Final
San Antonio wins series 4-0
| Game 1: Tuesday, May 15th | ||
|---|---|---|
| Clippers | 92 | Final |
| Spurs | 108 | |
| Recap »Boxscore » | ||
| Game 2: Thursday, May 17th | ||
|---|---|---|
| Clippers | 88 | Final |
| Spurs | 105 | |
| Recap »Boxscore » | ||
| Game 3: Saturday, May 19th | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spurs | 96 | Final |
| Clippers | 86 | |
| Recap »Boxscore » | ||
| Game 4: Sunday, May 20th | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spurs | 102 | Final |
| Clippers | 99 | |
| Recap »Boxscore » | ||
Coverage: TNT
10:30 PM ET, May 20, 2012
STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, CA
LOS ANGELES -- The San Antonio Spurs mowed down another opponent, using their guile under pressure to close out another perfect playoff series.
Tim Duncan scored 21 points, Tony Parker added 17 and the Spurs beat the Los Angeles Clippers 102-99 on Sunday night to win their second-round matchup 4-0 and advance to the Western Conference finals.
"They played great, they made it tough on us," Parker said. "The last 2 minutes we got the stops we needed. Everybody did something."
More Spurs-Clippers Coverage
ESPN.com
As it turned out, San Antonio needed its full stable of players in Game 4 to hold off the Clippers 102-99 for a series sweep, writes Kevin Arnovitz. Story
• Adande: Busy L.A. weekend
• TrueHoop: No solace for CP3
• Clippers-Spurs matchup page
ESPNLosAngeles.com
They may have a lot to learn, but this quickly-assembled Clippers team overachieved, writes Arash Markazi. Story
• Lob City Ledger | Clips Blog | ESPN LA
The Spurs extended their winning streak to 18 games and their playoff record to 8-0, tying the third-best postseason streak in franchise history.
"Until we go all the way, I can't compare this team," said Parker, who has won three NBA titles with the Spurs. "We're just trying to stay focused."
Danny Green and Gary Neal added 14 points each, and Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter had 11 each.
"We needed a game like that. It arrived at the perfect time," Parker said. "We battled. We executed our plays, made big baskets."
San Antonio could find out as soon as Monday night who it will play next. Oklahoma City leads the Lakers 3-1 in their series, with Game 5 on Monday.
"We haven't done anything yet. We've won two rounds," Duncan said. "We haven't done anything so you can't qualify or classify our team as anything other than that we've gotten this far."
The Spurs trailed much of the fourth until tying the game twice in the final 3:32 before their 30-something trio of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili took over most of the scoring.
"Their experience showed with their execution," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Tim looks great and the rest of the guys are feeding off that."
Chris Paul had 23 points and 11 assists, Blake Griffin added 21 points, and Eric Bledsoe had 17 for the Clippers, who blew a six-point lead in the fourth quarter when Paul faltered in the final two minutes, usually a time when the All-Star guard is at his best.
A Win-Lose Situation?
The Spurs became just the fourth team to sweep their way through the first two rounds of the postseason under the current NBA playoff format. That could be bad news for San Antonio, however. Each of the previous three teams lost in the following round, and only the Heat took their conference finals matchup to seven games. Here's a look at that list:
| Season | Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| '11-12 | Spurs | ? |
| '09-10 | Magic | L, Conf. finals |
| '08-09 | Cavs | L, Conf. finals |
| '04-05 | Heat | L, Conf. finals |
"We had our opportunities and we couldn't convert," Del Negro said. "We made our mistakes at some key moments and that was the difference."
Both nursing injuries, Griffin and Paul combined to score 21 of the Clippers' 28 points in the third quarter when they took their first lead of the game. In the fourth, Bledsoe came up big, scoring 11 in a row, to extend the lead to 90-85 with 5:38 remaining.
After Reggie Evans missed two free throws, Green hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 92.
Duncan's hook put the Spurs in front 96-94 before Paul tossed up a one-handed shot that rose to the top of the backboard before dropping straight in as he crashed into a baseline photographer. He made the free throw to put the Clippers ahead by one.
Parker scored consecutive baskets and the Spurs regained the lead, 100-97, with 1:47 left.
Paul's two free throws drew the Clippers within one. After a timeout, Paul drove the basket and lost the ball. He fouled Green, who made the first and missed the second to keep the Spurs ahead for good.
"I messed up, bad decisions," Paul said, holding his 2-year-old son on his lap. "I should have shot it and I missed the shot, all on me."
Paul then missed another shot, and Mo Williams fouled Parker, who missed the first and made the second with a second left.
More Spurs-Clippers Coverage
ESPN.com
As it turned out, San Antonio needed its full stable of players in Game 4 to hold off the Clippers 102-99 for a series sweep, writes Kevin Arnovitz. Story
• Adande: Busy L.A. weekend
• TrueHoop: No solace for CP3
• Clippers-Spurs matchup page
ESPNLosAngeles.com
They may have a lot to learn, but this quickly-assembled Clippers team overachieved, writes Arash Markazi. Story
• Lob City Ledger | Clips Blog | ESPN LA
"To let my team down in that situation is probably the toughest part of the season," Paul said. "We scrapped, we played hard. At the end of the day, playing hard isn't always enough. You got to execute. On that last play, at least we could have gotten a shot off and I turned the ball over."
DeAndre Jordan added 10 points. Paul had best performance of the series after sub-par efforts in the first two games. He'd been playing with a strained right hip, while Griffin has a sprained right knee, an injured left hip and got stitches for a cut lip in the first half.
Neither team led by more than five points in the third period. Duncan had 10 points for the Spurs. Bledsoe's putback slam dunk gave the Clippers 75-74 lead going into the fourth.
The Spurs stretched their lead to 12 points with Duncan sitting out the opening 7 minutes of the second quarter.
The Clippers closed on a 14-6 run to trail 51-47 at halftime. Paul got it started with a 19-foot jumper and ended it with a 3-pointer. Early in the spurt, Griffin ran into Ginobili's shoulder, fell and one of his top teeth went through his lip. He left the court with 2:20 remaining to get two stitches on the inside and outside of his lip.
Los Angeles began the game on a 9-4 run before San Antonio scored 14 unanswered points, reminiscent of its 24-0 third-quarter spurt Saturday that led to the Spurs' eventual 10-point victory in Game 3.
Game notes
Duncan, Parker and Ginobili played in their 130th postseason game together, the most played as an active trio in the league. ... Duncan finished with nine rebounds, just short of notching his 135th career playoff double-double. ... The Clippers have lost all seven of their playoff series after losing Game 1. ... The Spurs had a 40-36 edge on the boards, while the Clippers outscored them in the paint, 56-50.SPONSORED HEADLINES
Photo Wire

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 20: The exterior of Staples Center is seen before Game Four of the Western Conference...
(Photo by Maxx Wolfson/Getty Images)Team Stat Comparison
SA | LAC | |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 102 | 99 |
| FGM-FGA | 38-72 (.528) | 41-86 (.477) |
| 3PM-3PA | 6-15 (.400) | 4-16 (.250) |
| FTM-FTA | 20-27 (.741) | 13-19 (.684) |
| Rebounds (Offensive-Total) | 9-40 | 10-36 |
| Assists | 28 | 22 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 9 |
| Steals | 4 | 10 |
| Blocks | 4 | 5 |
| Fast Break Points | 9 | 9 |
| Fouls (Tech/Flagrant) | 22 (1/0) | 22 (2/0) |
| Largest Lead | 12 | 6 |
Top Performers
Game Leaders
Research Notes
Chris Paul missed a potential game-tying field goal with three seconds remaining in Game 4. Paul is the 20th different player to attempt a game-tying or game-winning field goal in the final 24 seconds this postseason, with all 20 having missed at least once and only Kevin Durant and Glen Davis having made one. [+]Game-tying and Go-Ahead FG
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The Spurs outscored the Clippers inside the restricted area in all four games during the Western Conference Semifinals. The Spurs scored 38 points in that range in Game 4. They are 31-4 this season when they score more than 35 points inside the restricted area, including 5-0 in the postseason. [+]Offense Inside 5 Feet
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The six games in four days at Staples Center is over and after starting out well on Thursday and Friday, it was not a good weekend for the home teams. [+]
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San Antonio's win makes it just the 4th time under the current playoff format that a team swept each of the 1st 2 rounds of the postseason. That might not be as great as it sounds. Each of the previous 3 lost in the following round with Miami the lone squad to take the Conference Finals to 7 games. [+]Swept 1st 2 Rounds of Postseason - Current Playoff Format
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