SAN ANTONIO (AP) -The San Antonio Spurs' departure from New Orleans after winning Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals was delayed several hours after their plane had mechanical problems, the team said Tuesday.

The team could not find hotel rooms in the city, so the players had to sleep on the plane, team spokesman Cliff Puchalski said.

``We slept on the plane - as much as you can sleep,'' Puchalski said. ``We tried to keep some normal semblance of order.''

The Spurs eliminated the Hornets 91-82 in Game 7 Monday night, then went straight to Los Angeles, where they play the Lakers in Game 1 of the conference finals on Wednesday.

Puchalski said the team slept on the plane with the mechanical problems before boarding another plane that was brought in from Minneapolis. The team took off about 6:30 a.m. Central time, Puchalski said, and landed in Los Angeles about four hours later.

The team was not practicing Tuesday.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.