Yahoo! Sports

Spurs' repeat hopes in danger (AP)

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:18:10 PDT

Just as Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs appeared to be hitting their stride and gaining momentum for a berth in the Western Conference finals, they are down again, their march toward consecutive NBA titles very much in doubt. The defending champions face elimination at the hands of the upstart New Orleans Hornets, who have a 3-2 lead in the conference semifinals, when they play Game 6 on...

Driven West, Hornets show staying power (Yahoo! Sports)

Wed, 14 May 2008 02:52:00 PDT

David West has followed David Robinson's footsteps to the brink of the Western Conference finals.

Spurs Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Wed, 14 May 2008 01:06:58 PDT

Asked Monday to compare Gregg Popovich with Phil Jackson, Robert Horry said, "Phil wouldn't yell at his top dogs. Pop will yell at the top dogs, just like he yells at the bottom dogs."

With 2:19 to go in what wasn't a totally lost cause Tuesday night, Popovich sent his stars a loud message without saying a word.

Popovich yanked Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili from Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals with his team down just 12 points, clearly disgusted in their effort and the performance of the Spurs in general.

We'll see how the defending champs respond when they face elimination at home Thursday night in Game 6.

The Spurs haven't played an elimination game since they faced Dallas in the 2006 playoffs.

Popovich backs Stern's anti-pyrotechnics view (AP)

Tue, 13 May 2008 22:57:23 PDT

A day after NBA commissioner David Stern said teams had gotten carried away with pyrotechnic displays of shooting flames, booming firecrackers and sparklers during home-team introductions, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich offered an even more critical take. "When you get that powder and all that stuff on you, people, I think, that have lung problems are really endangering themselves,"...

West lifts Hornets to 3-2 lead (AP)

Tue, 13 May 2008 22:37:47 PDT

Back pain couldn't keep David West from taking the court with aggression. The San Antonio Spurs couldn't stop him from dominating. "Back in the locker room, right before we break huddle and come out to the game, we said, 'No excuses,"' West recalled. "Regardless of how I was feeling, I just knew how important this game was for us as a basketball team.

Pistons' brightest star might be their GM (Yahoo! Sports)

Tue, 13 May 2008 22:37:00 PDT

Joe Dumars cobbled together a motley crew to get the Pistons to their sixth straight Eastern Conference finals.

Horry sets playoff appearance record (AP)

Tue, 13 May 2008 19:50:25 PDT

Spurs forward Robert Horry set an NBA record by appearing in his 238th playoff game during Game 5 of San Antonio's series against New Orleans on Tuesday night. Coming into the playoffs, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the previous record for playoff appearances with 237. Horry, in his 16th season, has been in the playoffs in all of them, winning two championships with the Houston Rockets and San Antonio...

Hornets look to regroup at home (AP)

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:12:54 PDT

Tyson Chandler had a rare game without a basket, Peja Stojakovic didn't hit one 3-pointer and David West had an awful shooting night while turning the ball over three times. The Hornets looked tense, stressed and sometimes lost on offense in their 100-80 Game 4 loss at San Antonio. Yet New Orleans coach Byron Scott had other concerns heading into Tuesday night's fifth game of this deadlocked...

Bryant, Garnett lead All-Defensive Team (AP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:58:42 PDT

League MVP Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett were selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team on Monday, along with Marcus Camby, Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan. Garnett, who helped the Boston Celtics to the league's best record, was chosen for the ninth time. The forward was chosen Defensive Player of the Year last month.

Duncan, Bowen named to All-Defensive Team (PA SportsTicker)

Mon, 12 May 2008 11:36:38 PDT

San Antonio Spurs teammates Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen on Monday were named to the NBA All-Defensive first team.

Hornets thought they would have an easy time with Spurs (Yahoo! Sports)

Mon, 12 May 2008 04:10:39 PDT

Easy. That was the word David West couldn't even bring himself to say. It was the word that never should have been...

Hornets now facing pressure game (Yahoo! Sports)

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:41:00 PDT

The Spurs have sent the Hornets back to New Orleans with reason to wonder whether home-court advantage will be enough.

Duncan scores 22, Spurs win to even series (AP)

Sun, 11 May 2008 22:02:35 PDT

Warming up before Game 4, Tim Duncan decided to have a little fun. He threw the ball behind his back and between his legs, then went up for the lay-in. Yep, it was going to be that easy. Duncan had his best game of the series against New Orleans -- 22 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks -- to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 100-80 victory over the Hornets on Sunday.

Big Apple could take big bite out of D'Antoni (Yahoo! Sports)

Sun, 11 May 2008 03:20:00 PDT

Eight years after he unsuccessfully tried to hire Mike D'Antoni in Indiana, Donnie Walsh got his man. The Knicks president may soon regret he did.

Finals Countdown: Boozer breaks out as Jazz beat Lakers (SportingNews.com)

Fri, 09 May 2008 22:06:20 PDT

A dominating performance from Carlos Boozer helps the Jazz hold off a second-half surge from Kobe Bryant's Lakers in Game 3.

Ask Sam Smith: Hornets-Spurs could indicate of shift in power in West (SportingNews.com)

Fri, 09 May 2008 11:06:27 PDT

Veteran NBA writer Sam Smith, a frequent contributor to SportingNews.com, answers e-mails about the playoffs,...

Finals Countdown: San Antonio's Game 3 victory is vintage Spurs (SportingNews.com)

Fri, 09 May 2008 08:36:09 PDT

Even though Chris Paul and the Hornets refused to be rattled, San Antonio managed to beat New Orleans thanks to huge games from Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

The Internets are alive: Cavaliers at Celtics, Game 2 (Yahoo! Sports)

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:00:27 PDT

Scanning the blogs and beats following the Celtics' 89-73 win over the Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Eastern...

Behind the box score, where the old guard holds serve (Yahoo! Sports)

Fri, 09 May 2008 06:00:27 PDT

Boston 89, Cleveland 73 I'd rather not get too far into this, it's going to depress me and you to no end (...

Spurs hope Parker can hold own against Paul (Yahoo! Sports)

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:55:00 PDT

Tony Parker is both friend and rival to Chris Paul. Is it too much for the Spurs to ask him to be his equal?

Finals Countdown: San Anotnio's Game 3 victory is vintage Spurs (SportingNews.com)

Fri, 09 May 2008 04:26:04 PDT

Even though Chris Paul and the Hornets refused to be rattled, San Antonio managed to beat New Orleans thanks to huge games from Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

LeBron's déjà vu (Yahoo! Sports)

Fri, 09 May 2008 01:24:00 PDT

The Celtics are punishing LeBron James just like the Spurs did last season.

Parker, Ginobili both score 31 in Spurs' Game 3 win (AP)

Thu, 08 May 2008 22:46:06 PDT

The San Antonio Spurs' Big Three congregated around the scorer's table during a timeout in the fourth quarter, not long before they put the game away for good. Tim Duncan patted Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. They all laughed. The NBA's defending champions were not going into an 0-3 hole against the New Orleans Hornets.

The Internets are alive: Jazz at Lakers, Game 2 (Yahoo! Sports)

Thu, 08 May 2008 08:20:00 PDT

Scanning the blogs and beats following the Lakers' 120-110 win over the Jazz in Game 2 of the Western...

Defense never rests for Posey and the Celtics (Yahoo! Sports)

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:30:00 PDT

By locking down LeBron James, the Celtics validated their season-long standing as the league's best defensive team.

Spurs looking old against upstart Hornets (PA SportsTicker)

Tue, 06 May 2008 11:00:12 PDT

The defending champion San Antonio Spurs have looked a step slow after two games in the Big Easy.

Paul leads Hornets to another easy win over Spurs in Game 2 (AP)

Mon, 05 May 2008 22:36:19 PDT

Chris Paul's surgical drive past the San Antonio defense ended with a high, razzle-dazzle dribble and a soft, floating shot off the glass as a packed crowd broke into a thunderous frenzy. "These are some of the best moments, I think, of my life that we're experiencing right now," Paul said. "We're just riding a wave right now." It's a wave that wiped out the Dallas Mavericks and is now crashing...

Finals Countdown: Chris Paul unstoppable for Hornets (SportingNews.com)

Mon, 05 May 2008 22:16:45 PDT

Another dazzling performance by Chris Paul and the Hornets have the defending champion Spurs in trouble, while the Pistons get a fortunate break to go up 2-0 on the Magic

The Week That Will Be: One LeBron equals more than one of the Big Three (SportingNews.com)

Mon, 05 May 2008 10:46:52 PDT

The pressure is on several players as the second round of the NBA playoffs kicks into high gear. Not so for LeBron James, who could wreak havoc in the role of underdog.

Bryant's heroics serve as MVP victory speech (Yahoo! Sports)

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:13:00 PDT

There's a reason Kobe Bryant is called "Kobe-Wan Kenobi." And there's a reason why he's this season's MVP.