NBA PLAYOFFS Big rally by Dallas sets up Game 6

The Mavericks need more magic like they found Tuesday.
DALLAS (AP) -- The leading scorer and rebounder was out with an injury. They were facing elimination. And they were trailing by 17 with less than 20 minutes remaining.
Yeah, that pretty much qualifies the Dallas Mavericks' victory in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals as one of the greatest in team history.
By beating the San Antonio Spurs 103-91 Tuesday night, the Mavericks forced Game 6 tonight. Dallas still trails 3-2 and probably won't have Dirk Nowitzki, but after the last game, anything is possible.
"It's not that all of a sudden we're not behind the eight-ball. We're still sitting right there," coach Don Nelson said Wednesday. "We still have to win all of our games and we know how good they are. We can only hope now to take it to a Game 7 and have that one shot."
Nelson said Nowitzki is "very doubtful" because of lingering pain in his sprained left knee. Nowitzki listed himself as a gametime decision.
"I'll just try to get the knee loose and see how it feels," he said.
Treat for fans
Had the Spurs won Game 5, it would've been a nice treat for their home fans, especially considering they closed the last two series on the road. It also would've meant they could avoid getting on a plane for 11 days, not until after Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
Instead, San Antonio met with reporters at the airport Wednesday before flying to Dallas, still seeking the win needed to secure a spot in the Finals against the New Jersey Nets.
San Antonio might have cruised into the Finals if not for its inability to protect big leads. Of the Spurs' six losses this postseason, five came in games when they were ahead by at least 10 points.
Their biggest collapse actually came in a victory -- a 25-point lead over the Lakers was cut to two and Robert Horry's potential game-winning 3-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer.
The only upside of this inability to close out big leads is that San Antonio is 4-0 this postseason in the game after the blown leads, 5-0 if you include the game following Horry's near-miss.
"We do respond very well," center David Robinson said. "I think we'll bounce back and we'll do everything a little bit better. ... We've got to be smarter. There's no room for error now."