entire front row around the court all wore his blue road jersey, the equipment manager wore one of his sweatbands and there were dozens of signs of support -- as well as crude ones about Finley. Among the printable ones: "Public Enemy No. 4," referencing his jersey number.
This was the second time this postseason the Spurs have faced a team missing a key player. Sacramento's Ron Artest was suspended from Game 2 in the first round and the Kings took San Antonio to overtime.
Popovich said before the game that he was wary again because "more weird things have happened when this guy or that guy didn't play."
Nowitzki, Howard and Stackhouse scored all 25 of Dallas' first-quarter points. The Spurs never let the Mavs get too far ahead, though, and went up 28-27 early in the third.
Dallas answered with an 11-3 run and led 47-41 at halftime. It was nearly more as Marquis Daniels stole a pass and made a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it was released a fraction of a second too late.
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