Spurs Kick Hornets and Advance to West Finals

San Antonio 91, New Orleans 82

; a- g0 f5 ?5 W8 m' R. h$ kNEW ORLEANS, May 19 (AP) -- A title defense endures for the playoff-savvy San Antonio Spurs.

1 C: t& x) }& iManu Ginobili scored 26 points, hitting four free throws in the final minute, sending the Spurs to the Western Conference finals with a 91-82 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Monday night in Game 7 of their second-round series.
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Tony Parker added 17 points, including a crucial jumper in the final minute, as the Spurs held off a late rally to become the first team in this series to win on the road.
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3 o" R9 e: y& p% {4 @# N- S8 y"We really believed we had a chance to win on the road here,'' said Spurs forward Tim Duncan, who had 16 points and 14 rebounds. "It's just a lot of confidence. A lot of games under our belt.''

With a nucleus of Chris Paul, David West and Tyson Chandler, the Hornets appear destined for greater things, but now is not their time.

"One thing I want them to remember when they start working out next season is how they feel right now,'' said Hornets coach Byron Scott, adding he was proud of his team, which did not make the playoffs last season, for pushing the Spurs as far as it did.

"You have to go through some things before you can really understand how good it's going to feel when you get to that next level,'' Scott continued. "You don't go from not making playoffs to winning a championship. It just doesn't work that way. ... We're headed in right direction.''
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Now the Spurs and their championship ring-laden trio of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker will be traveling to Los Angeles to face the Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday night.

  n+ @! V1 s- o, }. Q% b* F. h( iWest led the Hornets with 20 points, while Paul and Jannero Pargo each added 18. Chandler had 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Hornets, who cut a deficit as large as 17 down to three inside the final two minutes.

While the Hornets managed to hold Duncan under 20 points by crowding the inside, his Spurs teammates combined for 12 3-pointers to keep alive their chance to win back-to-back titles for the first time.
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6 \) z: |& ~& M( L! P; ~! x"We knew the shots were going to be there. It happened today that we just made more,'' said Ginobili, who made four 3-pointers. "We just let it fly.''
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The win also gave Spurs coach Gregg Popovich 100 playoff victories, moving him into a tie with Larry Brown for third on the career list.

8 `# W. \$ n4 |$ F  AThe Hornets had dominated the third quarters of their three previous home games in this series. This time, the Spurs, who have won four titles in the previous nine seasons, had an answer. It was their calling card: stingy defense.
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The Hornets, down by nine to open the period, could not manage consecutive baskets throughout the quarter, never getting closer than seven.

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唉···可怜的小保罗

你怎么不翻译下。~

引用第1楼lance5611于2008-05-20 14:15发表的  :
你怎么不翻译下。~

放心啦。。大家都看的懂的