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Kobe Bryant scored 17 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers rallied from an early 17-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 100-92 on Thursday night and win the Western Conference finals in five games.

Gilbert Arenas ended his season moments before the Wizards faced an elimination game in their first-round playoff series against the Cavaliers.

Tony Parker scored 31 points, Tim Duncan added 29 points and 17 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 92-87 Game 5 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

Tracy McGrady scored 29 points, Luis Scola added 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets staved off elimination Tuesday night by routing the Utah Jazz 95-69 in Game 5 of their first-round series.

Go Around the Association for a recap of Tuesday's action, which included the Hornets and Spurs advancing and the Rockets staying alive.

In the BOSTON GLOBE, Bob Ryan writes "consider this a master class. Consider this a statement. Consider this a vivid reminder that man cannot live on home-court advantage alone, not if the stated goal is an NBA championship. What a wonderful night this was to be a member of, the coach of, the owner of, or just a plain old fan of the Detroit Pistons. This was a demonstration of professionalism. This was the way a good team acts. A split in Boston was all they asked for, and now they have it. They weren't quite themselves in Tuesday's Game 1, but they saw enough good things to know they only needed to tinker a bit and raise the level of their game a degree or two. That's exactly what they did, and the result was last night's 103-97 victory over the Celtics."

In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Mike Bresnahan writes "the Lakers eventually could advance to the NBA Finals, though they're expecting the Spurs to approach tonight's Game 2 like, you know, defending champions. The Lakers showed up for Thursday's practice with equal parts enthusiasm and realism, knowing they somehow fell 20 points behind the Spurs in Game 1 but also happy to have scored an 89-85 body blow Wednesday in the opener of the Western Conference finals. Still, there are reasons the Spurs have won four of the last nine NBA championships. 'They're going to keep coming,' Kobe Bryant said. 'They're hungry to get a back-to-back [title]. I don't see Game 1 lingering into Game 2. I think they'll be ready to go.'"

In the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, Carroll Rogers writes "the Atlanta Dream become reality Friday in a city that has seen its share of exciting women's basketball come and go over the years but never stay. Between the U.S. women's gold medal team in the 1996 Olympics, and a fleeting visit from the NCAA Final Four, there was the two-year stint by the Atlanta Glory of the ABL. Dream owner Ron Terwilliger is banking on quite a bit more, and he got his first wish. The Dream will host the Detroit Shock in their first home regular-season game at 7:30 tonight in front of a sell-out crowd. The team has sold 10,039 tickets at Philips Arena for the reconfigured seating for WNBA games."

In the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, Brian Hanley writes "former Utah Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek is next up today on Bulls general manager John Paxson's busy schedule of interviews with head-coaching candidates. Former Minnesota Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey was at the Berto Center on Thursday to talk with Paxson. Casey could land on the staff of new Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle if he doesn't get the Bulls' job. Paxson met with fourth-year Jazz assistant and former DePaul star Tyrone Corbin on Wednesday, and former NBA coach John Lucas told KRIV-TV in Houston that he has spoken to Paxson about the job and will interview. Lucas has a 174-258 career record in six seasons coaching the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers."

In the CHICAGO TRIBUNE, K.C. Johnson writes "if the Bulls use the top overall pick in the June 26 NBA draft to select Simeon High graduate Derrick Rose, Eddy Curry has some advice for his fellow hometown product. 'Leave early for the games because traffic is a beast,' Curry said Thursday, chuckling, in a phone interview. Other than the inconvenience that plagues everyone in the Chicago area, Curry spoke only in positive terms about his Bulls experience as the last high-profile player to land on his hometown team. And Curry, now the Knicks' starting center, believes Rose would react similarly."