Spurs face quick turnaround before conference finals
The San Antonio Spurs are thrilled to be in the Western Conference finals for the first time since winning the title in 2014.
But they won’t have much time to celebrate with a series against the well-rested Golden State Warriors starting on Sunday.
In fact, they were barely going to give themselves two hours to bask in their 114-75 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 6 before looking ahead.
“We’re just going to enjoy this one right now until midnight, at least,” Danny Green said. “I think this one prepared us for the next one. They’re a fastpaced team that likes to shoot on the perimeter. We have to communicate even better and be more perfect because it doesn’t get any easier.”
While San Antonio fought through six games with the Rockets, the Warriors have been off since wrapping up a sweep of the Utah Jazz on Monday.
Along with the fatigue factor, there are also questions about the their lineup heading in Game 1 after all-star Kawhi Leonard sat out on Thursday night after rolling his left ankle in Game 5.
Coach Gregg Popovich didn’t provide many details about Leonard’s injury on Thursday. When asked if he protested when he chose to sit him, Popovich said: “He’d rather play.” But it still seemed to be bothering him quite a bit after the game when he headed to the bus still walking with a noticeable limp.
The Spurs will certainly need his stellar defensive skills to contend with a Warriors team that not only swept the Jazz but also eliminated the Trail Blazers in four games in the first round.
“We understand that the team we’re now facing is the most dangerous team in the league with a lot of weapons,” Pau Gasol said.
The Spurs know that limiting Golden State’s three-point shooting will be a key in the next round, just as slowing Houston from long range was in the conference semifinals.
Leonard’s ankle problem wasn’t the only injury San Antonio dealt with in this series, as it came after the Spurs lost veteran Tony Parker to a season-ending quadriceps injury in Game 2.
It gave LaMarcus Aldridge a chance to emerge as a dominant scorer for the Spurs. The 11-year veteran averaged just 9.5 points in the first two games before averaging 23.5 in the last four, highlighted by a seasonhigh 34 in Game 6.
PARIS
Centre Roman Horak scored two quick goals as the Czech Republic beat Slovenia 5-1 at the ice hockey world championship on Friday.
The win moved the 2010 champion into second place in Group B, one point above Switzerland and two behind leader Canada, which is chasing a third straight title and recordequalling 27th overall.
Centre Elias Lindholm scored his fifth goal of the tournament as nine-time champion Sweden moved up to second in Group A by crushing last-placed Italy 8-1 at the Lanxess arena, netting five goals in the third period.
The top four from each group advance to the quarterfinals on Thursday in each city. The semifinals and the final will be in Cologne.
Horak’s goals came a little more than three minutes apart during a one-sided first period.
After Michal Repik scored on an early power-play, Horak doubled the lead on another power-play eight minutes into the first period and struck again with 11:46 on the clock.
Defenceman Michal Kempny put Slovenia well out of reach just two minutes into the second period, prodding in from close range after being set up from behind the net by centre Petr Vrana.
Slovenia’s consolation goal came from forward Miha Verlic early into the third.
Sweden’s other goals came from Victor Rask with a slap shot into the top right corner, defencemen Philip Holm and Jonas Brodin, Linus Omark, Carl Klingberg, Joel Eriksson Ek and John Klingberg.
Centre William Nylander had three assists while Lindholm assisted on Rask’s goal.