Jun 15, 2007 12:02 am US/Central
Fantastic Four: Spurs Win 4th NBA Championship
San Antonio Sweeps Cleveland To Win Finals
CLEVELAND (AP) ―
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There was no stopping Tony Parker. For the first time in his three trips to the NBA Finals, he was named MVP.
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
True roundball royalty, the San Antonio Spurs are once again wearing the crown.
LeBron James, Cleveland's preordained King, isn't quite ready for his.
Tony Parker scored 24 points, Manu Ginobili had 27 -- 13 in the fourth quarter -- and the Spurs, who bounced over from the ABA in 1976, moved in among the NBA's greatest franchises with an 83-82 victory Thursday night for a sweep of the Cavaliers -- court jesters through much of their first finals.
With their fourth championship since 1999 -- and third in five years -- the Spurs joined the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls as the only teams in NBA history to win four titles.
And No. 5 might not be far away either with Parker, Ginobili and Tim Duncan leading this Texas-oiled machine. Coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs, now a perfect 4-for-4 together in finals appearances, spent most of the postseason dismissing talk that they should be considered a dynasty.
But with titles in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007, there's no more reason to pretend they aren't one.
As the final seconds ticked off on Cleveland's finest season, Duncan stood at center court with both arms raised triumphantly as the rest of the Spurs danced around their center in a huddle. San Antonio's star sought out Cleveland's Eric Snow, but was unable to find James in the pandemonium.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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