Friday, May 9, 2008
HORNETS
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SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- There was no third-quarter breakdown for the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night, just the desperate play of a team whose quest for a second straight NBA title was on the line. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili both scored 31 points to lead the Spurs to a 110-99 victory over the New Orleans Hornets in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals.
NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul was selected to the 2007-08 All-NBA first team on Thursday. Paul is the first Hornet in franchise history to receive the honor. NEW ORLEANS — In grabbing a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals, New Orleans fell behind in each first half — by as many as 11 points in Game 1 and as many as seven in Game 2. They trailed by four at halftime of Game 1 and by one at halftime of Game 2. NEW ORLEANS — Amid all the Chris Paul crossovers, the Tyson Chandler dunks off lobs, the David West mid-range jumpers, and the Peja Stojakovic long-range jumpers, it’s easy to overlook just how good the Hornets defense is. NEW ORLEANS — The San Antonio Spurs got a much better performance from Tim Duncan and did a much better job of controlling David West. It didn’t matter as Chris Paul and Peja Stojakovic led the Hornets to their second straight drubbing of the defending NBA champion Spurs, 102-84. NEW ORLEANS — Hornets point guard Chris Paul wasn’t all that impressed with teammate David West’s 30-point, nine-rebound performance in Game 1 against the Spurs. He’s used to seeing opponents unable to stop his fellow All-Star. NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Hornets guard Morris Peterson has one word to describe the deft shooting touch of forward Peja Stojakovic so far in the NBA playoffs. NEW ORLEANS — Hornets forward David West had a career playoff-high 30 points in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals Saturday. Spurs forward Tim Duncan tied his career playoff low with five points. Therefore, the fact New Orleans prevailed 101-82 shouldn’t be too surprising. NEW ORLEANS — Hornets coach Byron Scott put three ring boxes on the countertop and opened them. His players walked over and inspected the rings — Scott’s NBA championship bling from running with the Showtime Lakers in the 1980s. NEW ORLEANS — The Hornets have two advantages when it comes to stopping Tim Duncan, the San Antonio Spurs’ two-time NBA MVP. NEW ORLEANS — The San Antonio Spurs couldn’t find a fire extinguisher when they needed it. They needed one in the third quarter when the Hornets scored 29 points to take control of Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series Saturday night in the New Orleans Arena. NEW ORLEANS — If anybody can slow down Hornets point guard Chris Paul, it’s probably the San Antonio Spurs. But whether that can be done remains to be seen. |
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