Ginobili lifts Spurs over Suns in postseason classic

Ginobili's driving layup with 1.8 seconds left in the second overtime gave the defending champion San Antonio Spurs a 117-115 home victory over the Phoenix Suns in their Western Conference first-round series opener Saturday.

 In a contest that looked more like Game Seven of the NBA Finals, the rivals went back and forth for more than three hours before the third-seeded Spurs finally squeezed past the sixth-seeded Suns.

 "It we have six more like this, somebody's getting their money's worth," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said.

 One of the best playoff games in NBA history saw Michael Finley, Tim Duncan and Steve Nash sink tying 3-pointers in the closing seconds to keep things going. On the first day of the two-month trek known as the postseason, both teams appeared exhausted.

 "It feels like a Finals game," said Duncan, who was phenomenal with 40 points and 15 rebounds. "It's the first game of the first series, and we're going to have to muster energy back up."

   It was a demoralizing defeat for the Suns, who have been eliminated by the Spurs in 2005 and 2007. Phoenix led by 16 points in the second quarter, nine points in the fourth quarter and five points in overtime but could not put away San Antonio.

 "We had the game won a few times and just weren't tough enough or disciplined enough to make every single play when it counted," Nash said.

 Nash appeared to force a third overtime when he drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner with 15 seconds remaining, forging a 115-115 tie. But the Spurs did not call timeout, leaving the Suns with their small lineup on the floor.

 With shot-blockers Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Neal on the bench, Ginobili drove left past Raja Bell and put in a lefthanded layup off the glass, sending the AT&T Center into a frenzy.

 "I knew if I had the opportunity to go get in there, get some legs into the shot, I had an opportunity to finish," said Ginobili, who scored 24 points.

 At the end of regulation, the Spurs trailed, 93-90, when Finley buried a 3-pointer to tie it with 15 seconds to go. "Brazilian Blur" Leandro Barbosa missed a runner for Phoenix, sending the teams to overtime.

 A layup by Stoudemire, who scored 33 points, gave the Suns a 104-99 lead with 1:08 to play. But Duncan answered with a layup, setting up one of the biggest shots of his career.

 Ginobili drove around a high pick by Duncan, drawing O'Neal with him. He threw a pass back to a wide-open Duncan, and the 7-footer knocked down his first 3-pointer of the season with three seconds to go, again tying it. France's Boris Diaw missed a shot at the buzzer.

 "I didn't know what was going to happen, honestly," Duncan said. "Manu turned the corner, Shaq just totally leaves me and stayed with Manu."

   "French Flash" Tony Parker scored 26 points and Finley added 13 for the Spurs, who shot 50.5 per cent (48-of-95) from the field in their seventh straight playoff win.

 Nash had 25 points and 13 assists, Bell scored 14 points and Barbosa and Diaw added 12 apiece for the Suns, who shot 50 per cent (44-of-88) and get another crack at the Spurs in Game Two on Tuesday.

 "They know we let them have one," said O'Neal, who was limited by foul trouble to 11 points. "All we need is one in this building.''

   Utah 93, Houston 82

 Russian Andrei Kirilenko scored 21 points, Carlos Boozer had 20 and 16 rebounds and Deron Williams 20 and 10 assists as the fourth-seeded Jazz stole home-court advantage from the fifth-seeded Rockets.

 Utah wasted a 15-point lead but recovered nicley in the third quarter and pulled away down the stretch. The Jazz shot 52 per cent (38-of-73) while holding the Rockets below 37 per cent (29-of-79).

 Shane Battier scored 22 points and Tracy McGrady added 20 on just 7-of-21 shooting for Houston, which will be without injured starting point guard Rafer Alston for at least the first two games. The Rockets host Game Two on Monday.

 New Orleans 104, Dallas 92

 Making his playoff debut, MVP candidate Chris Paul had 35 points and 10 assists, leading a powerful second-half surge as the second-seeded hosts overtook seventh-seeded Dallas.

 Paul scored 24 points in the second half, when the Hornets erased a 52-40 halftime deficit and opened a double-digit lead of their own. His speed was too much for Mavericks guard Jason Kidd, who had 11 points and nine assists in his 101st career playoff game.

 David West scored 23 points for the Hornets, who host Game Two on Tuesday. German juggernaut Dirk Nowitzki had 31 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who had only nine baskets in the second half and shot just 33 per cent (26-of-78).

 Cleveland 93, Washington 86

 At Cleveland, superstar LeBron James scored 32 points, including six straight down the stretch, to lift the fourth-seeded Cavaliers over the fifth-seeded Wizards, whose posturing backfired.

 Earlier this season, Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson said James was "overrated." Late in the first half, Washington centre Brendan Haywood flattened James with a solid pick and taunted him.

 "He was standing over me in a very disrespectful manner," James said.

 Cleveland trailed, 84-82, when James sank two free throws to tie it. On the next two possessions, he drove through traffic and put in tough layups for an 88-84 lead with less than a minute to play.

 Lithuania's Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 22 points and 11 boards for the Cavs, who host Game Two on Monday. Gilbert Arenas scored 24 points and Antawn Jamison added 23 and 19 rebounds for the Wizards, who have lost seven straight playoff games to the Cavs and eight consecutive series openers.

By Paul Levin, dpa