|
|
| David West overcame a back injury to play over 46 minutes in the Hornets Game 7 loss to the Spurs, a game in which West scored 20 points and had nine rebounds. |
Our View: West really showed something with his gusty effort tonight, and he helped to limit Tim Duncan on the offensive end with some solid defense.
|
|
|
|
| Chris Paul went 8-for-18 from the field on his way to 18 points, eight rebounds and 14 assists as the Hornets fell to the Spurs 91-82. |
Our View: Paul had a fantastic season and will surely be a top-5 selection in all fantasy leagues next season, a designation that he more than earned with his effort this season.
|
|
|
|
| Tim Duncan had 16 points and 14 rebounds to help the Spurs advance past the Hornets with a 91-82 victory in Game 7. |
Our View: Duncan hit only five of 17 shots on this night as he was clearly far from his best in this series against David West and the Hornets. Still he has averaged 16 boards a game over the last five, and he is the unquestioned leader of the squad.
|
|
|
|
| Manu Ginobili scored 26 points, including four free throws in the final minute, to lead the Spurs to a victory in Game 7 over the Hornets. Ginobili also added five rebounds, five assists and four 3-pointers on the night. |
Our View: Over his last five games in the starting lineup Ginobili has averaged 23.4 points per game, so it appears he agrees with the teams decision to out him in the starting five.
|
|
|
|
| Paul Millsap, who injured his thumb in Game 6 against the Lakers will have to undergo surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, according to the Associated Press. No timetable has been announced for his recovery. |
Our View: Millsap was an eight and five guy during the regular season who slumped a bit in the playoffs from those levels. However, Millsap did slightly improve many of his numbers in his second NB Aseason and will make a nice late round pickup if healthy next season.
|
|
|
|
| Ime Udoka has produced greater numbers over the past couple of games, and don't think that his coach hasn't been aware of that fact, according to My San Antonio. Hes a tough-minded young man, Popovich said. He really has a nice all-around game...For all those reasons, were giving him a few more minutes than previously. |
Our View: Udoka will likely be looking at producing a double digit effort off the bench, and that is what you should look for as well.
|
|
|
|
| Manu Ginobili will remain in the starting lineup for the fifth straight game for the Spurs Game 7 matchup with the Hornets on Monday night, according to My San Antonio. Fabricio Oberto will also start for the second straight game. |
Our View: The Spurs are going to roll with their hottest players right now, and really, does it matter who starts in the first minute of a game anyway?
|
|
|
|
| The LA Times reports that only a handful Lakers were on hand for an informal practice Sunday that involved scrimmaging, shooting and conditioning. Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher were given the day off. Pau Gasol and Sasha Vujacic came in for treatment. "Sasha got banged around a little bit," Jackson said. "Pau's ankle. Kobe's back. Lamar's knee. You just go down the list of things that go on and players have to maintain it. There's just nagging injuries that go on through this time of the year, and you want them to be as healthy as possible."
Vujacic experienced a bit of whiplash in Game 6, taking a charge against Utah's Paul Millsap and banging his head against the court. |
Our View: Kobe and the Lakers will be intently watching tonight's Spurs and Hornets Game 7 while they rehab their bumps and bruises.
|
|
|
|
| The Spurs, who swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in last year's NBA Finals, have captured four world championships (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007) in the last nine years, and Tim Duncan has been a huge part of all four. History is not on San Antonio's side, however. Following a championship, the Spurs have never made it past the Western Conference semifinals in the playoffs. In 2000 they fell in the opening round to Phoenix, and lost in the semis to the Lakers in 2004 and Dallas in 2006.
|
Our View: San Antonio, which is playing in the postseason for the 11th straight year, advanced to the West semis for the eighth straight year. The Spurs knocked out Steve Nash and the sixth-seeded Phoenix Suns in five games in round one. The Spurs have won four of their last seven trips to the West semis. They defeated the Suns, 4-2, last year in this round.
|
|
|
|
| Tyson Chandler has reported had no lingering pain from his turf toe injury, according to the Times Picayune. However, turf toe doesn't magically disappear in a week. |
Our View: Chandler and the team have not commented other than offering evidence of his Game 6 performance concerning the condition of the center toe injury. Chandler joked that having three days off after Thursday's Game 6 loss helped his conditioning because he was able to spend more time with his 2-year-old daughter.
"She may be a little tougher to chase around than Tim Duncan," Chandler said. "She's been a handful out there -- no disrespect to Tim Duncan. He knows he's my guy."
|
|
|
|
| Robert Horry has once again been cast as the NBA's bad guy.
Early in the fourth quarter of the Spurs' season-saving victory in Game 6 Thursday, Horry set a hard back-pick on New Orleans star David West. The unsuspected blow sent West who already was battling back issues to the locker room for good, this according to the Spurs team website.
In his first comments about the incident Saturday, Horry defended his actions, saying he harbored no ill intentions toward West.
It was a regular back-pick, said Horry, a 16-year veteran and the league's all-time leader in postseason games played. I wasn't trying to hurt him. I'm sorry he got hurt, but that's the game of basketball. |
Our View: Suggesting anything was out of the norm for Horry, or the NBA for that matter, concerning the back-pick on West is ridiculous. The NBA obviously agreed with the assessment. Upon review, Stu Jackson the league czar charged with meting out punishment in such instances ruled no penalty was warranted.
|
|
|
|
| Hornets forward David West, who suffered further pain in his bruised and sore back during a block in the back by Robert Horry in Game 6, participated in most of Sunday's practice, notes The Times-Picayune. He said after the practice that his back was "right at 100" percent, with "just about all of the soreness out of there."
"My biggest thing is just to go out and not think about it," West said. "As long as there's no soreness and things like that, I'm not even going to worry about it. I'm just going to go out there and play, try to help this team advance." |
Our View: Has anyone forgot what Horry did to Steve Nash last year in a their big playoff series? Expect Horry, the NBA's version of a hockey enforcer, to be on the backside of West pushing, punching and grinding at his injured back. This is the way Horry plays.
|
|
