By Chris Rosenbluth

May 28, 2007: SCOREBOARD | IN FOCUS GALLERY | AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE

PHOTO OF THE NIGHT
Jerry Sloan was called for two technical fouls in the fourth quarter as he and his team came unglued in a Game 4 loss to the Spurs. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
"I'm starting to think that May isn't my month. It's tough. I have to fight through it. I can't blame anybody, blame anything."

--Cleveland's Larry Hughes, who, after struggling through a shooting slump all month, suffered a tear to the plantar fascia in his left foot. He is listed as doubtful for Tuesday's Game 4.
THE DAY'S TOP VIDEO
Monday's top play: Carlos Boozer gets above the rim to block Tim Duncan.
  • Haier Play of the Day
  • Dunk of the Night
  • Block of the Night
    		•
  • BlackBerry Assist of the Night
  • Steal of the Night
  • NBA TV Top 10
    • NBA.COM'S FANTASY TAKE
    I'm going out on a limb here, but I really think putting Daniel Gibson into your Drive to the Finals lineup is the way to go Tuesday. With Larry Hughes on the shelf, expect Gibson to pick up the majority of his minutes. Gibson shoots the rock well and has shown he can handle himself in 16 starts this season. Call me crazy, but I like the rookie. Disagree? Maybe the experts are speaking your language.
    SHOOTING STUDS
    Manu Ginobili, Spurs
    91-79 win at Jazz
    22 pts, 2-4 3-pt FG, 12-15 FT

    Deron Williams, Jazz
    91-79 loss vs. Spurs
    27 pts, 11-21 FG, 5-7 FT

    Carlos Boozer, Jazz
    91-79 loss vs. Spurs
    18 pts, 9-16 FG

    STAT SHEET STUFFER
    Sure, Tim Duncan had a great Game 4, but we've come to expect such nights from the future Hall of Famer. However, when Fabricio Oberto goes for 11 points and 11 rebounds against a team with a big-time front line that plays dominant ball at home, it tends to jump off the box score just a little more. Throw in the fact that the second-year center from Argentina pulled down six of his boards on the offensive end, and the stat line becomes all the more impressive.
    SHOOTING DUDS
    Mehmet Okur, Jazz
    91-79 loss vs. Spurs
    3-7 FG, 1-2 3-pt FG, 7 pts

    Andrei Kirienko, Jazz
    91-79 loss vs. Spurs
    3-7 FG, 0-1 3-pt FG, 9 pts

    Bruce Bowen, Spurs
    91-79 win at Jazz
    3-7 FG, 1-4 3-pt FG, 7 pts

    THE ONE THE SPURS TOOK AWAY
    If the Spurs go on to win the Western Conference Finals, they may look back on Monday's Game 4 as the turning point of the series. After San Antonio watched its 11-point third-quarter lead dwindle to a single point by period's end, Manu Ginobili came on strong and the Jazz came undone down the stretch. In front of a raucous Utah crowd, Ginobili scored 16 of his 22 points in the fourth as the Spurs quieted EnergySolutions Arena and pulled away for a 91-79 victory and a 3-1 series advantage. "I'm very proud of what we did in the fourth quarter because it was looking ugly for us," Ginobili said. "We stepped up and did a really good job." San Antonio did particularly well from the free throw line, making 19-of-25 fourth-quarter attempts and 30-of-41 for the game.
    COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE
    His team didn't win, and he managed only four points in the decisive final period, but Deron Williams cemented his status among the NBA's elite guards with an inspired performance on Monday. After a 31-point, eight-assist effort in Saturday's Game 3 victory, Williams missed practice on Sunday with an undiagnosed stomach bug. He then skipped the morning shootaround, and his status for Game 4 was uncertain until just before tip-off. He decided to give it a go and scored 18 points in the first half, single-handedly keeping the Jazz in the game and positioning them for their third-quarter run. Williams finished wtih 27 points and 10 assists, somewhat justifying the pregame buzz that he could match Michael Jordan's under-the-weather effort in Utah in the 1997 Finals.