SAN ANTONIO - Remember this day: April 29, 2008. Years from now, when we look back on this era of fast breaks, 3-pointers and playoff heartbreak, we'll recall it as the day the Suns died.

Suns eliminated by Spurs in Game 5 loss

SLIDESHOW: See photos from Game 5

Suns notebook: Nash’s 3 turnovers in last 2 minutes hurt

Spurs notebook: Bowen comes up with biggest defensive play of series

Read Scott Bordow's blog

The day Mike D'Antoni coached his final game.

The day the Suns quit being championship contenders.

Phoenix didn't just lose a game or have its season ended by its 92-87 loss to San Antonio on Tuesday. No, the elimination by the Spurs - and aren't you tired of reading those words - likely will mean seismic changes within the organization.

D'Antoni's future will be the first domino that falls.

Unless the winds that have been blowing change direction, D'Antoni and general manager Steve Kerr will part ways over philosophical differences.

It will be a sad ending, given that D'Antoni, along with a huge assist from Steve Nash, made the Suns the most entertaining team in the NBA - and one of its biggest successes.

But it won't be a surprising ending.

Kerr didn't hire D'Antoni. He has no allegiance to him. It was probably inevitable that they'd part ways, not because they don't like each other, but because they see the game of basketball from two different viewpoints.

"It's not something I really want to talk about right now," Kerr said.

There's also the possibility that D'Antoni might initiate the separation. Two team sources said D'Antoni has grown weary of the grind and the expectations and could take a year off or move to another team and get a fresh start. Say, for example, Toronto, where he would rejoin Bryan Colangelo.

One thing is clear: D'Antoni's departure won't magically transform the Suns into a championship team.

Phoenix's problems going forward run far deeper than its coach.

Shaquille O'Neal and Steve Nash will be a year older in the 2008-2009 season and won't be any better defensively.

Nash, while still a terrific player, clearly has a lost a fraction of a step. Tony Parker made him look old this series, and in Game 5, Nash may have had his worst playoff performance as a Sun.

He made just 4 of his 16 shots, committed three turnovers in the final two minutes and finished with more turnovers (5) than assists (3). You can now argue that he's the fourth-best point guard in the Western Conference, behind Parker, New Orleans' Chris Paul and Utah's Deron Williams.

"If they can trade me for Chris Paul tomorrow, go for it," Nash said. "But I think we have good players and we have a good group. We just need to tweak and work and make the necessary steps to be more of a team like they (the Spurs) are."

Then there's the question of O'Neal's motivation. He thought he could win his fifth ring in Phoenix. How will his body and attitude hold up over 82 games if he knows a championship isn't within his reach?

And if he does get a sniff of a title, will his free-throw shooting betray the Suns again? O'Neal was 9-for-20 from the line Tuesday. Hack-A-Shaq may be an abomination to watch, but it works.

Complicating matters is the fact that Phoenix can't make any major personnel moves - unless it tries to trade Leandro Barbosa - because it's handcuffed by the salary cap.

But it's not just the Suns' advancing years or swollen payroll that threaten to bring the franchise down.

The Western Conference is no place for a team on the decline. The Suns finished sixth this year; it's not a stretch to envision them fighting for a playoff spot next season.

Here's guessing Phoenix is about to regret its decision to sell or trade so many draft picks the last few years. An influx of young talent is exactly what they need right now.

As the Suns' locker room door finally opened Tuesday and the media poured in, the same sentiment was expressed by every player.

The Spurs didn't win the series because of their talent. They won because they did the little things right.

"A lot of this game is in the details," Kerr said. "Our execution down the stretch in Game 1 and Game 5 was really bad. If we execute those plays, we're up 3-2 going home."

But they're not, and now the bodies will pile up. D'Antoni probably will be the first to go. He won't be the last.

Change is coming.

And that object in the rear-view mirror that's getting smaller and smaller?

It's a championship.