DALLAS — The way things kept going their way, the Dallas Mavericks were starting to think they might be a team of destiny. Maybe coach Don Nelson would get to the NBA Finals for the first time in his 25 seasons, and take the Mavs there for their first time.
Then reality hit.
A horrendous collapse in the fourth quarter of Game 6 of the Western Conference finals Thursday night ended those dreams. Dallas led by 13 points with less than 11 minutes left, then saw the San Antonio Spurs go on a 23-0 run to win the game and the series.
"This was supposed to be our year," Dallas' Michael Finley said. "Everything was set up for us to go to the finals, and we fell short. Next year, we might have the same opportunity, but it won't be as easy." On Friday, an exhausted but relatively upbeat Nelson began looking ahead to next season.
The top priority is settling his status. Is he staying on as coach and general manager or becoming only the GM? His coaching contract expired this season and owner Mark Cuban hasn't committed to an extension.
Cuban softened his stance in recent days and said in an e-mail Friday that it's up to Nelson whether he wants to keep coaching. Nelson said he's flying Saturday to his offseason home in Maui for about two weeks to think about what he wants to do.
"I've told Nellie during the season that I want him back and I told him again this morning," Cuban wrote. "He did a great job this year and has earned some R&R time. When he gets back from Hawaii, we will sit down and take care of things."
Nelson didn't tell reporters about such an offer, saying instead that Cuban also needed "a chance to step away and decide what he wants to do."
Players know who they want: Nellie.
"I think everyone in this locker room loves playing for him," point guard Steve Nash said. "He's made us better every year. We want to win a championship for him." While in Maui, Nelson will take time to savor what he called the best season of his coaching career.
The Mavs won their first 14 games, one shy of the NBA record, and finished with 60 wins, most in franchise history. The Spurs also had 60 and won the Midwest Division on a tiebreaker.
It worked out fine, though, because Dallas' postseason path avoided the Los Angeles Lakers. Then the Mavericks got lucky in the first round because of injuries to Portland's Scottie Pippen and Derek Anderson. Although the Mavs nearly blew a 3-0 lead, they won it in seven games.
Next up was Sacramento. The Kings lost Chris Webber to an injury in Game 2 and Dallas went on to win the series, again in seven games.
In their second-ever conference finals, the Mavericks beat Tim Duncan and the Spurs in the opener, then lost the next three. They also lost leading scorer and rebounder Dirk Nowitzki to a knee injury. Then they trailed by 19 points in Game 5, only to rally for the win.
And with their big lead in the final quarter Thursday night, Dallas seemed headed to a third straight Game 7.
"We got lucky with some injuries and I was thinking, 'You know, maybe this is the year,' " Nelson said. "I think if we could've gotten to the finals, we could've won the whole thing. But I needed one more major injury, and that was to Duncan. And it didn't come. We got it with Nowitzki!" Nelson said, laughing.
For the Mavericks to make another championship run, they must improve the frontcourt. Nelson said he wants better athletes and better rebounders.
But how? While Dallas won't lose any top players to free agency, all it can afford is the $4.5 million exception and the $1 million veteran minimum — unless Nelson and Cuban decide to break up their nucleus.
"The best scenario would be not to do anything with the team in there and add a dominant guy that would beef up our front line," Nelson said. "If that's impossible, we'll have to look at some other issues."
Free agents Karl Malone and Alonzo Mourning are ideal candidates. But Malone is chasing the career scoring record and might not get enough shots on the Mavericks. Mourning is a health risk. Both also could go elsewhere for more money or better chances of winning their first title.
Juwan Howard, a former Maverick, could be another option.
"It's an attractive situation for a lot of people," Nelson said. "People like coming to Dallas now. We're an exciting team, a fun team. We've got a great owner and we're a first-class organization.
"But the bottom line is dollars. They're going to probably go where the most dollars are and the longest deal. So we've got work to do."
Nelson knew that the day he arrived in February 1997. The team was a mess, so within weeks he turned over the entire roster except Finley.
The revamped Mavs finally made the playoffs in 2001. Now, they're talking about finishing the climb in '04.
"The next step is not an easy one," Nelson said, "but it's certainly not as hard as where we've been."