The Mavericks will ultimately re-sign All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki, according to former Dallas point guard Steve Nash, who also happens to be a good friend of Nowitzki.

"I always assume that he's going to re-sign in Dallas," Nash said when asked over the weekend whether he thought Nowitzki might consider opting out of his contract and signing with Phoenix.

"I haven't thought about it but obviously I had a great time playing with him."

Suns forward Amar'e Stoudemire expects to be a part of the upcoming NBA free-agent superstar summit.

Stoudemire, who will likely opt out of the final year of his contract, told FanHouse that he expects to join in talks with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson before free agency begins on July 1.

"I'm friends with LeBron, Dwyane, Chris [Bosh] -- all those guys are friends of mine," Stoudemire said. "So I'm pretty sure they'll call me and we'll talk about a few things."

Wade told the Chicago Tribune last week that he planned to talk with James and Johnson before making a decision on where he would sign this summer.

ESPN reported that Bosh will also be included in the meeting.

Suns forward Amar'e Stoudemire maintains that there is a "50-50" chance that he'll return to the team next season.

He can opt out of the final year of his contract, which would pay him $17 million, and he's looking for a maximum deal.

"This year's been amazing for us," Stoudemire said. "We've done a lot, we've grown a lot. We've improved so much within one year. It's definitely been one of the most exciting seasons I've ever had. We definitely want to continue that, so if that's possible that would be great."

The Suns pushed the defending NBA champion Lakers to six games in the Western Conference Finals before bowing out on Saturday night.

Phoenix owner Robert Sarver said he wants the emotion of the playoffs to subside before he, general manager Steve Kerr and the rest of the front office begin to address the Stoudemire issue and others facing the team.

Just minutes after the Suns were eliminated by the Lakers in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday night, Amar'e Stoudemire reiterated that his future is still a 50-50 proposition.

"I'm still not sure what the future holds," Stoudemire said. "I'm just going to take a couple days, enjoy the family and enjoy the rest, and start figuring out what the next move is."

He is widely expected to opt out of the final year of his contract, which would pay him $17.7 million.

Grant Hill has a $3.3 million option that he's expected to exercise, while Channing Frye says he'll decline the $2 million option he has for the 2010-11 season.

Steve Nash heaped praise on his teammates following their elimination at the hands of the Lakers on Saturday night and added that he would love to see the team stick together.

"It's pretty clear I'd like to keep the group together," Nash said. "It's phenomenal to come to work every day with the group of guys we had, everyone fighting for the same thing, proving when you commit to one another and to what we're trying to do, you know, you really can -- all the clich?s really are true. You can maybe be greater than the sum of your parts."

Phoenix forward Amar'e Stoudemire can opt out of the final year of his contract, which will pay him $17.7 million.

Kobe Bryant wrapped up a magnificent series with 37 points, Ron Artest added 25 and the Lakers held off the Suns 111-103 on Saturday night to win the Western Conference finals, as reported by the Associated Press.

The Lakers and Celtics will meet in the finals for the 12th time with Game 1 Thursday night in Los Angeles.

?We?ll see how much we matured,? Bryant said. ?They challenged us extremely well in the finals a couple years ago. Now is a chance to see how much we?ve grown.?

Steve Nash's teammates are standing behind him as they head into Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers.

"They held home court," Nash said after Game 5's loss Thursday. "We'll go back and do the same, and we'll come back here (Staples Center) for Game 7."

The Lakers have not lost a best-of-seven playoff series after they have taken a 3-2 lead with a Game 5 win since 1969.

"We can't make him look bad," Suns forward Grant Hill said.

The Suns wouldn't be an improved defensive team had it not been for Heat superstar Dwyane Wade.

In just the fourth game of the season, Miami held a 12-point lead over Phoenix when coach Alvin Gentry called for a 2-3 zone. The Heat went 10-for-38 the remainder of the game and the Suns were victorious.

"I got hot and cold with it all the time to be honest," Gentry said of playing zone. "It works some and you think, 'Boy, we're pretty good at it.' Then the next game you just get shelled out of it and you go, 'Ah, you can't play a zone.' We've stuck with it now because I think it gives us the best chance to guard these guys."

Suns veteran Grant Hill thinks the team's success isn't just about a style of defense.

"I don't think it's so much the zone," Hill said. "I think it's the effort and the fight."

Suns coach Alvin Gentry felt ill after eating lunch on Thursday and was caught throwing up along the sideline multiple times by television cameras.

Phoenix lost to Los Angeles 103-101 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

"I told them not to bring that trash can out to the bench area because I know every camera in the world would be on me if I threw up," Gentry said. "I really was trying not to do it as much as I possibly could."

Gentry had a grilled artichoke and dip at a downtown L.A. restaurant on Thursday afternoon.

"They did?" he asked when told that television cameras captured him throwing up on the sideline. "Oh, well, just tell everyone that it was Kobe Bryant making me sick."

Following Phoenix's 103-101 loss to the Lakers on a buzzer beater from Ron Artest, I asked Amare Stoudemire if he felt the Suns deserved to play an overtime after they fought so hard to tie up the game.

"We lost, so we can't say we deserved it," said Stoudemire. "We played hard, but we lost, so we have to get ready for Game 6."

The mood in the Suns' locker room following the game was undoubtedly somber, but they remained unshakably optimistic about their chances in Game 6.

Steve Kerr and David Griffin exited the Suns locker room appearing slightly stunned, but not with long faces.

During his postgame press conference, Steve Nash echoed a similar sentiment.

"Maybe we deserved the game, maybe we didn't," said Nash. "But we lost."