Finley saves Spurs from opening playoffs on road
SAN ANTONIO - Michael Finley didn't sneak away without a replay review this time. But there was no doubt he beat the buzzer on a 3-pointer that saved the San Antonio Spurs from starting the playoffs on the road for the first time since Tim Duncan was a rookie in 1998.
Just ask the New Orleans Hornets, who probably won't get it out of their heads anytime soon.
Finley's shot to force overtime in a 105-98 win over the spiraling Hornets on Wednesday night helped the Spurs clinch the Southwest Division and lock up the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
San Antonio will open the playoffs against Dallas on Saturday. The Hornets stumble into their postseason opener Sunday at Denver having lost six of eight.
On Sunday, Finley hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left at Sacramento _ even though replays show he clearly didn't get it off in time. But because shot-clock violations aren't reviewable, the play stood.
Before squaring up for his dagger to New Orleans, Finley said he didn't know what was at stake.
"That shot may have been a little bit bigger than I thought it was," Finley said.
Tim Duncan had 20 points and 19 rebounds and carried the Spurs in a brilliant overtime. His final five minutes included six rebounds, two assists and a block on Hornets star Chris Paul.
The jewel came on a turnaround, one-handed baseline jumper with 41.1 seconds left that pushed the lead to seven. David West scored 34 points for the Hornets, but fumed after Duncan sank that one.
It was possibly the most commanding performance from Duncan since the All-Star break, when his aching knees started to become a constant worry. Tony Parker led the Spurs with 29 points, and was serenaded with chants of "M-V-P!" as he sank free throws in the closing seconds to seal the unlikely win.
"That was the old Timmy," Parker said. "Just controlling the game."
The Hornets squandered a chance to claim the No. 6 seed. Tyson Chandler returned to the starting lineup for New Orleans for the first time since March, but even at full strength, the Hornets let this one slip away.
"This is kind of what we've been dealing with over the last month and a half," West said. "The teams we've been losing to and the teams we've been playing against have a few more guys to make plays. Guys are going to have to concentrate on basketball for this next _ whatever _ and just makes some plays for us."
It was the 16th division title for the Spurs, but their first since 2005-06.
Paul had 26 points and 14 assists for the Hornets, and ended the regular season as the NBA's leader in assists with an 11.0 average.
Mavericks 95, Rockets 84
At Dallas, Jason Kidd notched a triple-double with 11 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, and Jason Terry scored 14 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter for the Mavs.
Houston blew a 14-point lead and ended a five-game winning streak. The Rockets will be seeded fifth and open at Portland on Saturday night.
Yao Ming scored 23 points for Houston.
Trail Blazers 104, Nuggets 76
At Portland, Ore., Travis Outlaw scored 21 points and the Trail Blazers clinched home-court advantage in the first round. Portland hasn't been to the postseason since 2002-03.
The Nuggets finished the regular season 54-28 and tied the franchise record for wins, set in 1987-88.
Portland has won six straight and also finished 54-28 in the Northwest Division.
Raptors 109, Bulls 98
At Chicago, Shawn Marion scored a season-high 34 points, Chris Bosh had 19 rebounds while scoring 21, and Toronto ended the Bulls' five-game winning streak.
The Bulls wound up with the seventh seed in the East and a first-round matchup with defending champion Boston starting Saturday.
Derrick Rose finished with 20 points and 11 assists and Ben Gordon scored 23 for Chicago.
76ers 111, Cavaliers 110, OT
At Cleveland, the Cavs rested LeBron James and several other regulars and failed to match the all-time best home record in the NBA, falling to 39-1
Cleveland just missed tying the 1985-86 Boston Celtics' record of 40-1.
Andre Miller scored 30 points and Andre Iguodala 24 for the Sixers, who snapped a six-game losing streak. Philadelphia earned the No. 6 spot in the East and will meet Orlando beginning Sunday.
Daniel Gibson scored 28 for the Cavaliers, the No. 1 overall seed. Cleveland will play Detroit in the first round starting Saturday.
Celtics 115, Wizards 107
At Boston, Eddie House sank five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and Boston won without its three top players. House had 20 points and set a single-season club record with a 44.4 percentage on 3-pointers.
Caron Butler scored a season-high 39 points, but couldn't keep the Wizards from matching their worst record for an 82-game season, 19-63, last in the East.
Paul Pierce and Ray Allen rested and Kevin Garnett missed his 22nd game in 26 with a sprained right knee but could be ready for the playoff opener.
Magic 98, Bobcats 73
At Orlando, Fla., Tony Battie had 21 points and Mickael Pietrus scored 19 for the Magic. Dwight Howard had 10 points and 12 rebounds in limited minutes to help Orlando snap its season-long three-game losing streak without starting forwards Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis.
Raymond Felton had 13 points, and Nazr Mohammed added 12 for the Bobcats (35-47), who finished with the best record in franchise history.
Heat 102, Pistons 96
At Miami, Chris Quinn made a 3-pointer late in overtime to give the Heat the lead and Dwyane Wade wrapped up the NBA scoring title while sitting out of the victory.
Quinn scored a career-best 26 points.
Michael Beasley scored 12 of his 22 points in the first quarter for Miami, but left midway through the third after getting hit near the right eye by the Pistons' Amir Johnson.
Kwame Brown finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds for Detroit.
No. 5 Miami will start the playoffs at No. 4 Atlanta on Sunday night.
Grizzlies 98, Hawks 90
At Memphis, Tenn., O.J. Mayo scored 26 points, Rudy Gay added 20, and Marc Gasol finished with 19 points for the Grizzlies.
Flip Murray led the Hawks with 29 points and Maurice Evans chipped in 21 points.
Starters Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby, Al Horford and Marvin Williams sat out for the Hawks.
Pacers 115, Bucks 108
At Indianapolis, Danny Granger scored 35 points, and the Pacers overcame a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Granger scored 16 points in the fourth in his 23rd 30-point game of the season. He also had nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
Richard Jefferson led the Bucks with 31 points.
Kings 97, Timberwolves 90
At Minneapolis, Ike Diogu had 28 points and 13 rebounds to help Sacramento finish a sorry season with a victory.
Diogu topped 20 points in two straight games for the first time in his career for the Kings (17-65), who finished with the NBA's worst record.
Craig Smith scored 18 points in 18 minutes for the Wolves. Minnesota (24-58) finished with 13 victories on the road and only 11 at home, the only team in the league with a better record on the road.
Knicks 102, Nets 73
At New York, David Lee had 12 points and 12 rebounds for his NBA-best 65th double-double. Wilson Chandler scored 16 points for the Knicks, who finished coach Mike D'Antoni's first season with a 32-50 record.
New York completed its fifth straight season without a playoff appearance. The Knicks will enter next season tied with Minnesota for the longest playoff drought.
Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 18 for the Nets, who sat out top players Devin Harris (sore left shoulder) and Vince Carter (sprained right big toe).
Suns 117, Warriors 113
At Phoenix, Grant Hill completed his most durable pro season by scoring 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for the Suns. Hill, plagued by injuries throughout his 15 NBA seasons, appeared in all 82 games for the first time in his career. His 27 points matched his season high.
Leandro Barbosa added 18 points for the Suns, who failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
Anthony Morrow wrapped up his strong rookie season with 33 points and 12 rebounds for the Warriors.
Thunder 126, Clippers 85
At Los Angeles, Kevin Durant had 26 points, Jeff Green added 19, and Oklahoma City led by as many as 33 in the third quarter.
The win came after the Thunder announced interim coach Scott Brooks as the team's head coach heading into next season.
Los Angeles stumbled to the finish line and did so without coach Mike Dunleavy, who was ejected in the third after arguing a call with an official.
Eric Gordon had 22 points to lead the Clippers, who finished 19-63, only their eighth-worst record in franchise history.
A service of the Associated Press(AP)