Schedule and 2008 Results
Regular Season Records: New Orleans 56-26, San Antonio 56-26
Game 1 on Saturday, 03 May: San Antonio loses at New Orleans, 101-pts-82
Game 2 on Monday, 05 May: San Antonio loses at New Orleans, 102-pts-84
Game 3 on Thursday, 08 May: New Orleans loses at San Antonio, 110-pts-99
Game 4 on Sunday, 11 May: New Orleans loses at San Antonio, 100-pts-80
Game 5 on Tuesday 13 May: San Antonio loses at New Orleans, 101-pts-79
Game 6 on Thursday 15 May: New Orleans loses at San Antonio, 99-pts-80
Game 7 on Monday 19 May: San Antonio wins at New Orleans, 91-pts-82

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 7: The San Antonio Spurs visited and defeated the New Orleans Hornets 91-pts-82 to win MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1049 by a 4-games-3 tally. With the series 1049 win, the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 24-14 overall and 10-9 in the NBA Quarterfinals. With the series 1049 loss, the New Orleans Hornets see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the NBA Quarterfinals. The San Antonio Spurs have now won six straight best-of-7 NBA playoff series. The win order for the victorious San Antonio Spurs in series 1049 was LLWWLWW: Series 1049 thus becomes the first NBA Quarterfinals series, the fourth NBA series (all rounds), and the tenth MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow this relatively rare win order to completion. Series 1049 Game 7 thus concludes the 2008 NBA Quarterfinals, in which home teams posted a stellar 22-3 game record, thereby setting the record for most home-court wins in a best-of-7 NBA Quarterfinals series (breaking the old mark of 20, set in 1977 and tied in 1994 and 2004), and thereby setting the record for fewest home-court losses in a best-of-7 NBA Quarterfinals series (breaking the old mark of 4, set in 1990 and tied in 1993).

After Game 6: The San Antonio Spurs hosted and defeated the New Orleans Hornets 99-pts-80 to tie MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1049 at 3-games-all. The New Orleans Hornets have a 0-1 record in Game 7s; that for San Antonio in best-of-7 NBA playoff series, 2-4. With the San Antonio Game 6 victory at home, home teams in the 2008 NBA Quarterfinals improve their game record to 20-1. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff series from 1947 through the 2008 NBA Preliminary round, home teams in Game 7 irrespective of win/site order have a 79-19 (.806) record for all rounds, and a 37-6 (.861) record in the Quarterfinals. The last team to lose a Game 7 at home in a best-of-7 NBA Quarterfinals series: The San Antonio Spurs, to the Dallas Mavericks in 2006 (in series 982).

After Game 5: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1049 back in Louisiana for Game 5, the host New Orleans Hornets defeated the San Antonio Spurs 101-pts-79 to take a 3-games-2 series 1049 lead. The New Orleans Hornets thus take a 3-games-2 best-of-7 NBA playoff series lead for the first time. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the San Antonio Spurs have a perfect 0-9 series record and a 3-6 Game 6 record. In the history of best-of-7 format NBA Quarterfinals series, teams (such as New Orleans) which win Games 1-2, lose Games 3-4, and win Game 5 irrespective of site have a perfect 19-0 series record.

After Game 4: Tying MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1049 at 2-games-all, the San Antonio Spurs hosted and defeated the New Orleans Hornets 100-pts-80. When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the New Orleans Hornets have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 5 record of 0-1 (with the Game 5 and series losses both occurring in series 924, to the Miami Heat in seven games in the 2004 NBA Preliminary round). When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the San Antonio Spurs have a series record of 7-5 with a four-series winning streak, and a Game 5 record of 7-5 with a four-Game 5 winning streak. When the San Antonio Spurs are tied 2-games-all and win Game 5 in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, their series record is 7-0. When the San Antonio Spurs are tied 2-games-all and lose Game 5 in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, their series record is 0-5. In the history of best-of-7 NBA Quarterfinals series, teams such as the New Orleans Hornets that win Games 1-2 at home and lose Games 3-4 on the road have a 21-1 series record. The sole loss in this situation was sustained by the San Antonio Spurs, in series 932 to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004. So it is that the 2008 San Antonio Spurs find a favorable precedent in the 2004 Los Angeles Lakers ... against the 2004 San Antonio Spurs.

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1049 in Texas for Games 3-4, the host San Antonio Spurs defeated the New Orleans Hornets 110-pts-99 in Game 3 to cut the New Orleans series lead to 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the New Orleans Hornets have a 1-0 series record and a 1-0 Game 4 record, with both the series and Game 4 wins coming in series 1043 (in the 2008 NBA Preliminary round, against the Dallas Mavericks). When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the San Antonio Spurs have a perfect 0-10 series record and a Game 4 record of 4-6 with an active four-Game 6 losing streak.

After Game 2: The New Orleans Hornets hosted and defeated the San Antonio Spurs 102-pts-84 to take a 2-games-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1049. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the New Orleans Hornets have a series record of 1-0 and a Game 3 record of 0-1. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the San Antonio Spurs have a series record of 0-6 and a Game 3 record of 4-2. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff series from 1947 through the 2008 NBA Preliminary round, teams leading an NBA Quarterfinals series 2-games-nil with Games 1-2 at home have a 77-2 (.975) series record. The latter of the two teams to lose in that situation was the San Antonio Spurs, in series 932 to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Quarterfinals. Those 2004 Lakers, having defeated the 2004 edition of the San Antonio Spurs, thus offer a favorable precedent for the 2008 edition of the Spurs in series 1049 against New Orleans (which are heavily favored by the applicable historical victory probabilities).

After Game 1: The New Orleans Hornets hosted and defeated the San Antonio Spurs 101-pts-82 to take a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1049. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the New Orleans Hornets have a series record of 1-0 and a Game 2 record of 1-0. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the San Antonio Spurs have a series record of 4-10 with a four-series winning streak, and a Game 2 record of 8-6.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2007-08 regular season, New Orleans finished tied with San Antonio at 56-26, but has home-court advantage through a tiebreaker. From 1947 through the 2007 NBA Finals, when NBA teams were tied with their best-of-7 playoff series opponents in regular-season games, the team playing Game 1 at home has posted an 8-4 (.667) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1049 is the 38th best-of-7 NBA playoff series for San Antonio, and the fourth for the New Orleans Hornets. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, San Antonio has a 23-14 series record, a 9-9 Quarterfinals series record, and a 23-14 Game 1 record, while New Orleans has a 1-2 series record, a 0-0 Quarterfinals record, and a 1-2 Game 1 record. Series 1049 is the first best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Hornets.