Spurs Make Shots, Hornets Don't

Let's not complicate the simple. Basketball can often be boiled down to one thing - which team made shots. Last night, the defending champion Spurs made shots while the upstart Hornets did not.

Ball game.

Sure, there are a million different factors that lead to good shooting or bad shooting. Did the Spurs have more open looks through offensive efficiency and patience? Did the Hornets settle for bad shots or go too deep into the shot clock to get clean looks? Did the Hornets play lousy defense or did the Spurs play lockdown defense?

In the end, however, it comes down to converting opportunities. Here are the numbers you need to know to understand why the Spurs are advancing:

San Antonio - FG (39.5%), 3's (43%), FT (90.5%)
New Orleans - FG (40%), 3's (23.5), FT (70.6%)

Threes and free throws killed the Hornets' buzz. While San Antonio got clutch shooting from Manu, Parker and Robert Horry, New Orleans could not convert open looks at critical times.

The key moment was a wide open three-pointer for Jannero Pargo in the final minutes that would have tied the game. There was not a Spur within 10 feet and Pargo stepped into the pass ready to shoot.

It fell short.

The Spurs made shots and the Hornets missed them. Perhaps the moment of a Game 7 to advance to the conference finals was too much for the young Hornets. Perhaps the experienced Spurs used the confidence that comes with multiple championships.

Regardless, it was little more than making shots that decided the weird (this was the only close game of the seven game set) series.

We're down to the Final Four - Celtics, Pistons, Lakers, Spurs. There is a dream match-up in the Finals (Boston vs. L.A.), a decent match-up (Detroit vs. L.A.), a boring match-up (Boston vs. San Antonio) and a miserable one (Detroit vs. S.A.).

Which team is going to win a championship? The answer is the team that makes shots.