Game 2 of this best-of-seven series is scheduled for Tuesday in San Antonio.
This is the fourth time that these teams have met in the playoffs. The Jazz are 3-0 against San Antonio in the postseason. Utah defeated the Spurs, 3-1, in the first round of the 1994 playoffs, 4-2 in the 1996 conference semifinals, and 4-1 in the 1998 semis.
San Antonio has advanced to the Western Conference finals for the eighth time in franchise history. The Spurs played the Lakers in 1982, 1983 and 2001, Houston in 1995, Portland in 1999, Dallas in 2003 and Phoenix in 2005. San Antonio is 3-4 in this round.
The Spurs, who lost in seven games to the Dallas Mavericks in last year’s semifinals, knocked out No. 6 Denver in five games in the opening round this year and then survived a tough six-game series with the second-seeded Suns.
San Antonio’s victory over the Suns was full of controversy. Spurs forward Robert Horry was suspended two games by the NBA, while Phoenix forwards Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw received one game apiece for an incident in Game 4.
The penalties came as the result of a flagrant foul call on Horry, who delivered a forearm to Suns guard Steve Nash with 18.2 seconds left in Game 4 at the AT&T Center. Horry was suspended for flagrantly fouling Nash and striking Raja Bell above the shoulders with a forearm. Stoudemire and Diaw were suspended for leaving "the immediate vicinity of their bench" during an altercation, according to Stu Jackson, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations.
Horry served his suspension by sitting out Games 5 and 6 of the series, while Stoudemire and Diaw missed the pivotal Game 5, which was won by the Spurs, 88-85, at US Airways Center.
All-Stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker have been unbelievable for the Spurs in the postseason. Duncan leads the club in scoring (23.8 ppg) and rebounding (12.3 rpg), while Parker is averaging 19.6 points and a team-best 6.2 assists per game.
While Duncan and Parker are playing at the top of their games, Manu Ginobili decided to show up against Phoenix and was a huge factor in the 4-2 series victory. Ginobili is averaging 15.8 points, 6.0 boards and 4.1 assists in the postseason, and continually knocked down big shots to help the Spurs make it back to the conference finals.
San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich, who has led the Spurs to three NBA championships during his tenure in San Antonio and was named the 2002-2003 NBA Coach of the Year, knows how to get the most out of his team and once again has figured out how to get them to the brink of earning a fourth trip to the NBA Finals.
The Spurs are in the postseason for the 10th straight year, and have won three of the last eight NBA championships.
The Jazz have returned to the West finals for the first time since 1998, when they swept the Los Angeles Lakers, 4-0. They are 2-3 in the conference finals. Utah also defeated the Houston Rockets in six in 1997, and lost to Seattle, 4-3, in 1996, the Rockets, 4-1, in 1994 and in 1992 to Portland, 4-2.
Utah defeated the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets in seven games in the first round this year. The Jazz won Game 7, 103-99, at the Toyota Center to advance to the semis for the first time since 2000. The Rockets had the home-court advantage in the set since they had a better regular-season record.
In the conference semifinals, the Jazz disposed of No. 8 Golden State in five games. Utah, which split Games 3 and 4 at ORACLE Arena, won all three of its home games against the Warriors, and improved to 6-0 at EnergySolutions Arena during the playoffs.
Carlos Boozer has been superb for Utah in the postseason. The Duke product leads the Jazz in scoring (24.4 ppg) and rebounding (12.3 rpg). He is shooting an impressive 53.9 percent from the floor and has made 72 percent of his foul shots. Boozer has come through in the clutch, and has been a shining star in the playoffs.
Deron Williams, who is appearing in his first postseason and completed his sophomore campaign in the league, is averaging 16.4 points, 4.6 boards and a team-high 8.9 assists in the playoffs, while Mehmet Okur has contributed 13.7 points and 9.1 boards.
Veteran guard Derek Fisher, who is averaging 11.0 points in the playoffs, has been an inspiration. He did not play in Game 1 against Golden State because his daughter has a form of eye cancer. Fisher hit big shots during the semis and came through when the Warriors needed him most.
Utah ended a three-year playoff drought by qualifying for this year’s postseason. Prior to the 2006-07 campaign, the Jazz last appeared in the playoffs in 2003 when they were eliminated in five games by the Sacramento Kings in the opening round.
Head coach Jerry Sloan has guided the Jazz to the playoffs for the 16th time during his tenure with the club. Sloan, who has been general on the Utah bench since the 1988-89 campaign, is 86-84 all-time in the playoffs and 84-80 with the Jazz.
During the regular season, the teams split four contests. Both clubs picked up a pair of victories at home.
San Antonio Spurs 
Utah Jazz 
