PHOENIX, Arizona, June 1 - San Antonio Spurs eliminated the top seeded Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, advancing to the National Basketball Association finals for the second time in three years.
Tim Duncan had 31 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Spurs to a 101-95 win as San Antonio clinched the NBA semi-final series in five games.
We just stuck with it and we were able to push them back,'' said Duncan. We made it happen. It was an all around great effort from our guys.’’
The Suns averted a sweep by winning game four but they were unable to become the first team to win a series after losing the first three.
San Antonio will host game one of the 2005 finals which begin on June 9. The Spurs won the NBA title in 1999 and 2003.
Backstopping Wednesday’s effort was Duncan, who continues to assert himself as one of the best players in the world.
He was in the middle of a pivotal defensive stand at the outset of the second half and scored the biggest basket of the game down the stretch.
We didn't find an answer for him,'' said league MVP Steve Nash of the Suns. He makes all those people better.’’
As they did all series, the Spurs had their hands full with Amare Stoudemire, who scored 42 points. But they made stops when they had to, which was more than the Suns could say.
After whittling a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to 93-90, the Suns had the Spurs inbounding with three seconds on the shot clock.
Duncan took a lob pass in the lane and drove, tipping in his miss for a five-point lead with 2:14 to go.
Robert Horry made a steal and Stoudemire missed a scoop shot rebounded by Duncan, who worked a give-and-go with a wide-open Tony Parker for a layup and a 97-90 bulge with 50 seconds remaining.
Led by Nash, the run-and-gun Suns topped the NBA in scoring this season. However, they were last in defence, the staple of the Spurs.
We can't be too depressed,'' Nash said. We just didn’t play as well as them in the second half.’’
Phoenix was held below 106 points just twice in the postseason, both times by San Antonio.
San Antonio trailed 50-49 at halftime but forced Phoenix into two-of-15 shooting and five turnovers over the first 7 1/2 minutes of the third quarter, opening a 69-56 lead.
``It was hard with all the bodies in the paint. We had to shoot more threes,’’ said Manu Ginobili.
Ginobili had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Parker scored 18 points for the Spurs, who will have seven days off as they await the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between Miami and Detroit.
Here come the Spurs…