Spurs Spurt

The San Antonio Spurs' locker room was dark.

Dark except for a few lights from TV cameras. Teammates were still heading to the post-game podium to talk to the media. And Robert Horry, already dressed, was leaving.

A year ago he'd taken a Manu Ginobili pass in Detroit, and he changed the seasons of two teams. This time Horry waited in the corner, open again, when Ginobili drove at the end of regulation.

Championships are decided by these moments. The 2006 championship may have been, too, albeit in the second round. And Horry summed it up with a soft laugh and a line.

''The lucky team won,'' he said.

I wouldn't put it that way...

His teammates put it differently but with similar perspective. The Spurs lost two overtime games in this series, as well a one-point game in Dallas when Tim Duncan fouled out. How much luck would have been required for the Spurs to be the ones celebrating in Texas today?

Not much.

And this idea will comfort the Spurs, as well as those accustomed to seeing these guys play in June. But the Spurs will have to accept something else, too, and that is how this series was lost.

The Spurs didn't defend a title for a third time, yet this one was different. This time there were no injuries, as there were in 2000. This time there was no Derek Fisher and 0.4, when luck really was part of the equation in 2004.

This time, too, came with no excuses. There were no refs to blame, nor were there travel issues to complain about. Instead, there was a champion, sent home rather abruptly and a new NBA Champion waiting to be crowned in June.

The Dallas Mavericks will look for nothing less than a championship this year. Can Dirk Nowitzki lead this team all the way to the promise land? Visit and bet on Bodog today.