Friday, June 01, 2007 Sayson: Spurs win! Spurs win!!! By Homer Sayson Second Overtime
CHICAGO - For any NBA team, being one game away from postseason elimination against the San Antonio Spurs is the closest thing to a death sentence.
Since Tim Duncan arrived in San Antonio as a gifted rookie in the 1997-98 season, the Spurs have played 26 games where a playoffs series is at stake. They’ve won 20 of those close-out games, a stupefying 76.9 percent batting average given the parity of NBA competition.
Last night, at the AT&T Center in Texas, the Utah Jazz became victim No.21, dying peacefully, 109-84, in Game 5 of this year’s Western Conference Finals.
With their eyes set on a third NBA Finals berth in five years, the Spurs went quickly for the jugular. After sprinting to a 12-4 lead to open Game 5, they uncorked a 14-0 blast that built a 34-15 advantage after just one quarter of play. It was boxing’s equivalent of a first-round TKO.
Showing the fire and moxie that have distinguished them in these playoffs, Utah soldiered on, like never-say-die Marines. And though their best player, Deron Williams, limped with a sprained ankle, the Jazz came to within 50-34 with 4:01 to go in the second quarter.
But the Spurs wouldn’t let the bleeding stop, answering back with timely shots and stops every time the Jazz exhibited signs of life. Utah’s deficit eventually ballooned to 29 points at the 9:03 mark of the fourth quarter. And that’s when hope finally left the building.
Utah coach Jerry Sloan had this to say: “They came at us really hard, and we lost faith at anything we wanted to do. They destroyed our will to want to play.”
The Spurs were ruthlessly unkind. Their defense held Utah to just 26 of 68 from the field, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range.
They also held the Jazz to a mere 13 assists and forced 12 turnovers.
And the Spurs offense was beautiful to watch. Fluid and endless as the drops of water that drips on the edge of Niagara Falls.
Led by Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, who had 21 points apiece, the Spurs sank 39 of 76 shots, 7 of 15 treys. They grabbed 43 rebounds, dished 22 assists, and had a manageable seven turnovers.
With a 58-24 regular season record, the Spurs own homecourt advantage in the 2007 NBA Finals, which opens with Games 1 and 2 this June 7 and 9 at the AT&T Center.
Games 3, 4 and 5 will be at either The Palace in Detroit or the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. If necessary, Games 6 and 7 will head back to San Antonio.
With seven off days, will the Spurs benefit from the rest? Or will they succumb to rust?
Let me think, hmmm. Rust my foot.
Even if they don’t play until the next elections, the Spurs will still beat whoever comes out in the East.
TAKE A HIKE. “I will walk to Chicago from Utah. Barefoot and naked,” I said so in a previous column had Utah beaten San Antonio in their West Finals series.
It was, of course, a joke. Which I’ve done before, when I dared to eat the telephone in 2003, and threatened to eat this newspaper in 2005. Unfortunately, two readers took my remarks seriously.
“You come across as an idiot by making such statements, why would you ruin an otherwise easily ignorable submission to the paper with drivel like that,” said Simcha Rechintz(simcha11418@yahoo.com).
My column is “easily ignorable,” said Simcha. But he took the time to e-mail me, and torture me with his nonsense gibberish and fractured grammar. Bakit kaya?
Dennis Medilo (dlm3@yahoo.com) wasn’t quite sure if I was joking, but he lectured me about the distance between Chicago and Utah, that it’s summer here, hot and sticky, blah, blah, blah.
Dennis also offered me this advice: “It’s better you avoid making promises like those, Mr. Sayson. You sound like a politician. And you know politicians, they make promises they can’t keep.”
Oh, Dennis. You’ve emailed me thrice before, and to be honest, I grown to like your letters. You seem to have a good head over your shoulders. But you disappoint.
I think you’ll be good at anything, Dennis. Except a guidance counselor. Go shopping, my dear Dennis. And buy a sense of humor.
