PISTONS, CAVS, SPURS COMPLETE CONFERENCE FINALS LINEUP

 

 

In the East, the Pistons vs Bulls series hadn't gone quite to plan for the Pistons. Or at least not the plan they'd had after winning Games 1 and 2 in Detroit. The number 1 seed only pulled off Game 3 in Chicago by the skin of their teeth but still, a sweep was on the cards...untill the Bulls rallied to win Game 4 and force Game 5...where the rising force made complete idiots of the Pistons in Detroit. So, back to Chicago for Game 6 with the Bulls having a chance to force Game 7.

Well the Bulls started as they meant to go on and it took a couple of minute for the Pistons to take their first lead. Once they'd done that though they led for most of the quarter, and even though the Bulls turned it round, the Pistons ended the first quarter 28-23 up. In the 2nd quarter the Pistons lead stretched to seven but the Bulls first tied the game and the Pistons broke with PJ Brown hitting the crucial shots, Bulls up 48-43 at half time.

The Pistons tied the game early on in the third, then took the lead(the Bulls leading for the last time at 49-48)and then surged away with Chauncey Billups taking care of business as the Bulls ended the third with a solid lead. A 4th quarter comeback by the Bulls might have been workable but you can't win a basketball game if you can't shoot straight and no one on the home side could put the ball in the basket for large periods of the final quarter. Bulls won the game 95-85 and the series 4-2. The Bulls have still made their mark though.

Elsewhere, the Cavs vs Nets series was also coming to a head. The Cavs won the first two games in Cleveland prettysmoothly but once the series hit New Jersey things were going to get tricky and sure enough, the Nets won Game 3. The Cavs won Game 4 and must have thought they'd win Game 5 in Cleveland but no, the Nets won that game to stay alive and force a Game 6 in New Jersey. Once again it was do or die for the Nets, this was "not in our house" time.

Well no one made any great surges at the start of the game and the Nets led 11-9 in the middle of the first quarter only for LeBron James to take over as the Cavs dominated the second half of the opening quarter. The Nets kept things ticking over in the second quarter but the first half was already a write off! The Cavs led by more than 20 at one point. The Nets cut partially into that deficit but the Cavs still led 53-38 at half time and Nets fans would have feared the worst.

What they got was a weakened Cavs team due to foul trouble and the Nets just tucked in, cutting the lead first down to single figures and then down to one point with the Cavs offence non-existent. The Cavs were competitive again in the fourth quarter though and though the Nets kept it tight for a bit, the Cavs ended the game on another surge with rookie guard Daniel Gibson putting on a good showing as the Nets found themselves battered all over again. Cavs won the game 88-72 to give this generation a first appearance in the Eastern Conference finals with a 4-2 series win.

Out in the West, the Jazz had made the Conference finals, but the Suns and Spurs were still duking it out. The Spurs had nicked home court advantage off the Suns by winning Game 1 in Phoenix and though the Suns wom Game 2, once the series switched to San Antonio, the Spurs won Game 3. However the Suns took Game 4 to turn it into a three gamer. However the Suns lost home court advatage yet again when the Spurs won Game 5 in Phoenix. So the Spurs looked till win the series with Game 6 in San Antonio.

Another tight first quarter, the Suns having the early edge and even witth battle fully engaged they came back to lead 19-15 at one point in the first quarter but the Spurs came back and the opening quarter ended tied at 23. The Spurs kept fighting throughout the 2nd quarter with both sides matching each other for class. The Suns still had the edge late on in the half but a Manu Ginobli three pointer was crucial in securing a 53-51 half time lead.

The Suns were competitive early on in the third quarter and led 59-58 at one point but then the Spurs took over, the Suns hitting a brick wall in the form of Tim Duncan. The lead hit double figures before the end of that quarter and the home side kept things ticking over early on in the fourth and were up by 20 before the Suns attempted a comeback but though they cut the deficit down to single figures, they weren't able to get within a posession and the Spurs won the game 114-106 and the series 4-2.

Now for the Conference finals.