Thu May 1 13:06:31 2008

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Same old Spurs

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(Sports Network) - The defending world champion San Antonio Spurs are up to their old tricks once again, with their first back-to-back championships in franchise history appearing more than possible.

San Antonio knocked out two-time MVP Steve Nash and No. 6 Phoenix in five games in round one, dismissing the Suns with typical efficiency.

Every time the Suns, who scored over 100 points twice in the set, thought they had the answer, the Spurs went and changed the question. You'll recall that Phoenix acquired center Shaquille O'Neal from Miami in early February, hoping that he would be the missing link to help them finally beat the Spurs, the team that had knocked Mike D'Antoni's team out of the playoffs in two of the last three years.

Phoenix thought Shaq would give them an edge, and although O'Neal (15.2 points, 9.2 rebounds in the series) made an impact, San Antonio ultimately caused him to become a liability and won the chess match.

Tim Duncan and company disrupted Phoenix's offensive scheme by repeatedly putting O'Neal at the foul line, where he shot just 50 percent (32-of-64). The former All-Star also had to sit on the bench at key times because of his problems at the line.

Duncan did his usual stellar work against the Suns, as he averaged 24.8 points and 13.8 rebounds, and was not affected by the presence of either O'Neal or Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire, who registered 23.2 points and 9.0 boards in the five games but was not a factor defensively. Sixth Man of the Year Manu Ginobili averaged 18.2 points per game for the Spurs.

Meanwhile, Spurs point guard Tony Parker, the MVP of the 2007 Finals, had an unbelievable series against Phoenix. The 25-year-old Parker led the Spurs in scoring (29.6 ppg) and assists (7.0 apg), shooting 52.2 percent from the floor, including 50 percent from beyond the arc.

Perhaps more importantly, Parker contained Nash, who averaged 16.2 points and 7.8 assists. Nash was not able to keep up with San Antonio's lead guard, and was clearly frustrated by San Antonio's constant fouling of O'Neal. The 34- year-old Nash had trouble finding a rhythm the entire series.

With their series win the Spurs, in the playoffs for the 11th straight year, advanced to the West semis for the eighth straight postseason. San Antonio, which swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in last year's NBA Finals, has captured four world championships (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007) in the last nine years, with an eye towards its fifth title of the decade.

History is not necessarily on San Antonio's side, however. In years following their championships, the Spurs have never made it past the Western Conference semifinals. In 2000 they fell in the opening round to Phoenix, and lost in the semis to the Lakers in 2004 and Dallas in 2006.

The veteran Spurs will be put to the test in the semis by Chris Paul and Southwest Division-rival New Orleans. The youthful Hornets, who steamrolled Dallas in a five-game first-round series, come in as the second seed and have something to prove.

The dynamic Paul (24.6 ppg, 12.0 apg in the playoffs) and David West (22.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg) have been monsters in the postseason, while Tyson Chandler (7.2 pg, 11.2 rpg), Jannero Pargo (14.6 ppg) and Peja Stojakovic (15.6 ppg, 17-28 from three-point range) have done their part as well.

That said, San Antonio is built to win now. Its roster is full of veterans who have won titles and don't get flustered by the pressures of the postseason. The Spurs have brought their best to this year's playoffs, and that is bad news for Paul and the Hornets.

AVERY FOR D'ANTONI?

The Mavericks have relieved Avery Johnson of his head coaching duties, while rumors are flying that Mike D'Antoni may have coached his last game for the Suns as well. So, how about Johnson as the coach in Phoenix for the 2007-08 campaign, and D'Antoni calling the shots from the Dallas bench?

Phoenix is a fun team to watch, but their free-wheeling offensive style of play, with no defense, does not work come playoff time. Team president and general manager Steve Kerr reportedly would like to go back to a more traditional style of play, and that would make D'Antoni a bad fit.

Meanwhile, Dallas owner Mark Cuban is not satisfied with his team simply making the playoffs. The Mavs have been eliminated in the first round two years in a row, and that clearly does not sit well with Cuban.

Johnson would bring a more structured type of system to effectively change the way the Suns play, while D'Antoni's philosophy would breathe new life into the Mavericks.

D'Antoni in Dallas and Johnson with the Suns actually makes sense.