updated 1:01 a.m. ET June 2, 2005

PHOENIX - The fast, fun Phoenix Suns are finished. Their improbable rise from the ashes of a 29-win season a year ago was done in by untimely defensive breakdowns and an opponent with more depth and far more experience in playoff basketball.

Another awesome show by Amare Stoudemire — a career playoff-high 42 points and 16 rebounds — wasn’t quite enough Wednesday night, when the San Antonio Spurs closed out the Western Conference finals with a 101-95 victory in Game 5.

If the Suns get back to the conference finals, and their young talent suggests they will, this year’s failure will serve as a valuable lesson in what to expect.

“It would have been a fairy tale if we came out and won the championship,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “And that doesn’t happen. You have to earn it, and you have to lose some battles along the way. But this is a great first step.”

Although the best-of-seven series lasted only five games, it was never a mismatch. Phoenix led in the fourth quarter of the first two losses, and was without injured guard Joe Johnson in both.

The Suns were down 93-90 after Jim Jackson’s 3-pointer with 2:45 to play on Wednesday night.

In the end, though, the Suns couldn’t stop Tim Duncan when they had to, and again gave up too many layups to Tony Parker and especially the ever-aggravating Manu Ginobili. After Jackson’s 3, Duncan tipped in his own miss, Parker scored on a drive and the Suns were done, at least for now.

In the San Antonio series, playing against one of the best big men in the NBA, Stoudemire scored 41, 37, 34, 31 and 42 points — an average of 37 per game. And he’s just 22.

“No question about it, I’ve grown a lot in this postseason as a player,” Stoudemire said. “My confidence level went up, and I think my IQ as a basketball player has gotten better. It was a great experience and I’m looking forward to doing better next year.”

At the end of the game, Duncan spoke to Stoudemire.

“He said I played a heck of a series,” Stoudemire said. “He said there will be plenty of more times when I’ll be back in that position. It was good to hear that from Tim. He’s one of the marquee players in this league, so best of luck to him.”

Steve Nash wrapped up his MVP season with 21 points and 10 assists. But as had been the case when the Suns stumbled in the postseason, there wasn’t much help for the dynamic pair. Shawn Marion grabbed 10 rebounds but scored just eight points. Johnson, so important in Phoenix’s Game 4 victory at San Antonio on Sunday night, scored 14 points on 6-for-17 shooting.

After the Spurs switched defensive stopper Bruce Bowen onto him at the start of the second quarter, Johnson was 3-for-10 for seven points.

Quentin Richardson was worst of all. The NBA 3-point shootout winner, and co-leader in made 3s in the regular season, was scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting, an awful end to a disappointing series.

The loss, at least briefly, clouded Phoenix’s success.

“In some ways, we got almost all we could ask for out of this season, except the one thing we really wanted,” Nash said. “In many ways, it diminishes everything we accomplished this year, but hopefully in time we will be able to look back and really feel proud of our accomplishments and really enjoy them more than right now.”

The 33-win turnaround to an NBA-leading 62 victories was the third-best in league history. The Suns were the NBA’s highest-scoring team in a decade. Nash was the MVP and D’Antoni the coach of the year.

Owner Robert Sarver grabbed the microphone to exhort the crowd over the game’s final few minutes, but it was futile. They could all find solace, though, in the bright future of the franchise and its turbocharged style that made the team a refreshing reminder of how entertaining basketball can be.

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