Lakers punish Suns in game 1 of the Western Conference Finals

LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant dribbled toward the Lakers' bench, luring Channing Frye and Jason Richardson along with him. Bryant leaned back and launched a feather-soft jumper over Phoenix's double team, neatly beating the first-quarter buzzer.

That's about when the Suns should have noted the bright yellow brace on Bryant's right knee is the color of a caution sign.

Even with a balky knee and a litany of additional woes, Bryant still is among the most dangerous postseason scorers in NBA history -- and he had no problem giving Los Angeles an early leg up in the Western Conference finals.

Bryant scored 40 points, Lamar Odom added 19 points and 19 rebounds, and the Lakers opened the series with ruthless offensive efficiency in a 128-107 victory on Monday night.

"Just being aggressive, playing my game," Bryant said. "Got shots, took them. Got lanes to the basket, took them."

Pau Gasol had 21 points for the top-seeded Lakers, who won their seventh straight playoff game and snapped the Suns' six-game streak with a phenomenal second half, highlighted by Bryant's 21-point third quarter. He barely stepped on the Lakers' practice court during the past week to rest his ailing knee, ankle, finger and back -- all minor impediments to a major talent.

"I practice so much during the season," Bryant said. "In the offseason, I work a lot. To take a week off, I'm not going to lose all the work I put in prior to that."


The defending NBA champions beat the third-seeded Suns at their own uptempo game when necessary, fluidly running the court to set up baskets for Bryant in his sixth straight 30-point game. Bryant then rested for most of the fourth quarter in the 11th 40-point game of his playoff career.

"They played great, one of the best games I've seen them play in the playoffs this season," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "Kobe kind of controlled the whole game. I thought we could have withstood the game that he had ... but when he's making his jumper like that, there's not a whole lot you can do about it."

Game 2 is Wednesday night at Staples Center.

Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points and Steve Nash had 13 points and 13 assists for the Suns, who hadn't lost since April 24. Robin Lopez started at center and scored 14 points in his playoff debut, but Phoenix couldn't keep up with the champs' height and 58-percent shooting in the Suns' first conference finals appearance since 2006.

Los Angeles committed just nine turnovers in Game 1 -- its third straight single-digit turnover game -- while outrebounding the smaller Suns 42-34.

"They're probably going to continue to be taller than us as the series goes on, so we've got to ... make everything as tough as possible," said Nash, whose injured eye didn't bother him. "We played hard, but we didn't make enough shots, and we had a few too many breakdowns."

Both teams swept their second-round series to earn their third postseason date in five years, but the Lakers didn't allow a week off to affect their remarkable execution. They scored easily and often, even with center Andrew Bynum managing just four points while playing shakily on his own sore knee.

After a 62-point first half for the Lakers, Bryant alternated jumpers and strong drives while Los Angeles pulled away, making a 13-2 run in the third quarter. His 13-for-23 shooting performance included three 3-pointers and 11 free throws with just one miss.

"Kobe carried a lot of the offense tonight, no doubt," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "I will say he was going to shoulder the game. He was going to take it on. He's been very optimistic through the whole week. He felt like he had the amount of rest and shooting he had to have. He was attentive and involved [in practice]."

The Suns sent Bryant, Odom and the Lakers home for the summer in 2006 and 2007, and Los Angeles' veterans acknowledged a measure of revenge in their minds -- as long as they're healthy enough to do it.

Jackson revealed before the game that Bryant's right knee was drained "a while ago," moving it to the top of the injury list for last season's NBA finals MVP. But Bryant showed no ill effects, and he even bounced back up after hitting his head on Richardson's knee during a drive in the first quarter.

"He's the best scorer in the league," said Odom, who set a career playoff high for rebounds in his most assertive game of the current postseason. "Drives, fadeaways with his back to the basket, inside-outside, with his left hand. Time off is exactly what he needed."

Associated Press

Yankees beat Boston with a walk off thriller

NEW YORK -- Javier Vazquez made his first relief appearance in four years. Marcus Thames got the third game-ending hit of his career.

Only Alex Rodriguez was used to this sort of late-inning madness.

"We did it the hard way today," the slugger said.

Rodriguez hit a tying homer off Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth inning and Thames connected moments later for a two-run shot of his own, giving the New York Yankees a wild 11-9 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night.

With one out and a runner on third, Rodriguez hit the first pitch into the visitors' bullpen in left-center to tie it at 9. Papelbon (1-3) got Robinson Cano to fly out but hit Francisco Cervelli with a pitch before Thames drove his next delivery over the wall in left.

"I knew I had that one," Thames said. "I've hit a few and that one felt pretty good."

The Yankees newcomer was mobbed at home plate after New York's first game-ending hit of the season. He also got the customary cream pie in the face from pitcher A.J. Burnett, part of the routine when the Yankees had 15 game-ending hits last year.

"I think that's the feeling we had all last year," Rodriguez said. "We're at home. Until the last out is collected we think we're going to win."

Vazquez (2-4) got a most unlikely victory, striking out Kevin Youkilis with runners on the corners for the final out of the ninth. Yankees manager Joe Girardi only went to the struggling starter for his third career relief appearance because his depleted bullpen was without David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain.

"I really don't know what I'm doing out there as a reliever," said Vazquez, who last came out of the bullpen on July 9, 2006, for the Chicago White Sox against Boston. "I just tried to make good pitches against him."

The Red Sox hit five homers but still lost their eighth consecutive game at Yankee Stadium, their longest road skid against New York since dropping eight straight from 1960-61. Victor Martinez connected from both sides of the plate, and David Ortiz, J.D. Drew and Youkilis also went deep.

"It's not what you're looking for, but it happens," Ortiz said. "We'll come back and play tomorrow; there's nothing else you can do."

It was Papelbon's first blown save in the regular season since July 28, snapping a streak of 22 straight conversions. The only other time he allowed two homers in a game was to Minnesota's Justin Morneau and Jacque Jones in his major league debut on July 31, 2005, according to STATS LLC.

"Flat fastballs, poorly executed pitches on my behalf," he said. "Usually in those situations bad things happen."

Rodriguez also had a two-run single off Daisuke Matsuzaka in New York's five-run first, its biggest opening inning of the season. Cano had an RBI single and Cervelli doubled in a run, improving to 11 for 14 with runners in scoring position.

But it wasn't enough as Phil Hughes struggled for the first time this season and New York's makeshift bullpen couldn't hold on after the right-hander departed with a 7-5 lead following five sluggish innings.

Girardi skirted a question before the game about which relievers were available, and his best ones barely stirred as Boston roughed up Boone Logan and Chan Ho Park, just activated from the disabled list.

Youkilis connected for a go-ahead, two-run homer against Park in the eighth. Martinez then hit a long drive that cleared the Yankees' bullpen in right-center, giving Boston a 9-7 lead.

Martinez became the sixth Boston player to homer from each side in the same game. It was the third time he accomplished the feat, and his fourth career multi-homer game overall. His shot off Logan in the sixth snapped an 0-for-19 skid.

"Victor's going to hit," Ortiz said. "It's just a matter of time."

Looking for balance in his lineup, Red Sox manager Terry Francona tinkered with his batting order and got exactly what he was looking for -- except for a win.

Ortiz reached the second deck in right in the fourth for his sixth homer this month and seventh overall. Drew hit a three-run shot off Hughes in the fifth. Martinez's multi-homer game was his first since June 1, 2007, for Cleveland against Detroit.

Matsuzaka, however, allowed seven runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.

"He settled down a little bit but after you give up five in the first, anything you give up after that hurts," Francona

Associated Press

Hawks part ways with Woodson

The Atlanta Hawks made significant improvement under Mike Woodson. They just wondered how much farther he could take them.

Woodson was let go as coach of the Hawks on Friday, just four days after the team was swept in the second round of the playoffs by the Orlando Magic.

General manager Rick Sund, after consulting with the ownership group, decided not to offer Woodson a new contract. So ended a six-year coaching tenure in which the Hawks won just 13 games in his first season, then improved their record every year since -- including three straight playoff appearances.

Atlanta won 53 games this season, the most since 1996-97, and captured the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. But that wasn't enough to save Woodson's job, especially when the Hawks were routed by the Magic in the most lopsided four-game sweep in NBA history.

Sund held a morning meeting with Woodson to inform him of the decision.

"In this case, Woody has been here six years and had basically been the only voice that many of these players had heard," the GM said. "The shelf life for coaches and management in the NBA is short, particularly for coaches, maybe two or three years. In Woody's case, he has gone six. The compelling thought for me was maybe it's right for a change."

Sund believes a new coach might be able to take the Hawks to even higher levels, even though he acknowledged it was a risk to dump a coach coming off a playoff appearance.

The Hawks improved each year under Mike Woodson, having made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons.

"Sometimes in professional sports, change is good -- not only for the individual, but for the organization," he said. "Hey, it was a tough decision any way you go. If it doesn't turn out, it's the wrong decision. If it turns out, maybe it was the right decision, I don't know."

Woodson declined to comment on his ouster when reached by The Associated Press.

"I'm just going to take some time and go away and clear my head," he said. "I just want to get away."

The firing of Woodson was the first move in a busy offseason for the Hawks. In addition to hiring a new coach, the team must deal with the possible loss of its best player, Joe Johnson, who will become a free agent this summer.

A four-time All-Star, Johnson didn't sound enthusiastic about returning to Atlanta after a dismal series against the Magic and a run-in with the fans over a 30-point home loss in Game 3.

If Johnson returns, the next coach of the Hawks will inherit plenty of talent. Two players (Johnson and Al Horford) were selected for the All-Star Game, Josh Smith is one of the league's best defensive players and Jamal Crawford won the NBA's Sixth Man Award.

Woodson felt he deserved a chance to return after the Hawks became just the seventh team in NBA history to win more games than the previous season for five straight years.

But it was clear that some players had tuned him out, especially in the playoffs. Atlanta struggled to beat a short-handed Milwaukee team in the opening round, rallying from a 3-2 deficit to win in seven games. Then came a total rout in the conference semifinals.

Orlando won the opening game by 43 points, then handed the Hawks the franchise's worst home playoff loss in Game 3, a 105-75 blowout. The Magic won the four games by a total of 101 points -- and average margin of 25.3.

Center Zaza Pachulia said Woodson deserved credit for the team's progress but eventually became a victim of the increased expectations.

"We grew up as a team and as players. He helped a lot of players get better," Pachulia told the AP. "But when you get better, you want even more. I think we're in the stage now where it's not about progress. It's about winning a championship."

If the Hawks seek an experienced coach, Avery Johnson and Byron Scott could be on their list of candidates. If they decide to go with an assistant, former Hawks player Tyrone Corbin might be considered; he works on the staff of highly respected Utah coach Jerry Sloan. Another possibility is TNT broadcaster and former coach Doug Collins.

Woodson has been mentioned as a potential candidate in Philadelphia should Larry Brown take control of the 76ers' front office. The 69-year-old Brown hasn't decided whether to return for a third season as coach of the Charlotte Bobcats.

Woodson worked as an assistant for Brown in Detroit before landing his first head coaching job with the Hawks. He came to Atlanta preaching hard-nosed defense, but some complained that he lacked imagination on the offensive end, even as the team kept adding talented players and improving every season.

Smith, Horford and Marvin Williams were first-round picks. Johnson was acquired in a sign-and-trade deal with Phoenix. Crawford and Mike Bibby were picked up in trades that didn't cost much.

There's still room to grow under the next coach. The Hawks had the lowest payroll of any playoff team, and were the only squad that reached the final eight without paying the luxury tax.

"Our goal is to be an elite team," co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. said. "We've got a great nucleus right now. And we've got respect, which is key."

Associated Press

Celtics continue to roll, take game one of the Eastern Conference Finals

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orlando Magic finally met their match in the playoffs.

Ray Allen scored 25 points, Paul Pierce had 22 and the Boston Celtics used smothering defense to beat the Magic 92-88 on Sunday in the Eastern Conference finals opener.

Rasheed Wallace added 13 points as the Celtics built a 20-point lead, then held on late to snap Orlando's 14-game winning streak.

Vince Carter had 23 points and Jameer Nelson finished with 20 for Orlando, which cut the lead to two in the final seconds but simply ran out of time, looking rusty after a six-day layoff. Dwight Howard was limited to 13 points and 12 rebounds, nowhere near the dominant force the Magic need to win a title.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night in Orlando.

Two years removed from an NBA title, the revived Celtics might be a little grayer and perhaps a little slower than their paralyzing defense of old. But, healthy again, maybe not as much as some once thought.

"We're old. So I think a lot of our guys during the regular season with the injuries and stuff, it was very difficult," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "It's tough to work on your defense when guys don't practice. It's tough to practice when you only have eight guys at practice."

The Celtics built a 15-point lead in the second quarter and watched it fizzle with Howard on the bench. Backup Marcin Gortat had two layups and a dunk to help the Magic end the half with Boston ahead 41-32.

Nelson had two quick 3-pointers and another jumper to start the third, moving the Magic within three points. Then it all unraveled.

The Celtics went on a 22-5 run later in the quarter to go ahead 65-45, and a crowd littered with blue and white T-shirts -- deafening at times with noise clickers and claps -- was silenced. But the Magic rallied late to cut the lead to three with 26 seconds remaining in the fourth on a dunk by Howard.

After Pierce made two free throws, Carter was fouled driving to the hoop. He made the first, then missed the second intentionally as Nelson swooped in for the tip to make it 90-88. But Allen followed with two free throws with 6.1 seconds left to seal the Celtics' victory.

"We played hard in the paint," Allen said. "We forced them to take shots from the perimeter, but we always got a hand up in their face."

The Magic's run simply ran out of time, even if the Celtics seem to be turning back the clock.

Showing no signs of age, the Celtics outhustled and outmuscled the Magic at every step defensively. They pushed and pulled their way around the paint, slowing Howard for most of the game.

That bruising Boston basketball frustrated the Magic and their Superman, emotions pouring out all over the court. Howard and Wallace got tangled up in the third -- one of many times in this one -- and were whistled for double technicals after swinging their arms away.

The sweat pouring from their faces, Kevin Garnett and Co. stifled the Magic as well as anyone in these playoffs, holding them to 32 points in the opening half. A Celtics team that downed LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the last round seems as rejuvenated as ever, ready to give the Magic -- who swept through the first two rounds -- their toughest test yet.

-Associated Press

Celtics move on as Lebron is left to answer questions about his future

BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics sent LeBron James and the Cavaliers back to Cleveland to admire all of their regular-season accomplishments and ponder their future.

It's the Celtics who are still in the chase for an NBA title.

Kevin Garnett scored 22 points and added 12 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo had 21 points and 12 assists to beat Cleveland 94-85 in Game 6 on Thursday night and advance to the Eastern Conference finals. They'll play the Orlando Magic, who are undefeated in the playoffs.

"Winning is gratifying," Garnett said. "You're playing the best team in basketball; the challenge is there; you don't have to dress it up. One thing we don't lack is confidence. We're a veteran team and we understand when it's time to lock in as a group. I think we did just that. I think the experience is taking over."


Despite his sixth career playoff triple-double, James is headed for another early offseason after winning a second MVP award and leading the Cavs to an NBA-best 61 wins and a home-court advantage they never got to use.

"The fact that it's over right now is definitely a surprise to me," James said. "A friend of mine told me, 'I guess you've got to go through a lot of nightmares before you realize your dream.' That's what's going on for me individually right now."

This offseason is destined to define the future of the franchise -- and the rest of the NBA, too.

The LeBron watch began at 10:53 p.m., when Rondo dribbled out the last 14 seconds and the Celtics began celebrating their 4-2 victory in the best-of-seven series. James is eligible to opt out of his contract this summer, a move that would make the two-time MVP -- and zero-time NBA champion -- a free agent and set off a scramble for his services from New York to Miami to Los Angeles and, of course, back in Cleveland.

"I want to win. That's my only thing, my only concern," James said. "I've always prided myself -- it's all about winning for me and I think the Cavs are committed to doing that. But at the same time, I've given myself options to this point. Me and my team, we have a game plan that we'll execute and we'll see where we're at."

James scored 27 points with 10 assists, and his 19 rebounds matched a career-high and were the most he's ever had in a playoff game. But he also had nine turnovers, and he may have been hobbled by an elbow injury that limited him to dunks and short jumpers, going 8 for 21 from the floor overall.

"I just told him, 'Keep your head up, man. I've been there,'" said Garnett, who was a star without a title in Minnesota for more than a decade before joining the Celtics and leading them to their NBA-record 17th championship in 2008. "'You have a very, very, very bright future. Continue to work and make decisions based on you and your family."

Mo Williams scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half for the Cavaliers.

Boston's Paul Pierce scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half after playing just nine minutes -- and shooting 1-for-5 -- in the first with foul trouble. The Celtics had missed their first eight 3-point attempts when Pierce hit a 3 that gave them a 65-58 lead with 4:06 left in the third.

It was 67-61 when Rasheed Wallace hit a 3-pointer, and then Ray Allen stole James' pass and got the ball to Pierce for another 3 that completed a 16-4 run.

James hadn't made an outside shot before hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to cut it to four points, 78-74, early in the fourth quarter and force the Celtics to call a timeout. But Rondo drove for a layup, then set Pierce up for another 3. Pierce found Wallace for a 3-pointer and then Tony Allen's steal led to a Garnett dunk at the other end that sent the Cavaliers into a timeout to regroup, down 88-74 with 5:53 left in their season.

"You knew it was coming at some point with LeBron," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who reminded his players that they weren't good enough to take over the game. "That's what that timeout was about: to remind them that we can't do that, what LeBron was doing."

It was the second straight year Cleveland has finished the regular-season with the No. 1 overall seed, and the second in a row that they have failed to get out of the East. Last year, they lost to Orlando in the conference finals, an exit that left James so shaken he skulked off the court without shaking hands.

This year, he might not stop until he finds himself in a new city.

James seemed like he couldn't wait to slip off his Cavaliers jersey, pulling it off as soon as he reached the tunnel to the locker room. He casually flipped it to an attendant moments after he walked into the dressing room.

Brown said he wasn't ready to think about the future yet.

"Obviously, he's a heck of a talent and a great guy," he said. "But right now we just lost the series. I'm not thinking of that. It wouldn't be fair to everyone in that locker room to think beyond tonight."

Brown's future with the Cavs, too, appears uncertain. After a second straight postseason flameout, there's no guarantee management will bring him back for a sixth season.

Same goes for the hired guns brought in to help James. Shaquille O'Neal finished his first -- and maybe last -- season with the Cavaliers with 11 points against the Celtics. Antawn Jamison, acquired at the trade deadline from Washington, had five points.

The sold-out Boston crowd taunted James' every free throw with a chant of "New York Knicks!" and fans wore Knicks jerseys with his name on them. The only "M-V-P!" cheers were not for James, who was the league's best player in the regular season, but for Rondo, who was the best player in this series.

Associated Press

Lebron pulls a dissapearing act, Celtics smash the Cavs in a pivotal game 5

CLEVELAND (NBA.com exclusive) -- Three times Boston out-hustled Cleveland to secure an offensive rebound, and three times Celtics guard Ray Allen immediately followed with a 3-pointer.

In the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Celtics and Cavaliers, it's all just been a matter of who wants it more.

Right now, that honor belongs to the old pros from the one of the league's oldest franchises, as the visiting Celtics took a commanding 3-2 series lead with a 120-88 hammer job of the Cavs on Tuesday night.

Yes, it really is commanding, considering Game 6 is Thursday night -- in Boston. It's true that the Cavs already won there once in this series (Game 3), but it would be fair to wonder if they have the motivation to do it again. When it has meant the most, LeBron James and the Cavs have been playing their worst.

A lot of credit for that belongs to the Celtics, who just keep finding a way to not only win, but drive the point home. More than at any other time this season, they are displaying the passion, effort and all-around team play that resulted in a championship two seasons ago.

Not surprisingly, the men who led that previous run -- veterans such as Allen (25 points), Paul Pierce (21 points, 11 rebounds) and Kevin Garnett (18 points) -- are the same stars who are leading this one. Throw in point guard Rajon Rondo (16 points, seven assists), and some strong post play off the bench from Glen Davis (15 points), and these Celtics look every bit as good as the 2008 version.

That's especially true now that Pierce returned to form after four mostly off games. On Tuesday, he resembled his old self -- not only on offense, but in helping force LeBron James into a miserable 3-for-14 shooting performance and 15 measly points. That included zero field goals in the first half.

"The veterans are the key," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "The vets, they've been here before."

For the Celtics, nothing has been overly fancy, Rivers implied. It's just a more polished version of what they had been trying to do during the entire regular season.

"We were just sharing the ball, running our stuff," Rivers said. "We are who we are. We don't need anyone to play hero basketball. We have to be a team. We're good when we're a team."

That was on full display Tuesday, when the Celtics out-rebounded the Cavs (41-31), out-passed them (25-20 in assists) and took considerably better care of the ball (10 turnovers to the Cavs' 17).

And when it came to defending, it was a big no contest, as the Celtics shot a sizzling 55 percent, compared to a miserable 42 percent for the Cavs.

But even those numbers hardly tell how much of a blowout this really was, with Cavs fans loudly booing the home team midway through the third quarter. They only relented long enough to head for the exits much too early in the fourth.

James, who has been playing most of the playoffs with a strained elbow, wasn't the only Cavalier to struggle. Antawn Jamison, acquired in a late-season trade to help the Cavs win their first title, scored just nine points and didn't attempt a free throw. Also, starting point guard Mo Williams continued to labor, both in shooting the ball and in trying to defend Rondo.

"I missed a lot of open shots that I normally make," James said. "You don't see that out of me a lot so when it happens, it's a big surprise."

About the only good the Cavs could take out of this was the performance of Shaquille O'Neal (21 points, 7-for-11 shooting). That, and despite appearances, this series isn't actually over until someone wins four games.

Even Garnett knows that much.

"We cannot come back here," Garnett said. "We have to think this is our Game 7 coming up and we cannot afford to have the best team in the league have a Game 7 on their floor. Just not possible."

That said, James and the Cavs understand what they are up against. Winning twice on the other team's home floor in the same series isn't unachievable (the Celtics have proven that), it's just not exactly how you want to go about doing things.

"Our backs are against the wall," James said. "We've won on that floor before and we've got to get it done."

- NBA.COm

Phoenix Suns advance to the Western Conference Finals

SAN ANTONIO -- Steve Nash's right eye was swollen shut. He had six stitches beneath a bandage on his eyebrow, while the purplish lump was darkening another shade.

And that fourth quarter?

"I couldn't see anything," Nash said.

One good eye was plenty.

Nash scored 10 of his 20 points while his eye gradually shut more and more in the fourth, and the Phoenix Suns swept the San Antonio Spurs from the Western Conference semifinals with a 107-101 win Sunday night. It was long-awaited redemption for the Suns, who had been booted from the playoff by the Spurs four times since 2003.

"That was ugly," Suns forward Channing Frye said walking off the court.

He wasn't talking about Nash's eye, though it would've fit. Nash was accidentally struck by one of Tim Duncan's elbows in the third quarter and briefly went to the locker room.

Nash came back with an ice pack on his eye when he finally returned to the court. Even then, it wasn't back into the game right away -- first he lay on the court with the ice still on his head.

"He looked like Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini," Suns forward Grant Hill said. "It forced him to focus 'cuz he was shooting out of one eye."

It was reminiscent of the 2007 West semifinals, when Nash had his nose sliced open when he and Tony Parker collided head-to-head in Game 1. The gash in Nash's nose bled profusely, and the Suns went on to lose the series.

Not this time.

"Obviously I'm very sad and very mad that we lost, but at the same time I'm happy for Nash and [Amare] Stoudemire," Parker said. "Because every year they played hard against us and it never went their way. This year, it went their way."

Stoudemire led the Suns with 29 points. He is the only Suns player who was on each of those Spurs-ousted teams over the last seven years, but rather than rejoice, Stoudemire coolly walked off the court.

The Suns still have work to do.

They'll either play the Los Angeles Lakers or the Utah Jazz in the West finals. The Lakers lead that series 3-0, and no team in NBA playoff history has ever come back from that deficit to win.

Add these Spurs to that list.

"We thought from our past experience that we could do some things to control the series, but they just outplayed us," Duncan said. "All in all, they just outplayed us."

The Suns are keeping one of the more remarkable stories of the playoffs going. Three months after Phoenix was on the brink of trading Stoudemire and calling it a season, the Suns are returning to the West finals for the first time since 2006.

General manager Steve Kerr has said it would've taken an offer "really good for us to break up the team," and good thing it never came along.

Phoenix sealed its third trip to the West finals since 2005, and gets another crack at returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993.

Parker scored 22 points to lead the Spurs, who were swept out of the playoffs for the first time since 2001. It was an abrupt ending for the Spurs, who will have a summer to chew on some uncomfortable questions facing the winningest franchise of the last 13 years.

Any season that doesn't end with a ring is a failure for the four-time champions. The three years since their last title is in an eternity in San Antonio and, as been the case since the 2007 Finals, time isn't on the side of their aging core.

Manu Ginobili, who will be 33 next season, signed a three-year extension in March. Duncan will be 35 when his contract is up in 2012. But could the Spurs part with Parker, who enters the summer with an expiring deal and a cheaper replacement behind him in Hill?

Back at the All-Star break, it was the Suns who were thinking about the future when a Stoudemire trade seemed imminent. The Suns instead kept the team together, and Stoudemire got to enjoy Phoenix beating the Spurs in the playoffs for the first time since 2000.

"It feels great, but the past is the past," Nash said. "It's definitely rewarding to beat the Spurs. For me personally, it feels great. I have a tremendous amount of respect for this franchise."

Associated Press