Spurs Tie the Series to 3-3

Yes!! The San Antonio Spurs won 99-80 against New Orleans Hornets. The series is now tied to 3-3 and the Spurs go back to the New Orleans Arena. Game 7 will definitely be one-heck-of-a-game. The Spurs who dominated was Tim Duncan, with 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Manu Ginobili scoring 25 points. Tony Parker was subtle with only 15 points. Ime Udoka and Kurt Thomas helped boost the Spurs' bench. Udoka with 13 points and Thomas with nine boards. The Spurs' 2nd-Half Syndrome was gone. In fact, they outscored the Hornets during the 2nd half. Bravo!.. On the Hornets side, David West came out of the game because of back problems, leaving him with only 10 points and 6 rebounds. Chris Paul had 21 points and eight assists. The second leading scorer for the Hornets was Tyson Chandler adding 14 points and followed by Peja Stojakovic with 13 points one of which was a 3-points.

Of course, the Spurs played better at home but they were just a game away from being eliminated by the Hornets. They can't afford to lose, not on Game 6 and definitely not on Game 7. The last game is a few days away, so, both teams can rest. The Spurs need to take advantage of this time off to close this series with them at the top. The Hornets are tough at home and this is the "real" Game 7 and the only way to the Western Conference Finals where the LA Lakers or probably the Utah Jazz will be waiting. [with fingers crossed] The Spurs will win this series.

The Suns Need a Miracle

The next theme: Win Sunday, and set ourselves up for a miracle. Give ourselves a chance. Why not?" -- Mike D'Antoni, Phoenix Suns coach

I was definitely super happy yesterday because the San Antonio Spurs have taken a 3-0 lead against the Phoenix Suns after winning Game 3, 115-99. The Suns had homecourt advantage and my goodness, they really have a loud crowd!.. But they never took a lead during the game. They played great defense at the paint, but Tony Parker was just all over the place, hitting jumper after jumper. TP was simply flawless during Game 3 and made a career-high 41 points. Manu Ginobili, who was always "heavily-guarded" by Raja Bell, finished with 20 points. He actually scores 20+ points even with Bell hanging around with him. And the birthday boy, Tim Duncan chippped with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Everybody on the Spurs' lineup had their fair share of the victory. Fab Oberto, who came off the bench, had six points and a block. Kurt Thomas, a former Suns, scored nine points. Bruce Bowen did an amazing job of containing Steve Nash. Game 3 was simply a display of the Spurs' excellence, offensively and defensively.

On the gloomy side of the Suns, Amare Stoudemire stood out with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Next to him was Leandro Barbosa finishing Game 3 with 20 points. Nash wasn't his usually sunny self with only seven points and nine assists. The Suns have fallen way behind the Spurs. They're on the brink of elimination and this is definitely not what Suns fans want especially after the Shawn Marion-Shaquille O'neal trade. I honestly think that O'neal isn't doing what he has to be doing. If Marion was still playing for the Suns, the team wouldn't have a huge whole on their defense. And I've read an article where O'neal mentioned that defense wins games. What is he talking about?! It sounded like he lost his confidence to his teammates. My apologies, but Steve Kerr made the wrong choice with regards to O'neal. He was a huge mistake, period. If the Suns win Sunday, they'll need to win two more to even out the series.

Now, all the Suns need is a miracle to happen this Sunday, just like what Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said to his team, "'Win Sunday. Set ourselves up for a miracle.'"

>>The Spurs are beating Phoenix in the way Phoenix used to win. by J.A. Adande

“I don’t know much about baseball. But I know that story,” said Ginobili after thinking about the historic 2004 Boston Red Sox' victory over the New York Yankees.

My Thoughts of the Spurs

Wow, I missed logging on to NBA.com. I just wish it wasn't blocked by the technical department here in our office. Sigh!.. But anyways, I was pissed with how the San Antonio Spurs played against the New Orleans Hornets, Boston Celtics, & Philadelphia 76ers! [with a big exclamation mark] And then, there was the suspension of Bruce Bowen. Argh! Bear with me, okay. I was just annoyed by the fact that the regular season is coming to a close and yet the Spurs are struggling. This is the time where they usually put the pieces of the puzzle and gear up for the playoffs. Am I simply expecting too much from them? I guess I am and I think everybody [Spurs fan] is on the same page as well.

All I think of whenever the Spurs lose is that Pop's rotation didn't work and that's all. But there is no room for error now esp with the tight competition in the Western Conference. I wouldn't be this worried if the Spurs are on the East, you know. Sigh! Don't get too stressed like me, okay. I'm fine. I'll get over this for sure. [maybe I'm just so hooked to basketball] Sigh! Again.

But I'm bringing you some good news, the Spurs have won back-to-back games against the Chicago Bulls and the Sacramento Kings, respectively. Manu Ginobili was back as the 6th man of the Spurs during both games and the game against the Celtics. I am not against this, okay. But I think Ginobili brings a lot of confidence and drive for his team when he goes off the bench. Being on the starting lineup just tires him a lot and the Spur's bench becomes shallow without him. So, I understand this 'strategic' move from Pop.

“I loved it. It gives us our familiarity, our continuity, our personality, our comfort zone. Back the way we were," said Popovich. This is the final starting lineup: Tony Parker, Michael Finley, Tim Duncan, Bruce Bowen, and Fab Oberto. The bench: Manu Ginobili, Ime Udoka, Kurt Thomas, Jacque Vaughn, Robert Horry, Damon Stoudamire, Matt Bonner, Ian Mahinmi, and Brent Barry*. I know many Manu fans [including me] would disagree with this move, but hey Manu isn't complaining that is the sign of his sportsmanship. Let's just support him and root for him to win the 6th Man of the Year award this season.

To make things better for me and for my fellow Spurs fans, watching the Bulls-Spurs game last night made me notice the improvement of Kurt Thomas. He's starting to play the Spurs' way. Honestly, I didn't like him when he was with the Suns. He caused a lot of trouble for the Spurs. But a Spur simply honed his defensive and rebounding skills even more, which makes him an additional threat to opponents. The Spurs' Big Three and a deep bench could help the team survive come playoffs time. And with the upcoming return of Brent Barry, I think the Spurs can start gearing up for the tough battle in the Western Conference. The only concern now is that the Spurs have to win as many games as possible to get a comfortable spot on the playoffs, like having homecourt advantage.

P.S. That is a great idea John!.. =)