The San Antonio Spurs never have won back-to-back NBA titles during their mini-dynasty of four titles, and they won't this year, either, unless they win the next two games - starting with tonight's Game 6 against the New Orleans Hornets.
The host Spurs are 7-point favorites with an over/under of 184 on WagerWeb.com.
The home team has won every game in this series (the home team has lost only one game total in all four conference semifinals), and San Antonio won Games 3-4 and home by a combined 31 points.
This represents somewhat unfamiliar terrain for the Spurs, who have faced 10 elimination games since Tim Duncan arrived in 1997. They are 4-6 in those games.
The Spurs will need to slow down David West in Game 6 - the Hornets' All-Star forward had career playoff highs of 38 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots in Game 5's rout.
Meanwhile, Tyson Chandler's presence was one of the biggest reasons for the Hornets' improved defensive play in Game 5, as he took the bulk of the responsibility in guarding Duncan and allowed the other New Orleans defenders to clamp down on the rest of the Spurs.The net result was another blowout home victory for the Hornets and a 5-for-18 night for Duncan. The Hornets outscored the Spurs 57-32 in the second half. In the third quarter, the Hornets held the Spurs to 5-of-19 shooting and outscored those 28-11 to take a 14-point lead.
"I felt like the last two games in San Antonio we did way too much doubling, and he got accustomed to it," Chandler said. "So I told the guys, 'Let me play him straight-up for a while.' "
Chandler has averaged 6.9 points in the playoffs after averaging 11.8 in the regular season. But he has helped hold Duncan to 10 or fewer points in two of the five games.
West and Chandler are the only question marks for Thursday. West was playing with a back injury and Chandler has a bruised left foot. On Wednesday, Chandler watched from the sideline while his teammates
practiced. West, whose injury appears less serious, participated in the workout that involved only shooting. Coach Byron Scott said he expects both to play.
"I don't know if they'll both be 100 percent, but I think they'll definitely be ready to play the game," Scott said. "Both of them understand the importance of this game, having a chance to close out a great team like this, so again we want to try to seize that opportunity."
The Hornets said they're not relying on home court for the series win in Game 7.
"We have a great opportunity to go back there and get another chance to win a game in San Antonio," said Chris Paul, who has averaged 25 points and 11.3 assists in the series. "We're up 3-2 and we can't relax and say we'll wait to beat them when we come back here. We need to win. It's all about the next game."
At home, the Spurs have held the Hornets to 90 points per game. West missed 11 of 15 field-goal attempts en route to scoring just 10 points in his most recent game at AT&T Center, where San Antonio has won 11 in a row overall.
Betting trends: Hornets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games. ... Hornets are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games as an underdog of 5.0-10.5. ... Spurs are 15-3-2 ATS in their last 20 playoff games as a favorite.... Spurs are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 home games. ... Over is 6-1 in Hornets' last 7 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game. ... Over is 6-1 in Spurs' last 7 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game. ... Home team is 6-0 ATS in the last 6 meetings.
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