"I don't think I've been off this early in a long, long time," Tim Duncan said. This is how Duncan, Tony Parker and the winningest NBA team of the last decade measures being ousted from the playoffs in only five games: For the first time since 2000, the Spurs aren't moving past the opening round.

The Dallas Mavericks are after eliminating San Antonio with a 106-93 victory on Tuesday night, their first postseason series victory since 2006. Dirk Nowitzki scored 31 points, and if sixth-seeded Dallas technically upset the higher-slotted Spurs, the Mavs certainly never were the inferior team in this series. Dallas finished off the Spurs by winning three straight, starting with holding the Spurs to their fewest points ever in a playoff game in Game 3. It finished with the Spurs getting the rare sensation of a season-ending defeat on their home court, which has happened only twice in the Duncan era — both times at the hands of Dallas.

"We've accomplished one little baby step in winning a series," Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd said. "Now it starts over again, and it's the first team to four. We'll have maybe a day to enjoy it, or a night, but that's it." The Mavericks advance to the Western Conference semifinals to play either Denver or New Orleans. The Nuggets lead that series 3-1 and can finish off the Hornets. Duncan scored 30 and Tony Parker had 26 but again got little help — the story of the series for the two-dimensional Spurs. Predictions that the Spurs were doomed while Manu Ginobili sat out the playoffs with a bum ankle were validated.

For Duncan, it's the first time in his career he couldn't lead the Spurs past the opening round. "They had more firepower than us. They played better than us," said Duncan, who never played in San Antonio's first-round loss to Phoenix in 2000 because of a knee injury. "However you want to put it, obviously they were the better team this year. That's all you can say."Getting to the West semifinals is a dramatic turn for the Mavericks, who pulled together to win seven of nine entering the playoffs and have now won 11 of their last 14. "We're not going to be favored in the series, whoever it is," Mavs guard Jason Terry said. "We're just going to have to continue to play hard."

The Spurs are one of four former American Basketball Association teams (along with the Nets, Pacers, and Nuggets) to remain intact in the NBA after the 1976 ABA-NBA merger and is the only former ABA team to have won an NBA championship, which they have done four times. As of July 2008, the Spurs rank third among active franchises for the highest winning percentage in NBA history. With the 2007 sweep, the Spurs have the second highest winning percentage in NBA Finals history. They have only missed the playoffs 4 times as an NBA franchise. In their 32 NBA seasons, since 1976–1977, the Spurs have captured 16 division titles, which gives the Spurs the most division titles in the NBA during that 32-year span (the Lakers are second with 15). They have made the playoffs in 19 of the last 20 seasons, and have not missed the playoffs in the 12 seasons since Tim Duncan came to the Spurs in 1997.

however, tables turned on the Dallas Mavericks in the Semi Finals of the Western Conference when Denver Nuggets hit them 4-1 in the series to head into the Western Conference finals for teh first time since 1985. Veteran guard, Chauncey Billups helped the Nuggets edge out the Maverics 124-110 after bagging 28 points and 12 assists. A late rally by the Mavericks led by Nowitzki who shot 32 points, could not match teh Nuggets desire to win.

 

info/Photos:nba.com / alsaINTERACTIVE