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Were they showing the Mavs/Rockets score during the game in San Antonio? I was at Mavs/Rockets tonight and they were scrolling every score but the NO/SA game. The is that about?
Southwest champs
Jeff McDonald
The ball left Michael Finley's hand undisputedly in the nick of time and spun in what seemed like super-slow motion toward the basket.
Finley didn't know how important the shot was when it left his fingertips. He didn't know after it swished in unison with the regulation horn, forcing overtime. He didn't know as the Spurs walked off the AT&T Center floor, moments after crushing New Orleans in the extra frame to take a 105-98 victory Wednesday night.
He didn't know until he sat down in the locker room after the game and overheard his teammates talking about how they had just sewed up the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
It was then that the truth, finally, dawned on Finley.
“That shot may have been a little bit bigger than I thought it was,” Finley said.
Had Finley's 3-point jumper, which tied the game at 90, been an inch left or right or long or short, the Spurs would have ended the night as the fifth seed, forced to hit the road in the first round.
Instead, the Spurs will be staying home sweet home.
The breath-stealing victory over New Orleans, combined with Dallas' nearly simultaneous comeback victory over Houston, gave the Spurs (54-28) their first Southwest Division championship since 2005-06. They will open the playoffs against the sixth-seeded Mavericks this weekend at the AT&T Center.
Had the Rockets held on in Dallas, the Spurs could have finished no better than fourth even with a victory and would have had to wait out a late Denver-Portland final to see if they had fallen to fifth.
As an organization, the Spurs aren't that big on divisional championships. Wednesday's victory, born partly through a miracle and partly through resilience, left players in a reflective mood.
“It was a tough season,” said Tony Parker, who led the Spurs with 29 points. “There were a lot of ups and downs. At the end of the day, we got the third seed, and that's what we wanted.”
Casting aside questions about his sore knees, Tim Duncan turned in a vintage game for the Spurs. He had 20 points, 19 rebounds and six assists, and imposed his will on overtime.
“That was the old Timmy,” Parker said.
Down to the wire, the regular-season finale had a playoff feel, a cross between Game 1 of last year's Phoenix series — with its late 3-point heroics — and Game 7 of last year's conference semifinal bruiser against these Hornets.
David West (34 points) and Chris Paul (26 points and 14 assists) had their way with the Spurs, and New Orleans led by four with 20.1 seconds to go.
“We had the game won,” said West, whose team dropped to 49-33 and into the seventh playoff spot.
Then Parker threw in a pair of free throws, James Posey made one of two free throws for New Orleans, and the Spurs, down three, had an opening — albeit a narrow one.
Enter Finley, who finished with 17 points after going scoreless against Golden State two nights earlier. He was the second option on the game's critical play, which was initially meant for Roger Mason Jr.
For the second time in three games, Finley made a buzzer-beater. This one, however, actually beat the buzzer.
Unlike Sunday in Sacramento, officials were allowed to review this one via replay, to determine if Finley released the shot in time. Was Finley sweating the film session?
“I haven't had to sweat a review — at all,” Finley said.
Everything came together perfectly for the Spurs on regulation's final play. Finley got the ball to Mason in the corner, then faded behind Duncan's screen.
He caught the ball on the opposite arc, coiled, then unleashed a slow-motion jumper, with more than even he realized hanging in the balance.
“Everything lined up for us,” Finley said.
In San Antonio. And in Dallas.
Were they showing the Mavs/Rockets score during the game in San Antonio? I was at Mavs/Rockets tonight and they were scrolling every score but the NO/SA game. The is that about?
Winning wall.
ROFL at Pop in the winning wall picture.
You can tell he doesn't care about the regular season
You win 4 rings, and the regular season doesn't mean .
BTW, first division championship in 4 years.
Doesn't mean crap anymore due to the rings, but a bit of a thing to smile at before the playoffs start, especially after the season they've had injury wise.
They flashed the score only when Dallas cut into the lead. They showed the first score when Dallas was down by 2 after being down by 14. Then showed it about 4 more times as Dallas increased their lead.
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