Hornets-Spurs Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Oct 27 2009 12:53AM

With Tim Duncan's career quickly approaching the finish line, the San Antonio Spurs may have acquired the right pieces for another championship run with their star center.

Coming off their longest summer break since 2000, the Spurs open their season Wednesday night, when they host a New Orleans Hornets team that's also looking to bounce back from a first-round playoff exit.

Duncan, a four-time NBA champion, begins his 13th season following a disappointing 2008-09, when San Antonio was eliminated by Dallas in five games. Duncan, slowed by tendonosis in his right quad toward the end of the season, averaged 19.8 points and 8.0 rebounds in that series as the Spurs failed to reach the Western Conference semifinals for the first time since 1999-2000.

"It's very logical, it's very real. I've got a couple years left on my career, and hopefully I can end it strong,'' Duncan, 33, said during training camp. "I know the window for me is closing."

In a somewhat surprising move, the Spurs acquired forward Richard Jefferson from Milwaukee in June for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto.

Jefferson has $29.2 million left on the final two years of his deal.

"The face of the league has changed significantly over the last two years,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We've hung in there as long as we can, and this year we're going to have to spend money like some other people."

San Antonio also signed veterans Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff in the offseason to bolster its frontcourt.

With teams possibly fearful of his two reconstructive knee surgeries, Pittsburgh forward DeJuan Blair fell to No. 37 in this summer's draft, where the Spurs gladly selected the All-American forward that led the nation in offensive rebounds last season with 5.6.

"It's no secret there are medical issues. Obviously that was a deal that didn't work in DeJuan's favor," Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said. "But we're the fortunate recipients of that."

San Antonio is hoping Manu Ginobili's injury woes are in the past, after injured ankles forced him to miss 38 games and the playoffs in 2008-09.

Ginobili enters the final year of his contract.

His backcourt mate, Tony Parker, injured his right ankle over the summer while playing for the French national team, but the three-time All-Star is healthy after posting career highs with 22.0 points and 6.9 assists last season.

While Hornets point guard Chris Paul looks to follow up what was arguably his best season - he averaged a career-best 22.8 points with league highs in assists (11.0) and steals (2.8) - he knows New Orleans is not among the favorites to come out of the West after its first-round playoff exit to Denver in the spring.

"It's nice to fly under the radar," Paul said. "A couple years ago, when we had a successful season (a franchise-record 56 wins), we flew under the radar, so I'm excited about that again this year."

Paul, who finished fifth in last season's MVP voting, won't have Tyson Chandler to pass to this season after the Hornets traded the center to Charlotte for Emeka Okafor.

"What we've done is we've changed things - intentionally - because sometimes we have to break out of what's comfortable in order to grow,'' Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said. "Adding Emeka to our team forces us all to make changes and forces us all to take steps to move further.''

Okafor, who averaged 13.2 points and was fifth in the NBA with 10.1 rebounds in 2008-09, has never played in a postseason game, but with Paul running the Hornets' attack, Okafor begins his sixth season with a renewed sense of optimism.

"(Paul is) one of the premier point guards in the league, and having a good experienced point guard makes all the difference in the world,'' he said. "So I'm very interested to see how that dynamic works."

Hornets coach Byron Scott, beginning the final year of his contract, is looking for increased production from third-year forward Julian Wright, who will likely move into the starting lineup in place of Peja Stojakovic, whose chronic back problems limited him to 61 games last season.

"(Julian) has to be ready to take the next step," Scott said. "The opportunity is going to be given to him now. If he doesn't take it, it's all on him."

All-Star forward David West scored a career-best 21.0 points per game with 8.5 rebounds in 2008-09. He averaged 23.5 points and 10.5 boards as the Hornets and Spurs split four games last season.

New Orleans has lost three straight and nine of 10 in San Antonio.

Copyright 2009 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Spurs ramp up on defense to knock off Hornets

By Tim Price, for NBA.com
Posted Thursday October 29, 2009 12:27AM

SAN ANTONIO (NBA.com exclusive) -- There's Richard Jefferson. Add Antonio McDyess. Throw in Theo Ratliff. Bring in Keith Bogans. And draft DeJuan Blair.

A bunch of new names have been added to the San Antonio Spurs. But it looks like this team isn't that much different after all. The Spurs still play defense.

The Spurs held the New Orleans Hornets without a field goal for a 9 1/2-minute stretch during the first and second quarter Wednesday on their way to a 113-96 victory over the Hornets in the season opener for both teams at the AT&T Center.

"It was a pretty good start to the season, obviously," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I think our focus got better and we made some shots. Our defense in the first half was good. It was very good."

New Orleans had a 12-6 lead six minutes into the game. But the lead turned into a 16-point deficit when New Orleans missed their next 16 shots from the floor.

The Spurs didn't exactly do it all. New Orleans managed to hit 50 percent shooting for the game after being held to 16-of-42 in the first half, which the Spurs nullified with by shooting 52 percent for the game.

And they couldn't keep Hornets point guard Chris Paul from the bucket. He scored 26 points, including a 5-for-5 showing from the floor while the rest of his team went 2-for-4 during a four-minute stretch in the first half when the Hornets were trying to get back into it.

But Paul was kept below his league-leading season average of 11 assists per game from last season. He had nine, and was limited to the same amount -- six -- as Spurs point guard Tony Parker before Parker left the game with 2:20 remaining in the third quarter when he got the breath knocked out of him on a drive to the basket.

"We did a great job starting off the game as we got into our sets really well and everyone seemed to know the offense and things like that," Paul said. "But (the Spurs) came in and looked like they've been playing with each other for years."

The score-first-limit-the-assists philosophy has served the Spurs well in the past. They employed it in a pair of Western Conference playoff series against the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns on the way to winning the NBA Finals in 2005 and '07.

"More or less it was the same idea," said Spurs sixth player Manu Ginobili, who returned from an injury-plagued season to score 16 points. "We didn't want Chris (Paul) to pick us apart and penetrate, finishing one time and finding Peja (Stojakovic) one time or Mo Peterson the other one.

"We just tried to isolate him and make him make shots. We wanted him to make shots but not involve other people."

Besides all the new faces, the questions regarding the level of defense the Spurs will play this season could be generated from some of the players they lost.

Most noticeably there's the retirement of five-time All-NBA defensive first-team selection Bruce Bowen. He was traded to Milwaukee to get Jefferson (who was 1 of 7 for five points in his debut), then not re-signed when available after being waived by the Bucks. Still, he started only 10 games last year compared to the six-straight seasons he started more than 80 games.

Kurt Thomas, also dependable on defense, left town in that trade as well.

But the Spurs' defensive philosophy didn't, and it was something the newcomers knew quite well before showing up.

"That's their main objective when I came here," said McDyess, the free-agent signee from Detroit. "We're going to grind down on defense. That's the identity of this team. That's what I expected when I got here."

Paul didn't have much help. David West, his All-Star teammate, was 2 of 6 in the first half. The Hornets bench, which was 0-for-9 in the first half, finished by being outscored 61-17 by the Spurs' reserves.

That includes Stojakovic, the 32-year-old replaced by Julian Wright at forward. Stojakovic got his night started with an air ball and a 24-second violation with the ball in his hands.

Second-chance points were just as slim for New Orleans. San Antonio outscored the Hornets 16-4 in that category, boosted by Pitt rookie Blair, who slipped to the 37th overall pick in April. He went 7-for-10 from the floor with 14 points coming mostly from his five offensive rebounds (that's as many offensive rebounds as the Hornets had as a team). He led the nation last year in offensive rebounds for the Panthers.

• Hornets: Diogu, Marks, Thornton
• Spurs: Hairston, Haislip, Mahinmi

• Hornets: Paul, Pressey
• Spurs: Jefferson

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #60 David Guthrie, #36 David Jones
• Attendance: 18581
• Duration: 2:22

New Orleans Hornets (16-17)		San Antonio Spurs (21-12)
Start of 1st Quarter
(12:00) Jump Ball Duncan vs Okafor (Wright gains possession)
West Step Back Jump shot: Made (2 PTS)	11:42 [NOH 2-0]
	11:20	Jefferson Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:West (1 ST)
West Jump Shot: Missed	11:10
	11:08	Duncan Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	10:54	Jefferson 3pt Shot: Missed
	10:52	Duncan Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	10:46	Bonner 3pt Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	10:44
Wright Turnover : Discontinue Dribble (1 TO)	10:29
	10:17 [SAS 2-2]	Jefferson Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Paul Jump Shot: Missed	10:05
	10:03	Finley Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	09:53	Parker Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)
Okafor Reverse Layup Shot: Missed	09:41
	09:39	Duncan Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	09:30	Jefferson Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Wright Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	09:29
Peterson Jump Shot: Missed	09:12
	09:10	Bonner Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	08:57	Duncan Driving Hook Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	08:55
Paul Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)	08:50 [NOH 4-2]
	08:31	Bonner 3pt Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	08:29
	08:16	Parker Foul : Personal (1 PF)
West Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS)	08:06 [NOH 6-2]
	07:50 [SAS 4-6]	Duncan Jump Bank Shot: Made (2 PTS)
West Jump Shot: Missed	07:34
	07:33	Duncan Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	07:27	Finley 3pt Shot: Missed Block: Wright (1 BLK)
Paul Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	07:25
Paul Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS)	07:15 [NOH 8-4]
	07:01	Jefferson Jump Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	06:59
Okafor Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS)	06:45 [NOH 10-4]
	06:43	Team Timeout : Regular
	06:43	Finley Substitution replaced by Ginobili
	06:25	Duncan Layup Shot: Missed
	06:24	Bonner Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	06:14 [SAS 6-10]	Bonner Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Jefferson (1 AST)
Okafor Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: West (1 AST)	05:57 [NOH 12-6]
	05:31 [SAS 9-12]	Ginobili 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Parker (1 AST)
Peterson Jump Shot: Missed	05:16
Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	05:15
Okafor Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed	05:06
West Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	05:04
Paul Step Back Jump shot: Missed	04:53
	04:51	Duncan Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
	04:42	Parker Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:West (2 ST)
Wright Jump Shot: Missed	04:37
	04:36	Jefferson Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Peterson Foul : Personal (1 PF)	04:36
Okafor Substitution replaced by Armstrong	04:36
Peterson Substitution replaced by Brown	04:36
Wright Substitution replaced by Stojakovic	04:36
	04:36	Bonner Substitution replaced by Mason
	04:29	Jefferson Substitution replaced by McDyess
	04:24	Mason 3pt Shot: Missed
Brown Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	04:21
Stojakovic Jump Shot: Missed	04:08
	04:06	Duncan Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
	03:58 [SAS 11-12]	Duncan Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Ginobili (1 AST)
Paul Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Duncan (1 ST)	03:49
Brown Foul : Personal (1 PF)	03:47
	03:44	Ginobili 3pt Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	03:43
	03:43	Parker Substitution replaced by Hill
Brown 3pt Shot: Missed	03:28
	03:26	Duncan Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)
	03:10 [SAS 13-12]	McDyess Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Duncan (1 AST)
Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover	02:42
Team Timeout : Regular	02:42
Paul Substitution replaced by Posey	02:42
	02:27	Ginobili Step Back Jump shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	02:25
	02:11	McDyess Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
West Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS)	02:11 [NOH 13-13]
West Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	02:11
	02:11	McDyess Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	02:02	Mason 3pt Shot: Missed
Stojakovic Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	02:00
West Jump Shot: Missed	01:43
	01:41	Team Rebound
	01:41	Duncan Substitution replaced by Blair
Armstrong Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	01:27
	01:27 [SAS 14-13]	Ginobili Free Throw 1 of 2 (4 PTS)
	01:27 [SAS 15-13]	Ginobili Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)
West Jump Shot: Missed	01:04
Team Rebound	01:04
	01:04	Mason Foul : Loose Ball (1 PF)
	00:57.3	Blair Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Armstrong Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	00:57.3
Team Rebound	00:57.3
Armstrong Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	00:57.3
	00:56.9	Blair Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	00:41.9 [SAS 17-13]	Ginobili Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (7 PTS)
Brown Jump Shot: Missed	00:30.8
	00:28.9	McDyess Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	00:06.9	McDyess Jump Shot: Missed
	00:05.7	Blair Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	00:04.8 [SAS 19-13]	Blair Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Brown 3pt Shot: Missed	00:01.0
Team Rebound	00:00.0
End of 1st Quarter
New Orleans Hornets (16-17)		San Antonio Spurs (21-12)
Start of 2nd QuarterBack to Top
	11:44 [SAS 21-13]	McDyess Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Blair (1 AST)
Brown Jump Shot: Missed	11:27
	11:25	Blair Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
Stojakovic Foul : Personal (1 PF)	11:12
	10:59	Mason Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)
Armstrong Jump Shot: Missed	10:43
Armstrong Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	10:42
Armstrong Layup Shot: Missed	10:42
	10:40	Hill Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	10:34 [SAS 24-13]	Mason 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Hill (1 AST)
Armstrong Jump Shot: Missed	10:12
	10:11	Blair Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	09:55 [SAS 26-13]	Hill Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular	09:50
Armstrong Substitution replaced by Okafor	09:50
	09:50	McDyess Substitution replaced by Bonner
Brown Running Jump Shot: Missed	09:32
	09:30	Mason Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Songaila Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	09:11
	09:11	Jefferson Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	09:11	Team Rebound
	09:11 [SAS 27-13]	Jefferson Free Throw 2 of 2 (3 PTS)
Okafor Jump Bank Shot: Missed	08:48
	08:46	Blair Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
	08:34	Mason Driving Layup Shot: Missed
	08:32	Blair Rebound (Off:2 Def:4)
	08:32 [SAS 29-13]	Blair Putback Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS)
Okafor Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Brown (1 AST)	08:20 [NOH 15-29]
	08:20	Blair Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Brown Substitution replaced by Paul	08:20
Stojakovic Substitution replaced by Wright	08:20
	08:20	Mason Substitution replaced by Finley
	08:20	Hill Substitution replaced by Parker
Okafor Free Throw 1 of 1 (7 PTS)	08:20 [NOH 16-29]
	07:59 [SAS 31-16]	Blair Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Jefferson (2 AST)
	07:47	Blair Foul : Personal (3 PF)
	07:47	Blair Substitution replaced by Duncan
	07:43	Bonner Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Wright Jump Shot: Missed	07:35
	07:33	Duncan Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)
	07:27 [SAS 34-16]	Bonner 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Parker (2 AST)
Team Timeout : Short	07:19
	07:19	Jefferson Substitution replaced by Ginobili
Paul Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS)	07:09 [NOH 18-34]
Songaila Foul : Personal (2 PF)	06:59
Songaila Substitution replaced by West	06:59
	06:53 [SAS 36-18]	Parker Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Paul Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS)	06:41 [NOH 20-36]
	06:33	Team Timeout : Regular
	06:30	Ginobili Layup Shot: Missed Block: West (1 BLK)
	06:30	Team Rebound
	06:27	Bonner Jump Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	06:26
West Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)	06:15
	06:01	Bonner 3pt Shot: Missed
	06:00	Duncan Rebound (Off:2 Def:7)
	05:56 [SAS 39-20]	Finley 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Duncan (2 AST)
Wright Driving Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS)	05:41 [NOH 22-39]
Wright Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	05:30
	05:30	Ginobili Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	05:30	Team Rebound
	05:30	Ginobili Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	05:29
Paul Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS)	05:11 [NOH 24-39]
	04:52 [SAS 42-24]	Finley 3pt Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Ginobili (2 AST)
Okafor Jump Shot: Missed	04:41
	04:38	Duncan Rebound (Off:2 Def:8)
	04:22	Finley 3pt Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	04:20
Wright Alley Oop Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Paul (1 AST)	04:14 [NOH 26-42]
	03:53 [SAS 45-26]	Ginobili 3pt Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Bonner (1 AST)
Paul Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS)	03:42 [NOH 28-45]
	03:28	Ginobili 3pt Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)	03:26
Paul 3pt Shot: Made (15 PTS)	03:19 [NOH 31-45]
	02:58 [SAS 48-31]	Bonner 3pt Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Parker (3 AST)
Paul Jump Shot: Missed	02:44
Okafor Rebound (Off:2 Def:5)	02:42
Okafor Tip Shot: Made (9 PTS)	02:42 [NOH 33-48]
Okafor Foul : Personal (1 PF)	02:33
	02:33	Timeout : Official
	02:33	Bonner Substitution replaced by McDyess
Posey Substitution replaced by Peterson	02:33
Okafor Substitution replaced by Armstrong	02:33
	02:33 [SAS 49-33]	Parker Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
	02:33 [SAS 50-33]	Parker Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)
	02:21	McDyess Foul : Personal (2 PF)
	02:21	Finley Substitution replaced by Jefferson
	02:21	Duncan Substitution replaced by Blair
	02:21	Blair Substitution replaced by Bonner
	02:13	Bonner Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
West Free Throw 1 of 2 (6 PTS)	02:13 [NOH 34-50]
West Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)	02:13 [NOH 35-50]
	01:55 [SAS 52-35]	Parker Driving Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS)
Paul Jump Shot: Missed	01:37
	01:35	Parker Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	01:30	Jefferson Layup Shot: Missed
	01:29	McDyess Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	01:29 [SAS 54-35]	McDyess Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS)
Armstrong Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	01:29
	01:29 [SAS 55-35]	McDyess Free Throw 1 of 1 (7 PTS)
	01:15	Jefferson Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Peterson Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)	01:15 [NOH 36-55]
Peterson Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)	01:15 [NOH 37-55]
	01:01 [SAS 57-37]	McDyess Layup Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Parker (4 AST)
Wright Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Paul (2 AST)	00:45.9 [NOH 39-57]
	00:27.9	Ginobili 3pt Shot: Missed
Wright Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	00:26.5
Peterson Jump Shot: Missed	00:03.9
	00:01.9	Team Rebound
End of 2nd Quarter
New Orleans Hornets (16-17)		San Antonio Spurs (21-12)
Start of 3rd QuarterBack to Top
	11:38 [SAS 59-39]	Duncan Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Jefferson (3 AST)
	11:17	Duncan Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
West Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	11:17
Team Rebound	11:17
West Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)	11:17 [NOH 40-59]
Wright Foul : Personal (2 PF)	11:07
	10:57	Parker Floating Jump shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)	10:56
Peterson 3pt Shot: Missed	10:40
	10:39	Jefferson Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	10:24	Jefferson 3pt Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:2 Def:6)	10:23
West Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Paul (3 AST)	10:19 [NOH 42-59]
Okafor Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	09:56
	09:56 [SAS 60-42]	Parker Free Throw 1 of 2 (7 PTS)
	09:56 [SAS 61-42]	Parker Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)
Okafor Jump Shot: Missed	09:38
	09:36	Duncan Rebound (Off:2 Def:9)
	09:16	Parker Driving Layup Shot: Missed
	09:15	Jefferson Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	09:13 [SAS 63-42]	Duncan Layup Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Jefferson (4 AST)
Wright Pullup Jump shot: Made (8 PTS)	08:51 [NOH 44-63]
	08:33 [SAS 65-44]	Parker Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Duncan (3 AST)
Peterson 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Paul (4 AST)	08:11 [NOH 47-65]
	07:54 [SAS 67-47]	Finley Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Parker (5 AST)
Peterson Jump Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Paul (5 AST)	07:40 [NOH 49-67]
	07:17	Duncan Layup Shot: Missed
	07:17	Duncan Rebound (Off:3 Def:9)
	07:17	Duncan Layup Shot: Missed Block: Wright (2 BLK)
	07:17	Finley Substitution replaced by Ginobili
	07:17	Jump Ball Duncan vs Wright (West gains possession)
Wright Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	07:17
Paul Layup Shot: Made (17 PTS)	07:05 [NOH 51-67]
	07:05	Team Timeout : Regular
	06:53	Parker Jump Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)	06:52
Wright Jump Shot: Missed	06:40
Okafor Rebound (Off:3 Def:6)	06:39
Wright Reverse Layup Shot: Missed	06:28
	06:27	Ginobili Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Peterson Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	06:25
	06:25 [SAS 68-51]	Jefferson Free Throw 1 of 2 (4 PTS)
	06:25 [SAS 69-51]	Jefferson Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)
Paul Jump Shot: Missed	06:01
	06:00	Bonner Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	05:56 [SAS 71-51]	Parker Layup Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Ginobili (3 AST)
Wright Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	05:56
	05:56 [SAS 72-51]	Parker Free Throw 1 of 1 (13 PTS)
Pressey Technical	05:52
Peterson Substitution replaced by Brown	05:52
	05:52	Ginobili Free Throw Technical Missed
Team Rebound	05:52
Wright Jump Shot: Missed	05:38
	05:38	Team Rebound
Okafor Foul : Loose Ball (3 PF)	05:38
	05:38	Duncan Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	05:38	Team Rebound
	05:38 [SAS 73-51]	Duncan Free Throw 2 of 2 (9 PTS)
Paul Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)	05:22
	05:22	Duncan Substitution replaced by Blair
	05:07 [SAS 76-51]	Bonner 3pt Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Ginobili (4 AST)
	04:49	Ginobili Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Okafor Free Throw 1 of 2 (10 PTS)	04:49 [NOH 52-76]
Okafor Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	04:49
	04:48	Jefferson Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	04:36	Jefferson Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)	04:32
Okafor Layup Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Paul (6 AST)	04:23 [NOH 54-76]
	04:00 [SAS 78-54]	Blair Layup Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Parker (6 AST)
Paul 3pt Shot: Made (20 PTS) Assist: West (2 AST)	03:43 [NOH 57-78]
	03:26	Ginobili Foul : Offensive (2 PF)
	03:26	Ginobili Turnover : Foul (1 TO)
Wright Substitution replaced by Stojakovic	03:26
Okafor Substitution replaced by Armstrong	03:26
	03:26	Bonner Substitution replaced by McDyess
Brown Pullup Jump shot: Made (2 PTS)	03:11 [NOH 59-78]
	02:54 [SAS 80-59]	Parker Layup Shot: Made (15 PTS) Assist: Jefferson (5 AST)
Paul Pullup Jump shot: Made (22 PTS)	02:40 [NOH 61-80]
	02:21 [SAS 82-61]	Parker Layup Shot: Made (17 PTS)
	02:20	Jefferson Foul : Personal (2 PF)
	02:20	Double Technical - Jefferson, Paul
Team Timeout : Regular	02:20
	02:20	Parker Substitution replaced by Hill
West Substitution replaced by Posey	02:20
	02:07	McDyess Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Posey Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	02:07
Team Rebound	02:07
	02:07	Jefferson Substitution replaced by Mason
Posey Free Throw 2 of 2 (1 PTS)	02:07 [NOH 62-82]
	01:53	Mason 3pt Shot: Missed
Armstrong Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	01:52
Paul Turnover : Bad Pass (3 TO)	01:40
	01:25	Blair Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Brown (1 ST)
	01:21	Mason Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Paul Free Throw 1 of 2 (23 PTS)	01:21 [NOH 63-82]
Paul Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	01:21
	01:20	Blair Rebound (Off:2 Def:5)
	01:08	Ginobili Jump Shot: Missed
	01:06	Blair Rebound (Off:3 Def:5)
	01:06 [SAS 84-63]	Blair Tip Shot: Made (10 PTS)
Brown 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS)	00:59.7 [NOH 66-84]
	00:43.9	Hill Step Back Jump shot: Missed
Armstrong Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	00:42.5
Armstrong Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Paul (7 AST)	00:33.0 [NOH 68-84]
Stojakovic Foul : Personal (2 PF)	00:20.2
	00:20.2 [SAS 85-68]	Ginobili Free Throw 1 of 2 (11 PTS)
	00:20.2	McDyess Substitution replaced by Bogans
	00:20.2 [SAS 86-68]	Ginobili Free Throw 2 of 2 (12 PTS)
Paul Turnover : Lost Ball (4 TO) Steal:Hill (1 ST)	00:04.8
	00:02.1 [SAS 88-68]	Hill Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Blair (2 AST)
Brown 3pt Shot: Missed	00:00.1
Team Rebound	00:00.0
End of 3rd Quarter
New Orleans Hornets (16-17)		San Antonio Spurs (21-12)
Start of 4th QuarterBack to Top
Brown Floating Jump shot: Made (7 PTS)	11:47 [NOH 70-88]
	11:26 [SAS 90-70]	Mason Jump Shot: Made (5 PTS)
West Jump Bank Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Brown (2 AST)	11:09 [NOH 72-90]
	10:47 [SAS 93-72]	Hill 3pt Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Finley (1 AST)
Brown 3pt Shot: Missed	10:23
	10:22	Mason Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	10:13 [SAS 95-72]	Mason Pullup Jump shot: Made (7 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular	10:12
West Layup Shot: Made (14 PTS)	10:00 [NOH 74-95]
	09:44	Blair Foul : Offensive (4 PF)
	09:44	Blair Turnover : Foul (2 TO)
Stojakovic Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:McDyess (1 ST)	09:33
	09:21 [SAS 97-74]	Mason Jump Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Finley (2 AST)
West Jump Shot: Made (16 PTS) Assist: Posey (1 AST)	09:02 [NOH 76-97]
	08:47	Mason 3pt Shot: Missed
Brown Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	08:45
West Jump Shot: Missed	08:35
	08:34	Team Rebound
Armstrong Substitution replaced by Okafor	08:34
	08:17 [SAS 99-76]	Blair Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Hill (2 AST)
Okafor Turnaround Bank shot: Made (14 PTS)	08:00 [NOH 78-99]
	07:46 [SAS 101-78]	Finley Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Hill (3 AST)
Okafor Layup Shot: Made (16 PTS) Assist: West (3 AST)	07:30 [NOH 80-101]
	07:18	McDyess Foul : Offensive (4 PF)
	07:18	McDyess Turnover : Foul (1 TO)
	07:18	Finley Substitution replaced by Bogans
Posey Substitution replaced by Paul	07:18
Okafor Layup Shot: Made (18 PTS) Assist: Brown (3 AST)	07:05 [NOH 82-101]
	06:52 [SAS 103-82]	Mason Jump Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Blair (3 AST)
Brown Pullup Jump shot: Made (9 PTS)	06:38 [NOH 84-103]
	06:22	Blair Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:1 Def:8)	06:21
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Paul (8 AST)	06:15 [NOH 87-103]
	06:15	Team Timeout : Regular
	06:15	Bogans Substitution replaced by Ginobili
	06:15	McDyess Substitution replaced by Bonner
	05:53 [SAS 105-87]	Blair Layup Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Bonner (2 AST)
West Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	05:53
	05:53	Blair Free Throw 1 of 1 Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:3 Def:7)	05:52
	05:41	Blair Foul : Defense 3 Second (4 PF)
Stojakovic Free Throw Technical (4 PTS)	05:41 [NOH 88-105]
West Layup Shot: Made (18 PTS) Assist: Paul (9 AST)	05:32 [NOH 90-105]
West Foul : Personal (2 PF)	05:21
Paul Foul : Personal (1 PF)	05:13
	05:04 [SAS 107-90]	Ginobili Driving Layup Shot: Made (14 PTS)
	04:52	Ginobili Foul : Personal (3 PF)
Okafor Layup Shot: Missed	04:38
	04:37	Mason Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	04:25	Ginobili Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:West (3 ST)
Paul Turnover : Bad Pass (5 TO) Steal:Ginobili (1 ST)	04:19
	04:13 [SAS 109-90]	Ginobili Layup Shot: Made (16 PTS)
Brown Jump Shot: Missed	04:00
	04:00	Team Rebound
	04:00	Ginobili Substitution replaced by Bogans
	03:42	Bonner Jump Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	03:42
	03:42	Blair Substitution replaced by Ratliff
Stojakovic Substitution replaced by Wright	03:42
Paul Jump Shot: Made (25 PTS)	03:31 [NOH 92-109]
	03:10 [SAS 111-92]	Ratliff Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Hill (4 AST)
	03:00	Hill Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Paul Free Throw 1 of 2 (26 PTS)	03:00 [NOH 93-111]
Okafor Substitution replaced by Songaila	03:00
West Substitution replaced by Brown	03:00
Brown Substitution replaced by Armstrong	03:00
Paul Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	03:00
Team Rebound	02:59
Timeout : Official	02:59
	02:59	Bonner Substitution replaced by Blair
Paul Substitution replaced by Collison	02:59
Songaila Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Wright (1 AST)	02:55 [NOH 95-111]
	02:39	Bogans 3pt Shot: Missed
Brown Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	02:38
Brown Foul : Offensive (1 PF)	02:34
Brown Turnover : Foul (1 TO)	02:34
	02:18	Mason Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Armstrong (1 ST)
Brown Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)	02:14
	02:02	Hill Layup Shot: Missed Block: Songaila (1 BLK)
	02:02	Team Rebound
	01:59	Mason Jump Shot: Missed
Wright Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	01:58
Brown Jump Shot: Missed	01:44
	01:43	Blair Rebound (Off:3 Def:6)
	01:22	Ratliff Jump Shot: Missed
Armstrong Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	01:21
	01:12	Bogans Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Collison Jump Shot: Missed	00:57.9
	00:56.9	Hill Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	00:42.9	Hill Jump Shot: Missed
	00:41.9	Blair Rebound (Off:4 Def:6)
	00:41.9	Blair Putback Layup Shot: Missed
	00:39.4	Blair Rebound (Off:5 Def:6)
	00:39.4	Blair Tip Shot: Missed
Collison Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	00:37.9
	00:36.4	Hill Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Collison Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)	00:36.4 [NOH 96-111]
Collison Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	00:36.4
	00:35.9	Bogans Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	00:11.7 [SAS 113-96]	Hill Jump Shot: Made (9 PTS)
End of 4th Quarter

broadcast information
country		channel			time
usa			ESPN	National	Final
		--	KENS	Local	Final