2005 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals Game 6

Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals was not even close tonight. The Heat sorely missed PG Dwayne Wade, who sat out because of a ribcage injury he suffered in game 5. The Heat got a lot from Shaq, but they needed more of a scoring effort from the rest of the team. Rasheed Wallace is now 3 for 3 in game winning predictions in the playoffs for his career. The Pistons rolled on to win by 25 points tonight 91-66.

The Heat only had three players in double figures. Shaq had 24, Rasual Butler had 13, and Keyon Dooling had 10. Eddie Jones was held to 3 points and Damon Jones was held to 7. Without Dwayne Wade, the Heat offense never got going at all. Detroit had four in double figures, lead by Richard Hamilton with 24, Tayshaun Prince had 16, Chauncey Billups added 14, and Rasheed Wallace had 11. The Pistons made a great effort caring for the basketball. The Pistons had 24 assists to only 6 turnovers and shot 41.9% from the field.

When the Detroit Pistons are playing well it shows up in their assist to turnover ratio. When the ratio is closer to 1:1 the Pistons lose like in game 2 of the eastern conference finals when it was 17:15 and the Pistons lost by 6. In game 5 eastern conference finals when it was 16:15 the Pistons lost by 12. When the ratio is close to 4:1 the Pistons win. Game 4 eastern conference finals it was 27:6 and the Pistons won by 10. In game 6 eastern conference finals it was 24:6 and the Pistons won by 25. In the Pistons offense making the extra pass to find high percentage, or uncontested shots, leads to the Pistons winning. When the Pistons settle for one on one offense they have a tendency turn the ball over and lose.

The Miami Heat need Dwayne Wade for game 7, or they will have to face the reality that it might be their last game in the playoffs this year. The Heat need three major scoring efforts, and without DWade the Heat struggle to get that. They need efforts from Eddie Jones, Damon Jones, or Udonis Haslem. If those three continue to score in single digits, game 7 will go to the Pistons in a landslide. This is the pressure that makes legends. If DWade is back in the lineup, the Heat win game 7 at home on Monday, and DWade and Shaq are definitely the new dynamic duo in the East. If DWade doesn't play, the Pistons win game 7 to move on to the NBA Finals and face the San Antonio Spurs. Who will move on to the finals?

#1Miami Heat vs #2 Detroit Pistons
(101.54 PPG #4 in Scoring) (93.32 PPG #24 in Scoring)
(95.02 PPG #8 in Defense) (89.46 PPG #2 in Defense)
(+6.52 #3 in Scoring Differential) (+3.86 #6 in Scoring Differential)

The series is tied 3-3
1. Mon, May 23 - Det 90, Mia 81
2. Wed, May 25 - Mia 92, Det 86
3. Sun, May 29 - Mia 113, Det 104
4. Tue, May 31 - Det 106, Mia 96
5. Thu, Jun 2 - Mia 88, Det 76
6. Sat, Jun 4 - Det 91, Mia 66
7. Mon, Jun 6 - at Mia, 8:00 pm (TNT)
All times are Eastern Daylight Time

Head to Head
PG Damon Jones vs. Chauncey Billups
SG Dwyane Wade vs. Richard Hamilton
SF Eddie Jones vs. Tayshaun Prince
PF Udonis Haslem vs. Rasheed Wallace
C Shaquille O'Neal vs. Ben Wallace

2005 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals Game 5

Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals was a much different story than game 4. The Miami Heat had an even scoring night for all starters and some of their reserves. The Detroit Pistons only had a few of their starters involved on offense. The Heat won the game 88-76. The only bad note was that Dwayne Wade was injured while executing a crossover dribble in the third quarter. DWade might not play in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight in Detroit. By winning game 5 the Heat have the odds on their side. In NBA history, the winner of Game 5 in a series tied 2-2 has gone on to win the series 106 of 126 times (84%).

In game 5 the Pistons scored 76 points on 16 assists, 15 turnovers and shot 38.5% from the field and lost by 12. In game 4 the Pistons scored 106 points on 27 assists, 6 turnovers, and shot 48% from the field and won by 10. It's kind of hard to figure out which Pistons team is going to show up from game to game. When the Pistons win they don't turn the ball over, make the extra pass on offense, and get scoring contributions from most of their starters. When the Pistons lose they turn the ball over a lot, don't make the extra pass, which leads to them playing a lot of one on one basketball on offense, and that leads to them not getting contributions from all their starters.

If the Pistons continue to cut down on turnovers, and get all their starters involved on offense, the Heat will have to beat the Pistons at their game with good defense and flawless offensive execution. The Heat also need major contributions from Shaq, Eddie Jones, and Damon Jones. If DWade is out for game 6 and or game 7, the Heat are going to need Shaq to carry this team to the 2005 NBA Finals. Along with Shaq the Heat will need three solid scoring performances for the remainder of the series to win the Eastern Conference Finals.

Rasheed Wallace made another game winning guarantee. The second of the heavyweight Championship Belt holder Wallace this year. ``We're going to win Game 6,'' Wallace said. ``They want there to be a Game 7, there's no other series. If y'all can't see that, y'all crazy.'' I agree with Rasheed. The series will go 7 games with the Heat winning (4-3).

#1Miami Heat vs #2 Detroit Pistons
(101.54 PPG #4 in Scoring) (93.32 PPG #24 in Scoring)
(95.02 PPG #8 in Defense) (89.46 PPG #2 in Defense)
(+6.52 #3 in Scoring Differential) (+3.86 #6 in Scoring Differential)

Miami leads series 3-2
1. Mon, May 23 - Det 90, Mia 81
2. Wed, May 25 - Mia 92, Det 86
3. Sun, May 29 - Mia 113, Det 104
4. Tue, May 31 - Det 106, Mia 96
5. Thu, Jun 2 - Mia 88, Det 76
6.* Sat, Jun 4 - at Det, 8:00 pm (TNT)
7.* Mon, Jun 6 - at Mia, 8:00 pm (TNT)
All times are Eastern Daylight Time
* - If necessary

Head to Head
PG Damon Jones vs. Chauncey Billups
SG Dwyane Wade vs. Richard Hamilton
SF Eddie Jones vs. Tayshaun Prince
PF Udonis Haslem vs. Rasheed Wallace
C Shaquille O'Neal vs. Ben Wallace

San Antonio Spurs reach 2005 NBA Finals

The Suns Amare Stoudemire played a great game but it wasn't enough to beat the Spurs. Stoudemire has averaged an amazing 37 points a game this series. Stoudemire had 42 points and 16 rebounds, with 17 of those points coming in the fourth quarter. Tim Duncan added 31 points and 15 rebounds to help the Spurs reach the 2005 NBA Finals. San Antonio is now in the NBA finals for the third time in six years. San Antonio won the NBA Championship in 1999 and 2003. San Antonio now awaits the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals which the Heat leads 3-2 over the Pistons.

#1 Phoenix Suns vs #2 San Antonio Spurs
(110.41 PPG #1 in Scoring) (96.19 PPG #18 in Scoring)
(103.29 PPG #30 in Defense) (88.39 PPG #1 in Defense)
(+7.12 #2 in Scoring Differential) (+7.8 #1 in Scoring Differential)

The San Antonio Spurs win series 4-1.
1. Sun, May 22 - SA 121, Pho 114
2. Tue, May 24 - SA 111, Pho 108
3. Sat, May 28 - SA 102, Pho 92
4. Mon, May 30 - Pho 111, SA 106
5. Wed, Jun 1 - SA 101, Pho 95

Head to Head
PG Steve Nash vs. Tony Parker
SG Joe Johnson vs. Bruce Bowen
SF Quentin Richardson vs. Manu Ginobili
PF Shawn Marion vs. Tim Duncan
C Amare Stoudemire vs. Nazr Mohammed

2005 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals Game 4

Game 4 of the Eastern Conference showed how much desire the Detroit Pistons have to win. The defending champions dominated the game from the opening tipoff and they never looked back. The Heat suffered their first road loss of the playoffs this year. The Pistons played an almost flawless first half with 17 assists, and no turnovers, to gain a 14 point lead at halftime. The Pistons also took advantage of Shaquille O'Neal's early foul trouble to build an early lead.

Shaq picked up his second foul just 6:14 into the first quarter with the score tied 11-11. When Shaq returned 2 1/2 minutes into the second quarter the Heat were behind 32-25. Shaq quickly picked up his third foul of the first half 2 minutes later when he was called for bumping Richard Hamilton on a drive. Shaq was on the bench for the rest of the half.

With Shaq on the bench for the majority of the first half, the Pistons then keyed in on shutting Dwayne Wade down. The divide and conquer approach gave the Pistons a crucial win to tie the series at 2 games each. DWade scored 28, but without a substantial contribution from Shaq who had 12 points the Heat were at a major disadvantage. The Pistons had great games from Rip Hamilton with 28 points, Rasheed Wallace with 20, Chauncey Billups added 17 points, and Tayshaun Prince had 15 points.

The Pistons as a team only had 6 turnovers. If the Pistons continue to cut down on turnovers, the Heat will have to beat the Pistons at their game with good defense and flawless offensive execution. The Heat also need major contributions from Shaq, Eddie Jones, and Damon Jones. They will need three solid scoring performances for the remainder of the series to win the Eastern Conference Finals. The series will go 7 games with the Heat winning (4-3).

#1Miami Heat vs #2 Detroit Pistons
(101.54 PPG #4 in Scoring) (93.32 PPG #24 in Scoring)
(95.02 PPG #8 in Defense) (89.46 PPG #2 in Defense)
(+6.52 #3 in Scoring Differential) (+3.86 #6 in Scoring Differential)

The series is tied 2-2
1. Mon, May 23 - Det 90, Mia 81
2. Wed, May 25 - Mia 92, Det 86
3. Sun, May 29 - Mia 113, Det 104
4. Tue, May 31 - Det 106, Mia 96
5.* Thu, Jun 2 - at Mia, 8:00 pm (TNT)
6.* Sat, Jun 4 - at Det, 8:00 pm (TNT)
7.* Mon, Jun 6 - at Mia, 8:00 pm (TNT)
All times are Eastern Daylight Time
* - If necessary

Head to Head
PG Damon Jones vs. Chauncey Billups
SG Dwyane Wade vs. Richard Hamilton
SF Eddie Jones vs. Tayshaun Prince
PF Udonis Haslem vs. Rasheed Wallace
C Shaquille O'Neal vs. Ben Wallace

2005 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Finals Game 4

Phoenix has something to prove now. The team with the best record in the NBA wasn't going to get swept out of the playoffs. The Suns survived being eliminated from the playoffs tonight. The Suns dealt the Spurs their second loss at home in the playoffs this year. Phoenix had a complete team effort tonight to win. Joe Johnson added 26 points and 3-6 from the 3 point line, Amare Stoudemire scored 31, Shawn Marion added 11 points and 14 rebounds, Quentin Richardson added 14 points and Steve Nash had 17 points and 12 assists. Phoenix was 44-77 (57.1%) from the floor.

The Spurs lead at halftime, but they were shutdown in the second half. Overall, the Spurs were 42-95 from the floor (44.2%). Tim Duncan was only 1-3 in the second half for 5 points. Duncan scored 15, 16 rebounds, and was 3-12 from the free throw line, Bruce Bowen added 15 on 3-6 from the 3 point line, Tony Parker had 13, Manu Ginobili had 28 points on 3-6 from the 3 point line, and Robert Horry had 15 on 3-4 from the 3 point line. The Suns definitely showed the Spurs they weren't a pushover. The run for Phoenix may last another game, but the Spurs will still win the series in 6 games (4-2)

#1 Phoenix Suns vs #2 San Antonio Spurs
(110.41 PPG #1 in Scoring) (96.19 PPG #18 in Scoring)
(103.29 PPG #30 in Defense) (88.39 PPG #1 in Defense)
(+7.12 #2 in Scoring Differential) (+7.8 #1 in Scoring Differential)

The San Antonio Spurs lead series 3-1.
1. Sun, May 22 - SA 121, Pho 114
2. Tue, May 24 - SA 111, Pho 108
3. Sat, May 28 - SA 102, Pho 92
4. Mon, May 30 - Pho 111, SA 106
5.* Wed, Jun 1 - at Pho, 9:00 pm (ESPN)
6.* Fri, Jun 3 - at SA, 9:00 pm (ESPN)
7.* Sun, Jun 5 - at Pho, 8:30 pm (ABC)
All times are Eastern Daylight Time
* - If necessary

Head to Head
PG Steve Nash vs. Tony Parker
SG Joe Johnson vs. Bruce Bowen
SF Quentin Richardson vs. Manu Ginobili
PF Shawn Marion vs. Tim Duncan
C Amare Stoudemire vs. Nazr Mohammed

ESPN gives the NHL the Kiss of Death

How does Gary Bettman feel now that ESPN opted out of showing any NHL games next season? Unless the NHL gets their act together the NHL may never play another game on TV under Bettman's leadership. Last week ESPN opted out of a $60 million dollar deal with the NHL to televise its games next season.

I can't blame ESPN for their reluctance to air games after being left holding the bag this year. The owners have also said there may be no hockey next year, or the threat of using replacement players. Bettman now has a lot less exposure for his product in the U.S. The CBC in Canada still has national hockey night, but the majority of the teams are in the U.S. with a lot less national TV exposure. The NHL owners have to do one of two things to get hockey back on track.

The first thing the owners should do is fire Gary Bettman. This experiment has proven itself disasterous. Bettman may have studied in the NFL and brought some of his expertise to hockey, but he isn't doing anything to innovate the game, gain positive exposure for the sport, or make the owners more money than they did before he started as the commissioner of the NHL. If the owners balk at that idea, then they need to take the next one seriously.

Now that you have no TV coverage, start your own TV network. Instead of modeling it after the NFL Network, model it after the regional Fox Sports Network. The New NHL network will group together teams on a reigonal basis. Show the games of each team over one of five reigonal sports channels. The NHL could use old footage of the teams in each reigonal network to fill airtime. The NHL could get some commentators and come up with shows to show across all regional channels at the same time.

The NHL could also sell local/regional advertising to advertisers who want to reach specific markets and use some of the revenue to outfit every arena with cameras and digital video editing studios. The telecasts could be broadcast completely from studios inside the arenas. If they use a digital format they could sell single game access to game vidoe content over the web from each team's website. Some of the revenue could also be shared with each team in the regional network. The NHL could also make money selling the complete regional network to the cable operators one channel at a time.

With the extra revenue made from broadcast rights, and advertising, it would start to make the owners value their brands as well as maximize their revenue. The games on TV would still be subject to blackouts if they aren't sold out at the arena. Bettman and the NHL owners had better seize the opportunity before they're left begging someone to televise their games next year. I know for a fact that the NHL could easily make more that $60 million on their own series of regional hockey channels. The "All Access NHL Package" to all channels in their network will make more than that alone.

Vikings News

Well it looks like Reggie Fowler is out as the majority partner of the new ownership group, and RB Onterrio Smith is out for the season cause of a no show for a NFL drug test. Good thing the Vikings drafted another RB Ciatric Fason. A lot was mentioned about the importance of replacing WR Randy Moss through the draft, and improving the defense by any means necessary.

New Jersey real estate developer Zygmunt "Zygi" Wilf is now the proud owner of the Vikings for a cool $600 million. His ownership group replaced the group fronted by Arizona businessman Reggie Fowler. The prevoius owner Red McCombs bought the Vikings in 1998 for $246 million. So Red doubled his money in only 7 years, and the Vikings don't own their own stadium. Not a bad investment if you can find it.

The main thing everyone overlooked before the draft was the Vikings need for another running back. Michael Bennett is great when he's healthy, Mewelde Moore performance last year was a surprise, Moe Williams will get you tough yards, but the Vikings have no real starting RB. The Vikings have suffered at the RB position since Robert Smith's retirement. Ciatric Fason did well under Ron Zook at the University of Florida. Behind the huge Vikings line he could be a great running back that could easily produce a 1,000 yard rookie season.

Broncos sign Rice and Sauerbrun. Why not trade for Williams?

In the last few weeks the Denver Broncos have made a few roster changes. The traded their P Jason Baker and a seventh round pick in 2006 to the Carolina Panthers for P Todd Sauerbrun. The also agreed with WR Jerry Rice on a one year deal. Why not take a gamble and trade a draft pick and a player to the Miami Dolphins for Ricky Williams. All three players could be an intergral part of the team, and help the Broncos make the playoffs from the toughest division in football.

Jerry Rice will be very helpful to the Broncos as the #3 receiver. Rice may not be as fast as he used to be, but he can still be a great possession receiver to continue drives. The Broncos had numerous problems on third down coversions. Rice could be very helpful in a three receiver sets on third down. Rice is durable, he played 17 games last season including a playoff game for Seattle. Rice had 30 catches last year, but he averaged 14.3 yards a catch and a his longest reception of 56 yards is more than any other #3receiver on the Broncos did last year. Rice wont be the focal point of the offense, but he will be productive from the #3 slot.

Todd Sauerbrun is a pro bowl punter. Eventhough he was recently chronicled on 60 Minutes II for his dealings with South Carolina Dr. James Shortt. The Broncos always lost the field position war with horrible punting for the last 3 years. The Broncos defense struggled last year because of having to defend the short field a lot. Todd will help reestablish field position for the Broncos defense.

Ricky Williams is a great running back. I know a lot of people may not think he's reliable, or won't kick his smoking habit. I think after a little soul searching, a $8.6 million judgement against him, and a court ordered $300,000 trust fund for his kid, Williams is ready to deal with anything, at least for the next 3 years. He wants to report to training camp, he has said he will re-enter the NFL substance abuse program, which can test him up to 10 times a month. He is also willing to sit out the 4 game suspension as well.

I know there is fodder that he used to play at 240 lbs., and he is only 195 lbs now, so he won't be the same. I think the year off from the bruising and the battering ram role he played for the terrible Dolphins offense has made him a lot more resilient. Ricky has never suffered any lower body injury. I know it sounds crazy, but Shanahan needs an established running back to be productive in this offense. Terrell Davis never played at more than 215 lbs in this offense and flourished. If Ricky Williams wants to go back to a great offense, Shanahan should be first in line to trade for Williams.

Many have said that Williams will struggle in the Dolphins locker room, because many Dolphins felt that he quit on them last season. He's offended no one in Denver. Ricky said he's good for another 4,000 yards. In the right setting, which Denver is, Williams can make it 3 1,00 yard seasons and make it to retire the right way. Regardless of where Rick Williams ends up, he will make a great addition to any backfield.

Cleveland Cavaliers New Coach

It is being reported by numerous sources that the Cleveland Cavaliers landed themselves a new coach. After reportedly interviewing Phil Jackson, Flip Saunders and Eric Musselman for the coaching job, the Cavs have reportedly agreed to hire Pacers assistant coach Mike Brown. Brown has been the top assistant coach for Rick Carlisle and the Indiana Pacers for the last two years. Brown was also part of the San Antonio Spurs coaching staff for the previous three seasons before joining the Pacers. Brown's specialty is as a defensive minded coach. That attitude will be a welcome addition to the Cavs, who allowed 96.5 points a game on defense. Repotedly Brown and the Cavs agreed on a 4 year, $9 million deal. His formal introduction as coach is expected to happen over the next few days.

Way to go Danica

I am not a big racing fan, but I admit pulling for Danica Patrick to do well in yesterday's Indy 500. Danica started from the fourth position, became the first woman to lead the pack at the Indy 500, and she lead with under 10 laps to go. She ran out of steam and finished the race fourth. Her finish is the highest finish for a woman ever in the history of the Indianapolis 500. I saw an interview with Danica where she said she didn't think of herself as a pioneer, she only thought of herself as a rookie on the IRL tour looking to win this week's race.

I think she is far too modest. She may only be a rookie on the IRL circuit, but her press coverage this week lead to the Indy 500 gaining its highest viewing since 1996 when IRL and CART began as two different tours competing against eachother. She also set three records for a woman in her first try, and she was in the race until the end. A lot of little girls, women, and men alike think a lot of how well you did yesterday. Congratlations on a good run Danica.

2005 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals Game 3

The Heat dominated the first half of game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but they hung on in the second half. The Heat put together a nice run in the fourth quarter to win the game. The Heat have regained the home court advantage in the series with the next game tommorrow night in Detroit. The Pistons had a meltdown of sorts late in the game.

Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace each received technicals late in the game, they demonstrated Detroit's frustration with the officiating. Eventhough the overall fouls called looked even Detroit had 33, and Miami had 29. The disparity lies between the number of fouls called on the starters on each team.

For Detroit: Tayshaun Prince had 4 fouls, Richard Hamilton had 4, Rasheed Wallace had 5, Ben Wallace had 5, Antonio McDyess had 5, and Chauncey Billups fouled out with 6. For Miami: Damon Jones had no fouls, Udonis Haslem had 3, Shaq had 4, Eddie Jones had 5, Dwayne Wade 5, and Alonzo Mourning fouled out with 6. When you look at the foul disparity on the Detroit starters and their most pivotal bench member, its huge. No team will win with their starters in foul trouble for an entire game.

After struggling in game one Dwayne Wade was once again impressive. Wade scored 36 on 12-21 from the floor and 12-18 from the free throw line. In the last 2 games Wade has scored 76 points. Shaq added 24, and Eddie Jones added 19 for Miami. Richard Hamilton had 33, Tayshaun Prince had 18, Chauncey Billups had 18, and Rasheed Wallace added 13 points for Detroit.

Game 4 will have Detroit looking to even up the series. The Heat will trying to rake another game on the road. Tomorrow night's game will be a good one to watch. The series will go 7 games with the Heat winning (4-3).

#1Miami Heat vs #2 Detroit Pistons
(101.54 PPG #4 in Scoring) (93.32 PPG #24 in Scoring)
(95.02 PPG #8 in Defense) (89.46 PPG #2 in Defense)
(+6.52 #3 in Scoring Differential) (+3.86 #6 in Scoring Differential)

The Miami Heat leads the series 2-1
1. Mon, May 23 – Det 90, Mia 81
2. Wed, May 25 – Mia 92, Det 86
3. Sun, May 29 – Mia 113, Det 104
4. Tue, May 31 – at Det, 8:00 pm (TNT)
5.* Thu, Jun 2 – at Mia, 8:00 pm (TNT)
6.* Sat, Jun 4 – at Det, 8:00 pm (TNT)
7.* Mon, Jun 6 – at Mia, 8:00 pm (TNT)
All times are Eastern Daylight Time
* - If necessary

Head to Head
PG Damon Jones vs. Chauncey Billups
SG Dwyane Wade vs. Richard Hamilton
SF Eddie Jones vs. Tayshaun Prince
PF Udonis Haslem vs. Rasheed Wallace
C Shaquille O'Neal vs. Ben Wallace

2005 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Finals Game 3

#1 Phoenix Suns vs #2 San Antonio Spurs
(110.41 PPG #1 in Scoring) (96.19 PPG #18 in Scoring)
(103.29 PPG #30 in Defense) (88.39 PPG #1 in Defense)
(+7.12 #2 in Scoring Differential) (+7.8 #1 in Scoring Differential)

This series is over. I thought the addition of Joe Johnson for Phoenix would make a difference in game 3, but it didn't. All in all Phoenix is just being outplayed. The Spurs are playing great defense, making high percentage shots in the paint at will, and their defense has completely shut down Shawn Marion and Quentin Richardson. Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash are playing well, but they aren't getting much help from their team on either end of the floor. I think the Suns overestimated the ability of Shawn Marion to cover Tim Duncan, or Nazr Mohammed on defense. Marion is giving up a lot of height to them, and can't get any defensive rebounds while guarding them.

Phoenix is an athletic uptempo team that is running into the brick wall that is the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs will probably sweep this series. Phoenix has had a great season, but they will need to address their lack of interior defense in the offseason. Phoenix made it past the Dallas Maverick in the playoffs this year, but they may face similar problems in their quest for a championship in the future because of a lack of consistent defense. Overall the Spurs sweep 4-0. The Spurs will have a lot of downtime to await the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Spurs lead series 3-0.
1. Sun, May 22 – SA 121, Pho 114
2. Tue, May 24 – SA 111, Pho 108
3. Sat, May 28 – SA 102, Pho 92
4. Mon, May 30 – at SA, 8:30 pm (ABC)
5.* Wed, Jun 1 – at Pho, 9:00 pm (ESPN)
6.* Fri, Jun 3 – at SA, 9:00 pm (ESPN)
7.* Sun, Jun 5 – at Pho, 8:30 pm (ABC)
All times are Eastern Daylight Time
* - If necessary

Head to Head
PG Steve Nash vs. Tony Parker
SG Joe Johnson vs. Bruce Bowen
SF Quentin Richardson vs. Manu Ginobili
PF Shawn Marion vs. Tim Duncan
C Amare Stoudemire vs. Nazr Mohammed