NBA PLAYOFFS - Spurs sweep Clippers, enter West Finals
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 22 May 2012
THE San Antonio Spurs didn't need to come back from a 24-point deficit this time, but they went through a scare in the final seconds of the fourth quarter before pulling off a 102-99 squeaker in Game 4 Sunday night and sweep their Western Conference semifinal against the LA Clippers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Tim Duncan had another age-dying performance scoring 21 points to lead six Spurs who notched double figures in points. Duncan, 36, made nine of 14 field goals and swooped nine rebounds to go along with four assists and three blocked shots.
Tony Parker, one of the cornerstones of the Spurs franchise for years, finished with 17 points and seven assists. Danny Green and George Neal had 14 points apiece while Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter combined for 22.
"We had a lot of guys contribute and that's what we've been able to do most of the year. Hopefully, we can continue to do it," Spurs head coach Greg Poppovich told NBA.com.
The Spurs, again, pounded the boards, 50-36, and belted 28 assists against the Clips' 22. San Antonio shot 52.8 percent from the field (38-for-72), 40 percent from 3-land (6-for-15) and 74.1 percent (20-for-27) from the free throw line.
Clippers point guard Chris Paul had arguably his best game of the series, draining 23 points while setting the table on offense with 11 assists. But with LA trailing 101-99 with under four seconds to go, Paul missed a four-foot jumper as San Antonio held on for the win.
Blake Griffin tallied 21 points and five rebounds for LA, which shot 41 of 86 field goals and 4 of 16 threes. Eric Bledsoe darted off the bench with 17 while De Andre added 10 for the Clips, who converted 13 of 19 free throws.
After a similar 4-0 sweep of the Utah Jazz in the opening round of the playoffs, San Antonio has now won eight straight and is the only unbeaten team in the postseason. Dating back to the regular season, the Spurs have won 16 overall and hasn't lost since April 14 against the Lakers.
Up next for the Spurs is the Western Conference Finals against the winner of the Lakers-Thunder series which Oklahoma currently leads 3-1. Game 1 of the West Finals is May 27 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. (Homer D. Sayson)
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