SAN ANTONIO-
Michael Finley’s record-setting 3-point performance was enough to make Marcus Camby look at the San Antonio Spurs in a different light.
“If he can play like that the rest of the playoffs, you have to have the Spurs as the team to beat,” Camby said after Finley made a franchise playoff-record eight 3-pointers Wednesday night in San Antonio’s 93-78 victory in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series with the Denver Nuggets.
The win was the Spurs’ fourth straight after losing Game 1 at home and it sent them on to the Western Conference semifinals against the Suns.
Game 1 of the second-round series is Sunday at Phoenix.
“Stay with the concept,” said Finley, who had 26 points and was 8-for-9 from beyond the arc. “Stay with the team philosophy. As long as we do that, we’ll be successful.”
The first round was a virtual repeat of 2005 for the Spurs when they also lost Game 1 at home before winning the next four to eliminate Denver.
“We were up 3-1 going into it, but it was anybody’s game in any of those,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They were tough. They were difficult. They never stopped. We were fortunate in those games. This was the only game where we got away a little bit, and it wasn’t until the end.”
Tim Duncan had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the third-seeded Spurs, while Tony Parker added 16 points and 10 assists.
“We might have shook them a little bit,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “We might have scared them a little bit. But we didn’t beat them.”
Popovich called Finley’s performance “ridiculous.”
“He was fantastic. He came out and served it up well. And he just kept shooting,” said Robert Horry, who hit a big 3 late in the Spurs’ Game 4 victory. “That’s the one thing about it … once you get hot, keep shooting until you miss, and he didn’t miss.”
The 34-year-old Finley, who signed with the Spurs in September 2005 and is in his 12th NBA season, said he just tries to finish the opportunities on the court that his teammates create for him.
“To be realistic, my career is coming to an end in a couple of years or so. So I’m enjoying the moment,” he said.
Allen Iverson struggled from the field for his fourth straight game for the Nuggets after scoring 31 points in Game 1. He was 6-of-22 from the field and had 21 points Wednesday, 10 in the fourth quarter.
Sixth-seeded Denver traded for Iverson in December to create an All-Star duo with Carmelo Anthony.
“I felt like this was the worst playoff series that I’ve played in my career,” Iverson said. “It was kind of frustrating—coming into a new situation, wanting to be the one that gets this team over the hump, get them out of the first round. And to play like I’m not capable of playing is just frustrating.
“They were a better team than us this series,” Iverson said. “We tried to stay in the game. They showed why they were a championship-caliber team.”
Denver scored 30 points in the second half—11 in the third quarter.
“I thought the 11 points in the third quarter just kind of put a heavy weight on our shoulders,” Karl said. “When the dam broke, it broke hard.”
Anthony had 21 points, while Steve Blake had 12 and Nene added 10. Camby, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, had 19 rebounds.
Denver hasn’t won a playoff series since 1994, when it beat Seattle in a best-of-five to become the first No. 8 seed to knock out a No. 1.
The Spurs opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run sparked by Finley’s fourth 3.
After a slew of misses on both sides, Iverson’s three-point play gave Denver a one-point lead. It was their last of the night as Francisco Elson hit the go-ahead dunk with 6:21 left in the third.
Denver’s frustration was evident as Anthony was called for a personal foul for pushing Manu Ginobili, who didn’t have the ball. On Denver’s next possession he turned the ball over and ran back down the court shaking his head.
Finley’s fifth 3 with 1:30 left in the third put San Antonio up 61-55, and they went into the final 12 minutes up 63-59.
Horry hit a 3 to open the fourth quarter and his dunk with 9:43 left gave the Spurs a 70-61 lead.
Finley hit his sixth 3 with just over nine minutes to go and his seventh came halfway through the fourth quarter as the Spurs took an 82-71 lead. His last 3 came with about 2 1/2 minutes left to make it 89-76.
Notes:@ Nuggets G Anthony Carter saw his first action of the playoffs Wednesday. He had eight points in almost 14 minutes. … Denver didn’t score 100 points in any playoff game. The Nuggets scored 100 or more 56 times during the regular season and went 2-23 when they didn’t hit 100. … The Spurs’ biggest lead was 17 points. … Three players hold the playoff record with nine 3s: Ray Allen, Vince Carter and Rex Chapman.
