Saturday, May 31, 2014

Spurs outlast Thunder in OT, get Finals rematch with Heat

Final / OT
San Antonio wins series 4-2 (Game 6 of 6)

Spurs 112

(62-20, 30-11 away)

Thunder 107

(59-23, 34-7 home)




8:30 PM ET, May 31, 2014
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK

 1 2 3 4 OT T
SA 20 22 37 22 11112
OKC 23 26 20 32 6107
Top Performers
San Antonio: T. Duncan 19 Pts, 15 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk
Oklahoma City: R. Westbrook 34 Pts, 7 Reb, 8 Ast, 6 Stl
 
 
 
 
Associated Press
Spurs Oust Thunder With OT Win
The Spurs set up an NBA Finals matchup with the Heat after a 112-107 victory over the Thunder in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals.Tags: Spurs, Thunder, Highlights

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The San Antonio Spurs are back in the NBA Finals, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-107 in overtime on Saturday night in Game 6 to set up a rematch with the Miami Heat.
Tim Duncan had 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Spurs, who will host Game 1 on Thursday night as they try to avenge last year's heartbreaking seven-game loss.
Boris Diaw scored 26 points for the Spurs, who won despite point guard Tony Parker missing the entire second half and overtime with left ankle soreness.

More from ESPN.com

Bradford Doolittle and Amin Elhassan's Roster Reload examines what's next for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the wake of their loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals. Story Insider
Russell Westbrook had 34 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals, and Kevin Durant added 31 points and 14 rebounds for the Thunder. Oklahoma City overcame a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Kawhi Leonard added 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Manu Ginobili chipped in 15 points and six rebounds for the Spurs, who pulled this one out after losing in overtime in Game 6 against the Heat in the NBA Finals.
San Antonio went on to drop Game 7, but put that loss behind and had the NBA's best record this season.
"It's unbelievable to regain that focus after that devastating loss we had last year," Duncan said.
In overtime, Duncan's shot from the baseline rattled in to give the Spurs a 110-107 lead with 19 seconds to go.
Durant missed a good look at a 3-pointer, and the Spurs rebounded and went to the line. Diaw missed the first and made the second free throw to make it a four-point lead for the Spurs. Westbrook missed a wild 3-pointer, and Spurs wrapped it up.

Big off the bench

Boris Diaw scored 26 points off the bench in Game 6, the second-most points off the bench in a potential series-clinching game in the Conference Finals in the last 15 years.

Most Points Off Bench
In Potential Series-Clinching Game

Date Player Points Opponent
2007 Daniel Gibson 31 Pistons
Sat. Boris Diaw 26* Thunder
2010 Rasheed Wallace 21 Magic
2009 Lamar Odom 20 Nuggets
* Season-high (including playoffs)
--ESPN Stats & Information
San Antonio led by 12 early in the fourth quarter, but the Thunder chipped away at the free throw line after getting the Spurs into foul trouble. Back-to-back baskets by Westbrook and Durant cut San Antonio's lead to 93-91 with 4:01 to play, leading to the frantic final minutes.
Durant made two free throws to tie the score at 97 with 58 seconds left. San Antonio attacked, but Serge Ibaka blocked Ginobili's shot at the rim -- replays showed the ball hit the backboard first and should have been a goaltend -- and Derek Fisher rebounded.
Durant quickly attacked the hoop out of a timeout and made a layup with 32 seconds to play, finally giving the Thunder the lead at 99-97.
Ginobili came back with a 3-pointer with 27 seconds to play, putting the Spurs back up 100-99.
Durant lost the ball, and San Antonio came up with it, forcing the Thunder to foul. Ginobili made the first and missed the second free throw with 15.9 seconds to play.
Westbrook was fouled on a drive with 9.3 seconds to play. He made both free throws to tie the score at 101. Ginobili's fadeaway at the free-throw line against Westbrook missed, and the game went to overtime.

Game notes


The Spurs had just two assists and missed all five of their 3-point attempts in the first quarter. ... Spurs C Matt Bonner started for the second straight game. He made just 1 of 5 3-pointers in the first half as the Thunder backed off of him. ... Westbrook had four steals in the first half. ... Thunder coach Scott Brooks was issued a technical foul in the third quarter. ... Westbrook made his first 10 free throws.
Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press
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Updated NBA Playoff Scoreboard for the games of May 31,2014 from ESPN.GO.COM

As of 1AM,EDT/10PM,PDT




Final/OT
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • OT
  • T
(62-20, 30-11 away)
  • 20
  • 22
  • 37
  • 22
  • 11
  • 112
(59-23, 34-7 home)
  • 23
  • 26
  • 20
  • 32
  • 6
  • 107
 SpursThunder
PtsDiaw26Westbrook34
RebDuncan15Durant14
AstGinobili5Westbrook8
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS - GAME 6 - SPURS WIN SERIES 4-2

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Heat eliminate Pacers in blowout win to advance to 4th straight Finals

Final
Miami wins series 4-2 (Game 6 of 6)

Pacers 92

(56-26, 21-20 away)

Heat 117

(54-28, 32-9 home)




8:30 PM ET, May 30, 2014
AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami, FL

 1 2 3 4 T
IND 13 21 24 3492
MIA 24 36 31 26117
Top Performers
Indiana: P. George 29 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk
Miami: L. James 25 Pts, 4 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk
 
 
 
 
 
Associated Press
Heat Advance To 4th Straight Finals With Rout
Highlight Of The Night: The Heat advanced to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight season behind a combined 50 points from LeBron James and Chris Bosh in a 117-92 rout of the Pacers.Tags: LeBron James, Paul George, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Roy Hibbert, Lance Stephenson, Highlight, Game 6, NBA Finals

MIAMI -- For the entirety of the regular season, the supremacy of the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference was brought into serious question by the Indiana Pacers.
Then came the playoffs.
And the question was answered -- emphatically.
The Heat became the third franchise in NBA history to reach the title series in four consecutive seasons, a laugher of a conference-title finale getting them there again Friday night. LeBron James and Chris Bosh each scored 25 points, and Miami eliminated the Pacers for the third straight year with a 117-92 romp in Game 6 of the East championship series.

More from ESPN.com

With a Game 6 blowout to reach the Finals, Miami has officially bounced Indy from the title of "rival," writes Michael Wallace. Story
With their fourth straight Finals ticket punched, it's time to put Miami's Big 3 in elite company, Brian Windhorst writes. Story
Marc Stein answers five burning questions about the Pacers' immediate future in the wake of their season-ending loss Friday. Story
"I'm blessed. Very blessed. Very humbled," James said. "And we won't take this opportunity for granted. It's an unbelievable franchise, it's an unbelievable group. And we know we still have work to do, but we won't take this for granted. We're going to four straight Finals and we will never take this for granted."
Dwyane Wade and Rashard Lewis each scored 13 points for Miami, which trailed 9-2 before ripping off 54 of the next 75 points to erase any doubt by halftime. The Heat set a franchise record with their 11th straight home postseason win, going back to the final two games of last season's NBA Finals, leading by 37 at one point.
"The group loves to compete and loves to compete at the highest level, and be pushed to new levels," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Indiana led the East for much of the regular season, one where the Pacers were fueled by the memory of losing Game 7 of the East finals in Miami a year ago. So they spent this season with a clear goal: Toppling Miami as kings of the East. The Pacers were two games better in the regular season.
They were two games worse in the postseason. Game 7, this time, would have been in Indianapolis. The Pacers just had no shot of making it happen, not on this night.
"It's bitterly disappointing to fall short of our goals," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "It's bitterly disappointing to lose to this team three years in a row. But we're competing against the Michael Jordan of our era, the Chicago Bulls of our era, and you have to tip your hats to them for the way they played this whole series."
Paul George had 29 points for Indiana, David West scored 16 and Lance Stephenson -- booed all night -- finished with 11.

Kings of Consistency

The Heat joined some elite company Friday when they advanced to their fourth consecutive Finals. Only three other times in NBA history has a team gone to the Finals that many times in a row.
Team App
Celtics (1957-66) 10
Celtics (1984-87) 4
Lakers (1982-85) 4
Heat (2011-14) 4
--ESPN Stats & Information
"No regrets. All of us played hard. They were just the better team, and they won," Stephenson said. So now, the Celtics and Lakers have some company.
Until Friday, they were the only teams in NBA history to reach the Finals in four straight years. The Heat have joined them, and their quest for a third straight title starts in either San Antonio or Oklahoma City on Thursday night.
"It's all about 15 special men and what they've been able to accomplish these last four years," said Heat managing general partner Micky Arison, who handed the East title trophy to Greg Oden. "Just a little bit more work to do, but I'm really proud of the incredible job that these guys have done."
The way they played in Game 6 made a prophet out of Bosh, who predicted Miami would play its best game of the season. The numbers suggested he was right, and then some.
Miami's largest lead at any point this season, before Game 6, was 36 points. Indiana's largest deficit of the season had been 35 points.
After a layup by James with 3:39 left in the third, the margin in this one was a whopping 37 -- 86-49. James' night ended not long afterward.
"It was just one of those games that we want to play from beginning to end," Bosh said. "Here on our home court, we wanted to make a statement."
There were the now-requisite Stephenson events, adding intrigue to the first half. The Indiana guard walked over to James and tapped him in the face in the opening minutes, stood over him after both got tangled under the basket, and got whistled for a flagrant foul for striking Norris Cole in the head in the second quarter.
It was the end of a memorable series for Stephenson, none of which really had anything to do with basketball. His string of newsworthy moments from these East finals started when he talked about the health of Wade's knees before the series and reached an apex in Game 5 when he blew into James' ear and walked into a Heat huddle.
When it was over, Stephenson went out and shook hands with plenty of Heat players, as did the rest of his teammates.
"To work so hard and to get to where we are now really hurts," Stephenson said.
The Heat were bothered by it all -- "angry," Spoelstra confessed -- but got the last laugh. Big Brother, again, reigned supreme in this rivalry.
Vogel was using the big brother-little brother analogy earlier in the series, telling the tale of how at some point in every sibling rivalry the younger one has to make a stand.
Indiana thought it would happen now.
The Heat, obviously, had other ideas.
"They've won championships," West said Friday when asked if the Pacers considered themselves Miami's equal. "No, we're not equal."
West said those words about eight hours before game time.
They were in no dispute at night's end.
NOTES: James appeared in what became his 100th playoff victory. ... The Pacers are now 7-12 against Miami in the last three postseasons, and 20-10 against everybody else. ... Wade and Udonis Haslem are going to the NBA Finals for the fifth time in nine seasons -- with a 15-67 season on their record during that stretch as well. ... Chris Andersen returned from a thigh injury, scoring nine points and grabbing 10 rebounds in 13 minutes for Miami.
Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press
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NBA Playoff Scoreboard for the game(s) of May 30,2014 from ESPN.GO.COM

Final
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  •  
  • T
(56-26, 21-20 away)
  • 13
  • 21
  • 24
  • 34
  •  
  • 92
(54-28, 32-9 home)
  • 24
  • 36
  • 31
  • 26
  •  
  • 117
 PacersHeat
PtsGeorge292 tied25
RebGeorge8Andersen10
Ast3 tied32 tied6
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS - GAME 6 - HEAT WIN SERIES 4-2
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Monday, May 26, 2014

Lynx hold off Elena Delle Donne, Sky to remain unbeaten

Final

Lynx 75

(5-0, 3-0 away)

Sky 72

(4-1, 3-1 home)

3:30 PM ET, May 26, 2014
Allstate Arena, Glenview, IL

 1 2 3 4 T
MIN 16 26 19 1475
CHI 19 20 17 1672
Top Performers
Minnesota: L. Whalen 22 Pts, 3 Reb, 4 Ast
Chicago: J. Breland 16 Pts, 15 Reb, 1 Ast
 
 
 
 
 
 
Associated Press
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Maya Moore had been unstoppable on offense through Minnesota's first four games. It was her stellar defense that kept the Lynx undefeated.
Moore and the Lynx held second-leading scorer Elena Delle Donne to just 16 points to remain perfect with a 75-72 win over the Chicago Sky on Monday in a showdown of undefeated teams.
"Coming into the game my biggest concern was defense," said Moore, who scored 14 points -- well short of her 33.8 average coming into the game. "I knew I was going to be matched up against Elena and that was my main focus and what my effort was going into. (And) we all shared the ball and took our moments to step up and hit shots."
Lindsay Whalen led the Lynx with 22 points, Seimone Augustus added 17 and Tan White had 10 points off the bench for the Lynx (5-0).
"They do have a lot of heads to the snake," said Delle Donne about Minnesota's multiple threats.
Delle Donne, who came into the game averaging 23.5 points, was joined in double figures by Jessica Breland (16) while reserve Allie Quigley added a career-high 15 points for Chicago (4-1).
Delle Donne tied the game at 63-63 with a long jumper with 6:33 to play and added a put back for a 65-63 lead with 5:02 showing.
But the advantage didn't last as White had back-to-back scores to give the Lynx a lead it never relinquished at 67-65. Delle Donne launched an off-balance three-point try as time expired, but the potential game-tying shot missed.
Chicago was again without guard Epiphanny Prince, who was on the bench in street clothes for the second straight game after her return last week following a lengthy personal leave. The Sky were also still missing Sylvia Fowles, who is sidelined while recovering from a hip injury.
The Sky continue a five-game home stand on Friday against Connecticut. The Lynx host San Antonio on Friday in the first of a home-and-home series and continues next Sunday.
Whalen scored 12 points in the first half -- matching the combined 12 from Lynx top guns Moore and Augustus on the way to a 42-39 halftime lead.
Quigley had 10 points while Delle Donne, who was second in the league in scoring, was held without a point for nearly 10 minutes and closed the half with seven.
The Lynx used a 10-2 run with 8:26 left in the half to claim a 28-26 lead and made it 42-37 lead following Damiris Dantas' layup with 1:07 showing.
The Sky trailed 59-56 following Courtney Clements' jumper with 59 seconds left in the third. But Whalen's fade way jumper with 21 seconds left closed scoring, giving the Lynx a 61-56 lead.
Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press
 
 
 
 

2014 Regular Season Series

Series starts 5/26
» Mon 5/26 MIN 75, @ CHI 72Recap | Box Score
Aug 7, 2014 CHI @ MIN8:00 PM ET
Complete Schedule: Minnesota | Chicago

Next 5 Games

MinnesotaChicago
05/30 SA 8:00pm
06/01 @SA 4:30pm
06/06 @SEA 10:00pm
06/08 @LA 3:30pm
06/13 @ATL 7:30pm		 05/30 CONN 8:30pm
06/06 LA 8:30pm
06/07 @ATL 7:00pm
06/10 SEA 8:00pm
06/13 @WSH 7:00pm
Complete Schedule: Minnesota | Chicago
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Updated WNBA Scoreboard for the games of May 26,2014 from ESPN.GO.COM

As of 11:45PM,EDT/8:45PM,PDT



Final
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • T
(5-0, 3-0 away)
  • 16
  • 26
  • 19
  • 14
  • 75
(4-1, 3-1 home)
  • 19
  • 20
  • 17
  • 16
  • 72
 LynxSky
PtsWhalen222 tied16
RebMcCarville12Breland15
AstWhalen4Vandersloot10

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Current WNBA Standings as of the games of May 26,2014 from ESPN.GO.COM

As of 11:30PM,EDT/8:30PM,PDT




WNBA Regular Season Standings - 2014

Group: Conference | League
Season:
Eastern Conference
EasternWLPCTGBHOMEROAD PF PA STREAK L 10
Chicago 4 1 .800 - 3-1 1-0 78.0 70.4 Lost 1 4-1
Atlanta 2 2 .500 1 ½ 1-1 1-1 79.8 83.0 Lost 2 2-2
Washington 1 2 .333 2 0-2 1-0 73.7 75.0 Lost 1 1-2
New York 1 2 .333 2 0-1 1-1 74.0 73.3 Lost 2 1-2
Indiana 1 3 .250 2 ½ 0-2 1-1 76.0 80.0 Won 1 1-3
Connecticut 1 3 .250 2 ½ 1-1 0-2 70.0 75.5 Won 1 1-3
Western Conference
WesternWLPCTGBHOMEROAD PF PA STREAK L 10
Minnesota 5 0 1.000 - 2-0 3-0 87.0 82.2 Won 5 5-0
Phoenix 2 1 .667 2 1-1 1-0 76.3 70.3 Lost 1 2-1
Los Angeles 2 1 .667 2 1-1 1-0 77.3 68.3 Won 1 2-1
San Antonio 2 2 .500 2 ½ 1-0 1-2 73.8 78.0 Lost 1 2-2
Seattle 1 3 .250 3 ½ 0-1 1-2 66.3 74.3 Won 1 1-3
Tulsa 0 2 .000 3 ½ 0-1 0-1 84.5 87.0 Lost 2 0-2
Glossary
  • W: Wins
  • L: Losses
  • PCT: Win %
  • GB: Games Behind
  • HOME: Home Record
  • ROAD: Road Record
  • PF: Points For
  • PA: Points Against
  • STREAK: Win/Loss Streak
  • L 10: Last 10 Games
  • z - Clinched Conference
  • y - Clinched Division
  • x - Clinched Playoff Berth
  • e - Eliminated From Playoffs




WNBA
TeamsWLPCTGBHOMEROAD PF PA STREAK L 10
Minnesota 5 0 1.000 - 2-0 3-0 87.0 82.2 Won 5 5-0
Chicago 4 1 .800 1 3-1 1-0 78.0 70.4 Lost 1 4-1
Los Angeles 2 1 .667 2 1-1 1-0 77.3 68.3 Won 1 2-1
Phoenix 2 1 .667 2 1-1 1-0 76.3 70.3 Lost 1 2-1
San Antonio 2 2 .500 2 ½ 1-0 1-2 73.8 78.0 Lost 1 2-2
Atlanta 2 2 .500 2 ½ 1-1 1-1 79.8 83.0 Lost 2 2-2
New York 1 2 .333 3 0-1 1-1 74.0 73.3 Lost 2 1-2
Washington 1 2 .333 3 0-2 1-0 73.7 75.0 Lost 1 1-2
Seattle 1 3 .250 3 ½ 0-1 1-2 66.3 74.3 Won 1 1-3
Connecticut 1 3 .250 3 ½ 1-1 0-2 70.0 75.5 Won 1 1-3
Indiana 1 3 .250 3 ½ 0-2 1-1 76.0 80.0 Won 1 1-3
Tulsa 0 2 .000 3 ½ 0-1 0-1 84.5 87.0 Lost 2 0-2
Glossary
  • W: Wins
  • L: Losses
  • PCT: Win %
  • GB: Games Behind
  • HOME: Home Record
  • ROAD: Road Record
  • PF: Points For
  • PA: Points Against
  • STREAK: Win/Loss Streak
  • L 10: Last 10 Games
  • z - Clinched Conference
  • y - Clinched Division
  • x - Clinched Playoff Berth
  • e - Eliminated From Playoffs
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