The San Antonio Spurs may have had their hands full against a veteran-laden Dallas Mavericks squad in the first round of the playoffs, but the relatively inexperienced Portland Trailblazers proved no match for the defending Western Conference champion. The Spurs finished off the Gentleman’s Sweep of the Blazers in relatively easy fashion Wednesday night, by a final score of 104-82. It didn’t even matter that Tony Parker — who’d torched the Blazers all series — left the game in the first half with a hamstring injury, as the Spurs tripled their halftime lead, and never looked back.
Two of San Antonio’s young guns, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, led the way, exploding for a combined 44 points (7 of 10 from three-point range) and hauling in 16 rebounds. The Blazers had three players — LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard, Nicolas Batum — notch double-doubles, but it wasn’t even close to enough to overcome the Spurs’ precision play.
For those keeping track at home, the Spurs’ advancement marks their ninth trip to the Western Conference Finals in the Tim Duncan Era.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat made equally short work — albeit slightly more strenuous — of the Brooklyn Nets, dispatching LeBron James’ archnemises Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in crunch time for the second time in three nights, 96-94. Naturally, the game was decided on a Ray Allen three-pointer. LeBron followed up his 49-point Game 4 performance with a 14-point fourth quarter, picking up where a rejuvenated Dwyane Wade had left off (Wade scored 20 in the first half).
While the Spurs are headed to their third consecutive conference finals, the Heat are on #4 — and hoping to make it a fourth straight NBA Finals appearance. Which, of course, is going to happen, unless somebody actually kidnaps LeBron. Also, if Erik Spoelstra’s pregame press conference is any indication, reporters are officially out of questions for at least one team — and likely both.
[NBA]
