Utah Jazz guard Derek Fisher showed up at halftime of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, too late to save his team's season.
He had spent the afternoon in New York, to be with his 10-month-old daughter as she underwent chemotherapy treatments for eye cancer.
But the way fellow guard Deron Williams sees it, Utah's pitiful performance in the Spurs' 109-84 series-clinching victory Wednesday had less to do with which Jazz players showed up late and more to do with those who failed to show up at all.
"There were some guys that were already on vacation," Williams said. "Point blank. On vacation. A long time ago."
Williams declined to name names.
Via San Antonio Express-News
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Tim Duncan headed to the bench for a well-deserved break. Only nine minutes into Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, he already had the Spurs well on their way to another NBA finals berth.
"Good job," coach Gregg Popovich said blandly, not even making eye contact.
Duncan nodded slightly and took his seat.
The Spurs aren't flashy and don't brag. They just win, especially in odd-numbered years, and the display they put on at the start of their 109-84 victory over the Jazz on Wednesday night should serve as a warning to the Pistons and Cavaliers what one of them will be facing when the championship round begins next week.
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Turns out the biggest adjustment the Spurs made for Game 4 was shortening the bench. Brent Barry didn't play at all, and Francisco Elson got in for only the final 27 seconds of the first half. That meant more minutes for Fabricio Oberto (37:09) and Manu Ginobili (34:57).
The Spurs' Argentine connection paid big dividends in the victory in the pivotal game.
Seems like sticking with the same plan for Game 5 would be a no-brainer. After all, closing out the series tonight would give the Spurs at least five days to rest before Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
But the decision facing Gregg Popovich is not as simple as it seems. With the Western Conference finals now in the grueling 1-1-1 stretch that requires play-travel-play-travel-play, does Popovich risk leaving his much older roster drained should it have to play Game 6 on Friday in Salt Lake City and possibly Game 7 on Sunday in San Antonio?
It seems much more likely Popovich will give both Barry and Elson a rotation in the first half of Game 5. If he likes what they give him, they will get similar shifts in the second half. For Barry, that means knocking down a 3-pointer. For Elson, it means avoiding turnovers and being out of position on defensive rotations.
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Jazz May 2007 Archive
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ESPN | May 30, 2007
If there is a Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, security is likely to be tighter.
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RealGM | May 29, 2007
Utah fans -- seeing their team lose at home for the first time in eight games this postseason -- showed their disgust by hurling things toward the court, appearing to hit San Antonio's Bruce Bowen with something small.
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ESPN.com | May 28, 2007
Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili took the brunt of the blows and made enough foul shots in the fourth quarter to lift San Antonio past a valiant Deron Williams and the Utah Jazz 91-79 Monday night, giving the Spurs a 3-1 series lead.
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AP | May 28, 2007
Jazz point guard Deron Williams started Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Monday after battling a stomach bug for the last two days.
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AP | May 28, 2007
Jazz point guard Deron Williams didn't participate in a shootaround Monday morning because of a lingering stomach flu and was to be a game-time decision for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
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AP | May 27, 2007
Jazz point guard Deron Williams sat out practice Sunday because of a stomach illness and is considered probable to play Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Spurs on Monday night.
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Yahoo.com | May 26, 2007
The Game 3 win keeps the Jazz a perfect 7-0 at home this postseason, and makes them 3-0 against the Spurs in Salt Lake City this season.
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AP | May 23, 2007
Only two games into the Western Conference finals, Tony Parker and the Spurs already are toying with Utah.
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Associated Press | May 21, 2007
After seeing Utah's Deron Williams open the Western Conference finals with a career-best 34 points, San Antonio point guard Tony Parker vowed never to be so generous to his counterpart again.
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San Antonio Express-News | May 21, 2007
For the first time in the five-year history of the AT&T Center, the Spurs didn't sell out a playoff game.
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Yahoo.com | May 20, 2007
The San Antonio Spurs struck first in the Western Conference Finals
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Yahoo.com | May 20, 2007
Tim Duncan was the NBA's top rookie the last time the Spurs met the Jazz in the playoffs.
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Yahoo.com | May 16, 2007
Utah ended Golden State's surprising run through the playoffs and got the Jazz back to where they haven't been since the days of Stockton and Malone.
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ESPN.com | May 15, 2007
Baron Davis will be allowed to play in Game 5 of the Golden State-Utah series Tuesday night after the NBA league office decided not to suspend him for his hard hit on Derek Fisher of the Jazz in Game 4.
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Yahoo! | May 14, 2007
Carlos Boozer and the Jazz shoved and scraped to slow down the Warriors -- and then Derek Fisher put a sweet finish on a victory that put Utah on the brink of the Western Conference finals.
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Yahoo! | May 12, 2007
When Baron Davis spun, sprang and threw down a breathtakingly vicious one-handed dunk right in Andrei Kirilenko's mug, it was more than an exclamation point on the Warriors' win.
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ESPN | May 11, 2007
Utah rookie guard Dee Brown was forced to miss Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against Golden State on Friday night after spraining his neck in a collision with teammate Mehmet Okur.
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San Francisco Chronicle | May 11, 2007
Without being specific, Stephen Jackson said fans directed a racial slur at him during Game 2.
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Sports Illustrated | May 10, 2007
Utah rookie Dee Brown injured his neck when teammate Mehmet Okur landed on him in the first quarter of Wednesday night's Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against Golden State.
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Yahoo.com | May 10, 2007
Even shorthanded, the Jazz outran the Warriors.
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Salt Lake Tribune | May 9, 2007
Derek Fisher has been dealing with the discovery of a tumor between the eye and brain of his less than year-old daughter, The Salt Lake Tribune has learned.
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Yahoo! | May 8, 2007
Carlos Boozer put back an offensive rebound with 17 seconds left to break a tie and Matt Harpring added two free throws 10 seconds later, giving the Utah Jazz a 116-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Monday night in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals.
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USA Today | May 8, 2007
Utah Jazz guard Derek Fisher was excused from the Western Conference semifinal opener against Golden State on Monday night to be with his family.
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Salt Lake Tribune | May 7, 2007
Stephen Jackson of the Golden State Warriors is set to make a court appearance Thursday in Indianapolis for his trial on three counts related to an October incident in which he fired a gun outside a strip club.
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Salt Lake Tribune | May 6, 2007
The Utah Jazz have now set their sights on the Golden State Warriors.
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Yahoo! | May 6, 2007
Tracy McGrady had 29 points and 13 assists in Game 7, but fell to 0-6 in the playoffs
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Yahoo! | May 5, 2007
Tracy McGrady said he would take the blame if the Rockets failed to win a first-round series in the NBA playoffs.
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Yahoo! | May 4, 2007
Andre Kirilenko easily had his best game of the first round with 14 points and five blocks to lead the Utah Jazz to a 94-82 victory over the Rockets on Thursday night, tying the series and forcing a Game 7 Saturday in Houston.
