Out of the Park-er

Following the right-from-the-opening-tip aggressive play of Tony Parker, the Spurs obliterated Utah in one of the most one-sided closeout games you'll ever see this late in the playoffs. The Jazz are definitely the future of the Western Conference, but they were no match for the present in Game 5.

Michael Finley also helped set the tone early, and Tim Duncan finally returned to his normal self, after a two-game on-court hiatus. But when it's all said and done, the MVP of this series just might be that nutty Argentine with the rubber-banded hair and the beef-jerkyed name: Fabricio Oberto...Oh boy, Oberto! I've never been much of a fan of his prior to these playoffs, but now can truly appreciate what he brings to the table.

In addition to the fact that the Spurs won in five games, the other thing that really made this series enjoyable for me was the ESPN/ABC booth. While Mike Breen is pretty generic, I absolutely love the chemistry between Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy! If Van Gundy was smart, he'd give up coaching forever and stay in the broadcast booth, because he is GREAT! And it's probably time for him to face facts that, well, he's not really an upper-echelon coach, is he?

Ginobi-LEADING the Way

When Timid Dun-CAN'T shockingly appeared for the second straight game, it took a different Spur to save the day and lead the way: Manu Ginobili. While Duncan spent yet another night fumblin', bumblin' and stumblin' on the low block, Ginobili attacked the basket repeatedly, earned trip after trip to the foul line, and just about single-handedly triggered the implosion of Utah, as both Jerry Sloan and Derek Fisher were unable to control their frustration at Manu's mastery, leading to their respective ejections.

Meanwhile, the Jazz got solid contributions from Williams and Boozer, but not many others. The Eastern Bloc dynamic duo of Okur and Kirilenko were once again pretty much nothing but NYET, as the two have now combined to average 15 points per game so far this series. The Spurs need to get this closed out in Game 5, because the longer they keep the Jazz alive, the greater the odds those hardwood Festrunk Brothers finally find their stroke.