The biggest move the Spurs will be making this off-season will be to find a backup point guard.  Nick Van Exel will be retiring and though Beno Udrih will be given another shot at the job, their is certainly a lack of optimism about his capabilities in the role.

"Realistically, this team had a great season and competed fantastically. We're a championship-caliber ballclub, and the series could have been won by anybody," Popovich said Tuesday. "We have to think in those terms, rather than the absolutes about, 'If you win everything it's good, and if you lose everything it's bad.' It's not appropriate or accurate."

With Nick Van Exel intent on retiring, the San Antonio Express-News is stating that one of the Spurs' primary off-season priorities will be to find a reliable backup for All-Star point guard Tony Parker.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Beno Udrih, who ceded the backup job to Van Exel after a shaky performance in the 2005 NBA Finals, will have a chance to re-establish himself in the position next season.

However, Popovich stopped far short of saying the backup job was Udrih's to lose.

"We've got to make a decision in that situation," Popovich said. "Are we going to give the ball to Beno and say, 'Go ahead, young man. It's yours?' or are we going to look around? What are we going to do?"

According to the San Antonio Express-News, if the Spurs re-sign free agent center Nazr Mohommed, which is not a given, then the chances are that Rasho Nesterovic will be calling somewhere else home next season.  Investing $14 million in two centers in the league's small-ball era is unlikely.

"We have to figure out what we want to do, as far as bigs are concerned," Popovich said. "Do we want (power forwards) or do we want (centers)? How small do we want to play, or how big do we want to play? Do we want to try to be big, even if somebody else is small?"

The Kings have not formally requested permission to interview Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo for their head-coaching vacancy, but Kings co-owner Joe Maloof indicated Tuesday that the request is forthcoming after the Spurs' season ended Monday night.

"I think we'll probably end up talking to P.J.," Maloof said, "but Geoff is really handling all that."

Geoff is Geoff Petrie, Sacramento's president of basketball operations. Maloof declined to reveal any other names on the list of candidates Petrie has assembled but did say that he, brother Gavin and Petrie will begin conducting interviews Wednesday in Las Vegas.

NBA coaching sources told ESPN.com that Golden State assistant Mario Elie, Memphis assistant Eric Musselman -- formerly the Warriors' head coach -- and John Whisenant of the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs are expected to meet with the Kings this week.

Mavericks center DeSagana Diop broke his nose in Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs and will wear a face shield Wednesday night for the opener of the Western Conference finals against Phoenix, the Associated Press is reporting.

Diop was injured when he caught an elbow from Spurs star Tim Duncan late in the fourth quarter. Diop stayed in and played stellar defense against Duncan, forcing him to go 1-for-7 in the overtime of Dallas' 119-111 victory.

Despite their best efforts, the San Antonio Spurs were unable to get the job done in overtime versus the Dallas Mavericks.

After a stellar first half that saw Dallas dominate, the Spurs were able to come back and eventually earn a three point lead with seconds on the game clock.

Dirk Nowitzki was able to re-tie the game by making a clutch three point play.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban acknowledged swearing at San Antonio Spurs forward Bruce Bowen immediately after Friday?s Game 6 in Dallas, according to the Dallas Morning-News. But Cuban disputed other details of a story that appeared Monday in the San Antonio Express-News.

?Didn?t quite happen like they reported, but [it] doesn?t matter,? Cuban wrote in an e-mail Monday afternoon. ?I shouldn?t have cursed at him, regardless. I sent over an apology right after the game that our security personnel reported he received and acknowledged.

?End of story.?

The Express-News said Cuban used ?a coarse, two-word curse whose meaning was unmistakable.?

The Mavericks are one loss away from blowing a 3-1 lead and so the momentum and confidence appears to be on San Antonio's side.

"They're going to be comfortable," Terry said of the Spurs. "It's our job to make them uneasy."

Gregg Popovich gave the Spurs Saturday off after defeating the Mavericks in Game 6 on Friday night.  All but one of the games versus Dallas have been tightly contested.

It's a pretty grueling experience, both mentally and physically," Popovich said. "But the adrenaline of the playoffs and the competitiveness makes you go. You don't stop until ... you lose or you go on to win a championship."

After absorbing the low blow that got Mavericks guard Jason Terry suspended, Michael Finley ignored the taunts from the Dallas fans who used to adore him and scored 16 points, helping the Spurs to a 91-86 victory Friday night that forces a Game 7.

Finley scored 10 points in the third quarter to help San Antonio hang close, then made the go-ahead basket on a 3-pointer from the right corner with 2:45 left.

Finley then defended Nowitzki on a missed 3-pointer that could've tied it with 6.9 seconds left. The off-balanced shot landed well short.

Now they get another chance at home Monday night.

"It's a strange situation for me, but this was a great game," Finley said.