Will Nelson return to Mavs?

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.