The script had been written before. Twice.
The ending never changed.
And the final ending has come.
PHOTO: EPA
The Mavericks finally put the ball in the hands of its best player with a game on the line, but Dirk Nowitzki found himself in the same position as those that came before him. With the Mavs needing a basket to extend their playoff lives, Nowitzki's turnaround jumper at the buzzer found front iron, and the Mavs found summer vacation much earlier than they could have expected.
The Sacramento Kings claimed the first-round best-of-seven series four games to one by holding on to win Thursday night's Game 5 119-118 at Arco Arena.
"We got exactly what we wanted," Mavs coach Don Nelson said.
PHOTO: AFP
That was a final possession, down one point with 6.2 seconds remaining. Nowitzki working and bumping against Kings forward Peja Stojakovic couldn't get a clean look at the basket. Stojakovic, who also guarded Michael Finley and Steve Nash in game-ending situations earlier in the series, appeared to hit Nowitzki across the arm but no foul was called.
"It's too bad," Nelson said, "It was such a great game. We deserved to go to the foul line on that last play. He was fouled twice."
Added Finley: "The refs didn't have the guts to call it at the end."
The Mavericks were determined to do it the hard way. Whether it was a roster shakeup a week before the season started or player-coach-owner dramas along the way or a small-ball switch with 10 games left or a 3-1 series deficit, the Mavs faced adversity head on.
"You ever cornered a badger?" Mavs center Shawn Bradley asked before the most important game of the season. "They won't mess with you until you corner them. That's kind of how we are. This team tends to respond best when we've been backed into a corner, whether it's of our own doing or the situation it is."
The badger finally ran out of moves.
The off-season questions, speculated on for what it seems like the entire season, can officially begin. The futures of personnel and coaches are foremost. The Mavs undoubtedly will have a different look for 2004-2005. How much so is anyone guess.
"These days in the NBA," Finley said, "waiting for improvement is not common."
But answers weren't going to be available Thursday night, as solemn faces and filed onto the team bus for the last time. A season that began with championship aspirations came to an end in the first round on the road. The Mavs' road woes were there all season, but this series was essentially lost when the Kings stole Game 4 at American Airlines Center.
The Mavs had the NBA's best home record.
Much as each of the previous three losses in the series, the Mavs once again had their chances. The final ones came in the last 30 seconds. But the Mavs didn't lose this one through poor play. They shot 46 percent, didn't miss a free throw in 18 tries and hit half of their 3-point attempts.
"It's a disappointing closing to a disappointing series," Finley said. "We did everything good defensively and offensively. Again, the theme of this series is they made shots at the end and we didn't."
Nelson promised to simplify the offense, taking out many of the sets to allow the players more freedom. It resulted in the type of game expected between the league's two highest-scoring teams.
Other than Nowitzki conceding the opening tip, the Mavs didn't give up much in the opening quarter. The Kings were down double digits (12-2) before the game was three minutes old. Steve Nash's second 3-pointer of the game pushed the edge to 15-2, and breakaway layup from Marquis Daniels made it 17-3.
The Mavs would finish the first period up 37-24, their highest scoring quarter of the playoffs. Nash fell a point shy of his series average of 11 in the first quarter.
It was just the kind of start needed in the one of the NBA's most hostile environments. Trouble was the Kings and their fans didn't fold. The arena never lost an ounce of energy, and the Kings closed the gap in the second period. Sacramento, trailing by as much as 16 in the second quarter, took a brief lead before going into the half down 66-63.
Timberwolves 102, nuggets 91
Kevin Garnett had 28 points, seven rebounds and eight assists to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 102-91 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday, ending an NBA record streak of seven straight first-round losses.
The Timberwolves, who took the best-of-seven series 4-1, will host Sacramento in Game 1 in the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday.
"We had 10 new players -- half those guys don't even know who we lost to last year," Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders said. "Our goals were higher than winning a first-round playoff series. We think we have a legitimate chance to win a championship."
Marcus Camby and Andre Miller each scored 21 points for the eighth-seeded Nuggets, who played without injured rookie Carmelo Anthony.
"You lose your leading scorer, obviously it's a big factor," Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik said. "But it happens and you deal with it. I'm very proud of our basketball team."
Sam Cassell had 26 points and Latrell Sprewell scored 15 of his 19 in the first half for the Wolves.
Garnett scored Minnesota's first six points of the fourth quarter to bump the lead to 80-68 with 10 minutes left. Denver came within nine twice after that, but no closer.
Heat 87, Hornets 83
In Miami, Dwyane Wade's 3-pointer with 54 seconds left put Miami ahead for good as the Heat took a 3-2 lead over New Orleans in the first-round playoff series.
The home team has won all five games, and the Heat have won 15 consecutive games in Miami.
They can close out the series with a victory today while playing away in New Orleans.
The Hornets, who fell to 0-5 in Miami this season, led by 11 points in the first half, were up 58-49 midway through the third quarter and squandered a 33-point performance by Davis.
Eddie Jones scored 25 points and Wade had 21 for the Heat.
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