The 2009-2010 season was filled with highs for the Dallas Mavericks.

They included ridiculous turn-back-the-clock plays from 37-year old Jason Kidd, a 13-game winning streak in which the Mavs were literally unbeatable, and a late charge to grab the No. 2 seed in the West.

But the Mavericks always reserved their celebrations for a shot at bigger glory they hoped would come in June.

Dallas’ dreams of kissing the Larry O’Brien trophy and dousing each other in celebratory champagne remain just that – a dream. Their whirlwind season came to an abrupt end when they dropped Game 6 of their first round playoff series, 97-87, to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.

The Mavs, who won a remarkable 55 regular season games, mustered only eight points in the first quarter on 4-for-18 shooting.

In the face of adversity, Jason and Co. regrouped, batlled and made a seemingly impossible comeback. With less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Jason found Dirk Nowitzki from downtown for a pivotal triple that put the Mavericks up 57-56. But that would be their only lead of the night as Spurs snatched the lead back and pulled away late, despite a clutch three-pointer from No. 2 in the final minutes.


Jason shooting over Tony Parker on Thursday night (Getty Images).

J-Kidd dished out six assists in the loss along with eight rebounds, three points and two steals. Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle told the Star Telegram that the Spurs played relentless defense on No. 2. They knew of his affinity for the fast break and stayed on him up and down the court to keep him from breaking away.

"They paid a lot of attention to him," Carlisle said. "They made a point of making him work offensively. And he’d become such a positive offensive factor the last two months that they really started treating him like a scorer. They were running him off the 3-point line. It was challenging."

Nowitzki told ESPN that the Spurs took away Jason’s running game, which among other things ultimately cost them the series.

"Obviously, J-Kidd is a player that’s very good in the open court, and besides really

[Game 5], we never really got into it, we never got into the open court," Nowitzki said. "You can beat that team if you score in the 100s. If you keep it in the 80s, that’s what they want to play, that’s what they’re good at. They did a good job of really taking our running game away, and that’s why they won the series."

The San Antonio Spurs won the series 4-2 and advance to the second round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, Jason and the Mavericks endured a somber ride home to Big D, leaving dreams of trophies and champagne back at the AT&T Center.

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Low output from Kidd, Terry dooms Mavs (Star Telegram, April 30, 2010)
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Mavs Kidd, Terry nowhere to be found (ESPN.com, April 30, 2010)
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http://www.nba.com/games/20100429/DALSAS/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp0040900156