LAKERS, SPURS, CELTICS COMPLETE CONFERENCE FINAL LINEUP
Well it took five game for the first team to emerge from the 2008 NBA Conference semi finals. That team was the Pistons. Still though that left three series still running to a Game 6 and least and the defending champion San Antonio Spurs were one of the teams staring down the barrel. In all three series all bets were still off, the teams that were losing the series had homecourt advantage in Game 6 but then they'd have to deal with Game 7 where anything can happen.
Starting out West, the Lakers faced the Jazz in Utah. The Lakers blitzed the early stages of the game and the best the Jazz could do in response was cut the deficit to one, the number 1 seed banking a double digit lead by the end of the first buzzer. Nothing much changed in the second quarter, in fact by half time it looked like the game and series was over already. The Lakers had held a lead of over 20 points and one point and Kobe grabbed 16 of them, the bottom line and the second buzzer was 62-43 Lakers.
The second half though was when the Jazz made a comeback attempt. The home side outscored the Lakers in the third quarter but it was only really a nibble and they still looked sunk with a quarter to go but in the fourth they seemed up for mission impossible, bombing the favourites from three point land late on and cutting the deficit down to two with only 13 seconds on the clock. They couldn't hit a buzzer beating three though and so, led by Kobe's 34 points and backed up by Pau Gasol's 17, Lakers won the game 108-105 and the series 4-2.
Elsewhere, the Hornets faced the Spurs in San Antonio. The early stages were close enough and the Hornets led 15-12 at one point before the end of the first buzzer the Spurs had taken over and though the Hornets bit into the lead in the second quarter but it wasn't enough. The Spurs stepped up again in the third and effectivly ended the contest before cruising the fourth, sending out that NBA cliche "not in our house" with Manu Ginobli leading with 25 points. Spurs won 99-80.
That forced a Game 7 in New Orleans. The first quarter was tight and the Hornets led 14-11 in the latter stages but the Spurs still managed to turn the game around before the first buzzer. The defending champions then got themselves some breathing space in the second quarter and kept the momentum going in the third. Credit to the Hornets for outscoring them in the fourth quarter but all it did was reduce the deficit to single digits. Ginobli led with 26 points backed up by Tony Parker on 17. Spurs won the game 91-81 and the series 4-3. They face the Lakers in the Western Conference finals.
In the East, the Celtics faced the Cavs in Cleveland. Well the first quarter was a tight affair with the Celts leading late on but the Cavs came back and the Celts beat the buzzer to leave it tied at 18 at the end of one. Celts lead 31-25 midway through the second only for the Cavs to turn the game round with a serious surge before half time. Both sides just kept things ticking over n the third before the Celts attempted a comeback in the fourth, the Celts came close but the Cavs stuck it out, LeBron leading them on 32 points to a 74-69 win.
That forced a Game 7 in Boston. The game was tied at four early on before the Celts scorched the Cavs for a period in the first quarter and though the visitors made a limited recovery, by half time they were definately on the ropes. They made a limited comeback in the third quarter and credit to LeBron from grabbing 45 points in the game but he couldn't win it on his own and though the Cavs came close late on, this was a green day. Paul Pierce grabbed 41 points to lead the Celtics to win the game 97-92 and the series 4-3. They face the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals.
