Home>News Center>Sports
             
     

    Spurs blow past Suns in 4th to win Game 1
    (Agencies)
    Updated: 2005-05-23 08:59

    A fourth-quarter rally fueled by layups, dunks and 3-pointers is to be expected in a game featuring the Phoenix Suns. Yet it was the San Antonio Spurs who did it Sunday in the opener of the Western Conference finals.

    Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Brent Barry and the Spurs proved that defense might be their best thing, but not their only thing. Beating the league's top offense at their own style, San Antonio used its inside-outside scoring practically to perfection in the fourth quarter to beat Phoenix 121-114.


    Phoenix Suns' Amare Stoudemire, right, blocks a shot by the San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan during the second quarter of the Western Conference finals Sunday, May 22, 2005 at America West Arena in Phoenix. [AP]

    "You got to score points to beat these guys because you are not going to hold them to 82," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.

    Popovich came into this series saying his team's scoring ability was underrated, yet there was no choice in the first matchup since 1975 featuring the league's highest-scoring offense (Phoenix's) against the stingiest defense (San Antonio's).

    The Spurs began making their case by scoring 30 points in the first quarter and 55 by halftime. Then came their amazing closing argument.

    San Antonio hit 16 of 22 shots in the fourth quarter and scored 43 points, its most in any period all season. To really appreciate that total, consider that Phoenix's best quarter all year was 44 — and the Suns scored more points than any team in the last 10 years.

    "That's not the kind of quarter that we would expect in a game like this, but we'll take it," said Duncan, who soaked his aching left ankle in a whirlpool at halftime and scored 11 of his 28 in the fourth.

    Robert Horry set the tone by hitting a 3-pointer just 14 seconds in. With Duncan and Parker working the lane, San Antonio tied it within minutes and went ahead for good on a jumper by Barry that made it 94-92. He hit consecutive 3-pointers to make it 106-98 with 4:08 remaining.

    Playing 1 1/2 days after closing out Dallas in an overtime thriller on the road, the Suns already had turned an 11-point deficit into an 8-point lead in the third quarter. They didn't have another comeback left. The Spurs led by at least six the rest of the way, disappointing the locals who were attending their first conference finals game since 1993.

    "We kind of let fatigue affect us mentally," said Phoenix point guard Steve Nash. "We lost our fight for enough stretches to lose the game."

    Barry scored 13 of his 21 in the fourth quarter. He made 8-of-12 shots, including 5-of-8 on 3-pointers.

    "That's what I'm here to do," he said.

    Parker scored 29 points, Manu Ginobili added 20 points, six rebounds and five assists and Bruce Bowen scored just two, but made up for it by holding Shawn Marion to three points one game after he scored 38.

    Nash finished with 13 assists, many setting up Amare Stoudemire's 41 points. During the season, Stoudemire averaged 38.7 against the Spurs, the most ever by one player.

    With the victory, the Spurs claimed home-court advantage, which could be significant since they're the league's best at home this season. Game 2 is Tuesday night in Phoenix.

    "We're happy to get this one, but we're not overly ecstatic," Duncan said. "We want to get the next one and really hurt them here."

    San Antonio's poise down the stretch is befitting a team that's won two of the last six titles. The only playoff experience for most of the Suns is the 10 games they'd played over the last two rounds.

    "They beat us in all aspects," said Phoenix's Jim Jackson, who scored 20 points. "That's what ex-champions do. They know how to do it. No excuses. They just came in here and flat out beat us."

    The Spurs are 3-1 against Phoenix this season, with their only loss coming in a game that Duncan and Ginobili missed with injuries. San Antonio also improved to 34-2 when scoring at least 100; they're 6-0 this postseason when doing it and 3-2 when they don't.

    The best part is that the Spurs are scoring more while still able to play the tenacious defense that's helped them hold foes to the lowest scoring average each of the last two seasons.

    Phoenix missed 10 straight shots in the first quarter and scored just 20 in the period, matching a postseason low set way back in the second quarter of Game 1 in the first round.

    The Suns were down six at halftime, but rallied to lead by six midway through the third quarter. After San Antonio tied it at 74, Phoenix scored eight in a row for its biggest lead of the game. The Suns seemed ready to crack things open as the spurt included Marion's first basket and Richardson's first 3-pointer.

    It ended up being Marion's only basket and Richardson's only 3-pointer.

    The Suns tried shaking things up by using three big men more than ever, going with seven-footer Steven Hunter on the front line alongside Stoudemire, moving Marion to small forward and going with two guards.

    Hunter had nine points and eight rebounds in 30 minutes, matching his most of the season, but now coach Mike D'Antoni is going to have to find another wrinkle to try getting even this series. The preferred change would be getting back guard Joe Johnson from an eye injury, although it's not likely to happen before Game 3.M

    Notes:@ San Antonio scored 43 points in a playoff quarter once before, against Denver in 1983. ... It wasn't the most ever allowed by Phoenix. The 1985 Lakers scored 45. ... Spurs F Glenn Robinson missed the game because of a death in his family. He also may miss Game 2. ... Ginboli's banked-in buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter was shot from beyond midcourt, between the C and A in the word "America" painted on the floor. ... San Antonio opened a playoff series on the road for just the second time in seven years. The other was the 2002 conference finals, which they lost in five games against the Lakers.



    China beat S.Korea in Asian Baseball Championship
    WBO boxing match in Chicago
    Juventus wins 28th Serie A title
     
      Today's Top News     Top Sports News
     

    Textile makers: Local sales will offset export curbs

     

       
     

    Poultry gets bird flu vaccine in Qinghai

     

       
     

    Hu: Diaglogue needed for difficult ties

     

       
     

    Nationwide war on pollutants expands

     

       
     

    Lucky miner escapes two pit blasts

     

       
     

    Joy as end to Taiwan trip deadlock in sight

     

       
      Beckham may be free to play in U.S
       
      Venus Williams wins 1st tourney in a year
       
      Graf plays exhibition French Open match
       
      Pistons try to figure out how to stop Shaq
       
      Rangers win Scottish Premier League title
       
      Spurs blow past Suns in 4th to win Game 1
       
     
      Go to Another Section  
     
     
      Story Tools  
       
    Advertisement
             
    无码乱码观看精品久久| 欧洲精品无码一区二区三区在线播放| 色婷婷综合久久久久中文字幕| 无码午夜人妻一区二区三区不卡视频| 日韩精品中文字幕无码一区| 无码中文字幕日韩专区| 性无码专区一色吊丝中文字幕| 亚洲免费无码在线| 精品国产毛片一区二区无码| 无码精品视频一区二区三区| 日韩精品无码人成视频手机| 免费人妻无码不卡中文字幕系| 伊人蕉久中文字幕无码专区| 狠狠躁天天躁无码中文字幕| 亚洲AV永久无码区成人网站 | 精品成在人线AV无码免费看 | 免费A级毛片无码A∨免费| 亚洲中文字幕无码永久在线 | 无码人妻一区二区三区在线水卜樱 | 久久久久无码精品国产| 精品无码一区二区三区在线| 最近免费中文字幕高清大全| 六月婷婷中文字幕| 亚洲成a人片在线观看中文动漫| 精品久久久久久中文字幕大豆网| 国产羞羞的视频在线观看 国产一级无码视频在线 | 曰韩无码AV片免费播放不卡| 国产成人无码午夜福利软件| 18禁免费无码无遮挡不卡网站| 狠狠躁天天躁无码中文字幕图| 久久亚洲AV成人无码国产| 亚洲国产精品无码成人片久久| 亚洲精品无码午夜福利中文字幕| 亚洲国产精品无码久久一线 | 国产AV无码专区亚洲AV漫画| 精品国产V无码大片在线看| 国产成人无码一区二区在线观看| 久久亚洲精品无码aⅴ大香 | 欧美日本中文字幕| 亚洲色中文字幕无码AV| 最近免费视频中文字幕大全|