Game 7 Spurs.com Road Report

Spurs.com is on the road in New Orleans for the deciding Game 7 between the Spurs and Hornets in their Western Conference Semifinal series. John Robbins and Ben Hunt will be providing coverage throughout the day to relay the latest happenings from The Big Easy.

Final Thoughts
by John Robbins | May 20, 2008 | 3:41a

Well winning Game 7 on the road was epic. There haven't been very many teams in the history of the league to accomplish said feat. It's really something to be proud of...something to celebrate...something to enjoy. And nothing covers all of those bases better than the Spurs' postgame meal in the lockerroom on Monday night. Pizza.

California here we come...

OK OK OK...
by Ben Hunt | May 19, 2008 | 10:00p

My heart is pounding through my chest. I'm sure it would be doing the same thing if I were at home on the couch, but I'm not. I'm here at the game and let me tell you the emotion is running high.

Four Points 2:59 Left...
by Ben Hunt | May 19, 2008 | 9:57p

This will probably be the last post before we go to the locker room. The game has lived up to all the billing.

Hang on and buckle up for the final minutes of this one. The building is electric right now and anything could happen. Let's cheer that it goes our way tonight.

Up 10, Down 10...
by Ben Hunt | May 19, 2008 | 9:43p

It's all a matter of how you look at it.

With the five point shaving of the third quarter lead the NO fans are back now and very much tyring to push their team over the edge.

It has been said before by analysts that this place is a college atmosphere - and they're right.

Five minutes and change left and it's still 10 points. A little bit of a buffer but nothing is safe at this point and still plenty of basketball to play.

And Now the Hush Comes Over the Crowd...
by Ben Hunt | May 19, 2008 | 9:32p

With a 15-point lead, the Spurs have finally put a damper on this crowd.

It is very apparent that some of them are in a little bit of disbelief after the 3rd. This is the first time they've seen this.


Hugo the Hornet is trying to amp up the crowd but he got less of a reaction than any other time tonight.

I don't think they are counting their team out, I'm sure if the Hornets have a hot start to the 4th it will get them going again. But right now it's no where near the intensity it was at any other moment tonight.

And speaking of Hugo, he parodied the "There Can Only Be One" campaign vs. the Coyote. Needless to say 'Yote didn't come out to favorable in Hugo's skit.

Spurs Survive the Third...
by Ben Hunt | May 19, 2008 | 9:27p

In all the talk leading up to game seven one key statement was out there time and time again.

"Play 48 minutes."

The Spurs have played 36 thus far and the intensity hasn't dipped.

It's time to start the 4th.

Second Half, So Far So Good...
by Ben Hunt | May 19, 2008 | 8:42p

Well the Spurs have been able to maintain their lead and we're more than half way through the 3rd.

I must admit the chance for a Ric Flair autograph was a little too good to be true so I went up to the autograph table during halftime. The line was a 3rd of the way around the building for autographs! I shouldn't have been suprised it is Ric Flair after all.

There were a few Spurs fans in the arena that I saw as I went on my journey to see the Nature Boy. I was able to secure photos of some of them.

While taking one photo, a Hornets fan said to us, "take your photo now because it is the last one you're gonna take this season."

The group of course stayed above the fray and paid no mind as they took the photo.

By the way - I didnt get an autograph. But no biggie I actually got to meet him a few years back." at the end of that entry

And Now the Half...
by Ben Hunt | May 19, 2008 | 8:42p

Well there have been four games played in this arena this series and each time the Spurs took the lead into the half.

I don't think I need to go into the outcomes of those games or the importance of the upcoming quarter tonight.

Manu played great to close out the 2nd and with the exception of the short-term lead the Hornets had there wasn't much for the NOLA fans to get extremely exicted about.

Back after the half...

Well, well, well...
by Ben Hunt | May 19, 2008 | 8:32p

The Hornets are back in the lead. It just took the blink of an eye and this crowd energizes the home team.

Hold that thought....

Now that the Spurs are back in front by four after consecustive shots from Manu and Fab, the crowd is beginning to settle down. A TO from Byron Scott seems to have let some air out of hte ballon as well.

Ric Flair is in the house and signing autographs at halftime. He "cut a promo" on the court during the last time out and said, "Tonight the Spurs are going down! Wooooooo!"

It just so happened he was looking directly at the Spurs bench. I don't think the black and silver even noticed.

Off with a Bang...
by Ben Hunt | May 19, 2008 | 8:20p

The first quarter ended with a phantom foul on Manu Ginobili that was quickly reversed at the start of the second. The reasoning - it happend after the buzzer sounded.

The Spurs are on a little run right now and with Horry and Bowen hitting threes, I thought the NOLA crowd might settle down. Not this bunch, they are still very much into the game even though they've been done close to double-figures the entire quarter.

Back and forth...
by Ben Hunt | May 19, 2008 | 7:51p

OK, so we're nearly done with the 1st quarter and it's up and down back and forth. Sorta like my luck with internet connections today.

In any event, the Hornets fans are just as loud and boisterous as advertised. It get's loud. It get's really loud at the AT&T Center. I wouldn't say that it is louder here, but they keep the loud going for a long time.

As you could see from the pictures John posted, we had a first look at the preperations for the "white out" and I must say they've done a really good job. A few yellow dots, a few blue-green - however, I did see one black shirt in the lower level as I came to my seat. He looked at me and said, "GO SPURS GO!"

The Clock is Ticking...
by John Robbins | May 19, 2008 | 4:51p

After shootaround we caught a quick self-guided tour of New Orleans Arena. One thing we saw was the gameday crew setting out white t-shirts on every seat in the building (pic below). So get ready for a change of pace from the yellow that his been on display in New Orleans this spring.

We also hooked up with Hornets.com's Jim Eichenhofer. Jim was kind enough to ferry us around downtown for a bit during which we came across the Hornets Mini-Cooper that you see below. He also showed us around their offices (we tried to glean as much insider info as we could!) which were around the corner from the arena and also took us to VooDoo BBQ & Grill on St. Charles Street for a late lunch. As a Texan I usually self-impose a ban on BBQ and mexican food while traveling out of the state, but I can honestly say that the VooDoo BBQ gets my stamp of approval.

There are only a couple of hours before tip-off so we are going to get a move on from our hotel (video view) and head on back over to the Hive. BTW, the best answer I could get on why it is called the Hive is..."That's what they called the arena is Charlotte and it just stuck when the Hornets moved to New Orleans." Guess that'll have to do!

Coach Pop and Bruce Ready for the Game
by Ben Hunt | May 19, 2008 | 12:35p

At shootaround Coach Pop and Bruce Bowen were in good spirits with the media as the Spurs ready themselves for tonight's game. Check out the video on Playoff Central to watch what the topics of conversation were.

Unbelievably there was a Jason Giambi reference - or three - during the media session. Don't worry, it's all in the video above.

But all kidding aside, the team looked sharp and focused during the half hour shootaround and I anticipate that focus to translate over later tonight.

Buzzing At The Hive
by John Robbins | May 19, 2008 | 10:49a

Spurs.com has arrived in New Orleans and we are currently waiting for the Spurs shootaround to begin at New Orleans Arena, aka 'The Hive.' I know, I know...Hornets don't live in a hive. We'll try to get to the bottom of that one later.

Look for the full report to be posted sometime in early afternoon. I'd like to provide a more rigid timeframe, but there is often a hurry-up-and-wait process in the media world. In the meantime enjoy what a Hornets playoff credential looks like and what is currently on the white board in the media holding tank.

Road Weary?
by John Robbins | May 19, 2008 | 7:35a

Here's a fun list of teams that have won a Game 7 on the road...

Year Team Round

2007 Utah (at Houston) Western Conference First Round
2006 Dallas (at San Antonio) Western Conference Semifinals
2005 Detroit (at Miami) Eastern Conference Finals
2005 Indiana (at Boston) Eastern Conference First Round
2002 L.A. Lakers (at Sacramento) Western Conference Finals
2000 New York (at Miami) Eastern Conference Semifinals
1995 Indiana (at New York) Eastern Conference Semifinals
1995 Houston (at Phoenix) Western Conference Semifinals
1982 Philadelphia (at Boston) Eastern Conference Finals
1981 Kansas City (at Phoenix) Western Conference Semifinals
1981 Houston (at San Antonio) Western Conference Semifinals
1978 Washington (at Seattle) NBA Finals
1976 Phoenix (at Golden State) Western Conference Finals
1974 Boston (at Milwaukee) NBA Finals
1973 New York (at Boston) Eastern Conference Finals
1971 Baltimore (at New York) Eastern Conference Finals
1969 Boston (at Los Angeles) NBA Finals
1968 Boston (at Philadelphia) Eastern Division Finals
1948 Philadelphia (at St. Louis) Semifinals

And Away We Go...
by Ben Hunt | May 19, 2008 | 5:13a

We are just now boarding our flight for New Orleans via Houston. With all the equipment I'm bringing, I wasn't sure how the good folks at the TSA would greet me. But no hang-ups and we're comfortably aboard our flight.

Now that I cleared the first hurdle with the airport in San Antonio - how are the folks on the ground at Louis Armstrong International going to take the appearance of my baggage? Note the spursdotcom camera case and the 2007 Finals bag (with a Florida Gator name tag), not sure which one will go over the best when we reach Louisiana. I'd say the safe money won't be on the bag with the Gator tag.

We'll check in again when we touch down.

Last Interviews Before the Big Easy
by Ben Hunt | May 18, 2008 | 3:13p

The players are ready to head down to NOLA and in about 12 hours we will be too. For now watch what Bruce Bowen, Tony Parker and Michael Finley had to say Sunday after practice about Game 7.

Ready For The Road
by John Robbins | May 18, 2008 | 12:40p

The Spurs met with the media for the last time before heading out for New Orleans today. They seem focused (how could they not!) and ready to solve their third quarter road issues. The video from today's meet and greet is on the way, but for now fire up what Spurs.com got from practice on Saturday and peruse what the media pundits are saying about the Game 7 hype.