It happened so quickly, Wally Szczerbiak didn't think he was in trouble. As turns it, it might have the biggest play in the Wolves' 115-102 series-ending loss to Dallas on Sunday.

With the Wolves trailing 104-101, Szczerbiak broke out for a fast-break opportunity with Dallas guard Nick Van Exel the only defender standing in his path. Wolves forward Gary Trent trailed on the right side, but Szczerbiak said he didn't see nor hear him.

Szczerbiak lost control of the ball going up, and in a scramble, Dallas forward Eduardo Najera dived in, grabbed the ball and called a timeout.

Dallas coach Don Nelson called it the biggest play of the game because the Mavericks went ahead 106-101 on the ensuing possession on a Najera putback layup.

In hindsight, Szczerbiak said he wished he had known Trent was on the other side. But he still thought he made the right decision.

"I was just trying to attack the basket as much as possible," he said. "I figured with Nick back, as long as I could get to the point where I was going up for the shot, he wasn't going to be able to stop it or block it.