I watched the Mavericks-Spurs last night with one eye on the television and one eye on the computer screen. I flipped it on sometime during the third quarter and left it on until the end.

I thought this was finally it for the Spurs. I thought that the window of opportunity to claim another championship or two was shut for good last night. Sure they still have Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli, but it becomes more and more of a chore every year. Winning NBA championships is not easy, even if you have a great core like the Spurs.

But just as the Mavericks prepared to slam that window shut, the Spurs slid their fingers underneath and blocked it. The window is slowly opening back up, and after Monday night, the San Antonio Spurs will return to the Western Conference finals.

Dallas failed big time. This was their chance to establish themselves as the new power in the West. The new blood was coming through and they were ready to pounce on a chance to represent a conference that has been dominated by the Spurs and Lakers for the past seven years. Dirk Nowitzki was supposed to be the new premier player. Avery Johnson was supposed to be the next great coach.

Somebody forgot to tell San Antonio and their group of grizzled veterans, hard-nosed defenders and bland personalities that bit of information. For two straight games,the Spurs showed why the old-school, lock-your-defender-down, pester-your-opponent and do it all with no style is the real key to winning an NBA championship these days. The Mavs are all style, zero substance. As boring as they might be, the Spurs are still the team to beat.

The biggest disappointment of the night was Nowitzki. Where was Dirk at? Rumor has it that he was there, but you would have had to watch the game to know for sure. That or just search the box score really hard. Nowitzki had 26 points last night, but he had an eye-popping two points in the fourth quarter.

When the Mavericks head back to Dallas after Monday night's game, all they will think about is missed opportunities. They'll think about how they had an opportunity to shove San Antonio out of the playoffs with force. They'll ponder how they became the ninth team in NBA history to blow a 3-1 deficit. And the troubling fact about how they are perennial second round losers might cross their minds a time or two.

After the game last night, Johnson told reporters about Game 7, "we love the challenge, we don't have any fear."

Could have fooled me.