By Michael Levine

May 2, 2007: SCOREBOARD | IN FOCUS PHOTO GALLERY | AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE

PHOTO OF THE NIGHT
Kobe Bryant shot 13-of-33 for 34 points in his 2006-07 finale, a Lakers loss in Phoenix. Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
"It's extremely exciting. I was wondering how it would feel, because I was anticipating it so much. But once that official word comes out, I mean, it's a great feeling.''

-- Portland's Brandon Roy in a interview with Blazers.com on the official announcement that he is the 2006-07 Rookie of the Year.
THE DAY'S TOP VIDEO
Wednesday's top play: Steve Nash finds Shawn Marion for an alley-oop jam.
  • Haier Play of the Day
  • Dunk of the Night
  • Block of the Night
    		•
  • Assist of the Night
  • Steal of the Night
  • NBA TV Top 10
    • NBA.COM'S FANTASY TAKE
    Chances are you used Carlos Boozer in your Drive to the Finals lineup when the Jazz were down 2-0, and Dirk Nowitzki is not eligible if you picked him with Dallas down 3-1. Thursday could be your last chance to take advantage of Josh Howard (21.6 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 3.0 apg so far) because his Mavs came up empty in their first two games in Oakland. Check with the expert.
    SHOOTING STUDS
    Michael Finley, Spurs
    93-78 win vs. Nuggets
    26 pts, 9-14 FG, 8-9 3-pt FG

    Lamar Odom, Lakers
    119-110 loss at Suns
    33 pts, 13-21 FG, 6-9 FT

    STAT SHEET STUFFER
    Shawn Marion was fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, but was somehow left off both All-Defensive teams. He made that slight look downright silly Wednesday, posting three steals and two blocks along with 26 points and 10 boards as Phoenix beat the Lakers, 119-110.
    SHOOTING DUDS
    Manu Ginobili, Spurs
    93-78 win vs. Nuggets
    1-8 FG, 0-3 3-pt FG, 4 pts

    Marcus Camby, Nuggets
    93-78 loss at Spurs
    2-10 FG, 4 pts

    DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN
    In this age of instant gratification and five-second attention spans, it's hard to make the connection to two weeks ago, let alone two years. But Wednesday night reminded some astute observers of the 2005 first-round matchup between the Nuggets and Spurs. Denver took Game 1 in that series, as it did on April 22 of this year, only to see San Antonio roll off four straight wins to move on. The Spurs duplicated the feat behind 23 points, 12 rebounds and five assists from the ever-solid Tim Duncan, tying him with Shaquille O'Neal for the most 20-10-5 playoff games among active players (22). Michael Finley added a team playoff-record eight 3-pointers in a series-clinching 93-78 Game 5 win.
    NO DRAMA THIS TIME AROUND
    When the Suns and Lakers squared off in last year's first round, Phoenix overcame a 3-1 series hole to advance to the conference semifinals. Amare Stoudemire and Co. didn't want to see L.A. pull a reversal of fortune one year later, and made sure it didn't happen on Wednesday. STAT went scoreless in the Suns' 32-point first quarter, but finished with 27 points and 16 rebounds as Phoenix improved to 4-0 in the series when scoring 30-plus in the first 12 minutes and punched its ticket for a second-round date with San Antonio with a 119-110 win. Stoudemire hit 15 free throws as the Suns had a 31-20 advantage from the stripe, and Steve Nash and Shawn Marion also tallied double-doubles.