NBA PLAYOFFS Nowitzki sparkles as Dallas advances

The Mavericks outlasted the Kings to gain the Western Conference finals.
DALLAS (AP) -- The "Big D" isn't just a nickname for Dallas anymore.
That moniker belongs to Dirk Nowitzki, too, after his best game of the second round put the Mavericks into the Western Conference finals.
Nowitzki had a tremendous game Saturday night with 30 points, 19 rebounds and a super-timely 3-pointer -- one of 11 treys by the Mavericks -- as Dallas defeated the Sacramento Kings 112-99 in Game 7 of the conference semifinal series.
It was the type of breakout game everyone had been waiting for from Nowitzki, whose struggles in this series were so pronounced that The Dallas Morning News listed him as a 20-1 underdog to be the hero of the game.
But that's exactly what he was, with strong supporting roles from Nick Van Exel, Michael Finley, Steve Nash, Raja Bell and even Shawn Bradley as the Mavericks advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 1998.
All-Texas showdown
The all-Texas showdown with the San Antonio Spurs begins Monday night, with the winner advancing to the NBA Finals.
Van Exel, the Mavs' most consistent offensive producer during the high-octane series, had 23 points and four 3-pointers. Finley added 18, Nash had 18 points and 13 assists and Bell chipped in 12 points.
Bradley did his part during the first three quarters, giving the Mavericks an interior defensive presence that caused the Kings all sorts of problems trying to run their inside-outside game on offense. It's a tactic that usually worked when Sacramento had Chris Webber available, but he went down with a knee injury in Game 2 to irrevocably change the dynamic of this series.
As the Mavericks left the court, Finley lifted Nowitzki and carried him off -- a fitting reward for a player who carried the Mavericks with his 12-for-20 shooting.
Mike Bibby scored 25 and Jim Jackson 24 for the Kings, whose season ended in a disappointing Game 7 loss for the second straight year.
Unlike last season when they had only themselves to blame for their Game 7 loss to the Lakers in the Western finals, this time they were simply outplayed for all but a few brief stretches of the 48 minutes.
Nash opened the fourth quarter with a 60-foot pass to Finley for a layup that upped the lead to 11. Sacramento got within five on a 22-footer by Jackson and a layup by Bibby, but the Mavericks answered instantly.
After Bibby's basket, Nash beat everyone down-court for a breakaway layup that turned into a three-point play. Finley followed with a pair of foul shots and a 3-pointer. Suddenly, the lead was up to 13 with 7:26 left.
A flagrant foul by Bell against Divac led to a five-point possession that hushed the raucous crowd, but that moment of doubt was brief.
Nowitzki answered with a 3-pointer that rolled around the rim, hit the backboard and dropped through, and Nash stole the ball from Divac and found Finley for a fast-break layup.
After Jackson missed underneath, Van Exel launched a 3-pointer from well behind the arc. The shot hit all net, the lead was up to 16 -- and it was all but over for the Kings.