Kori Ellis
06-15-2005, 02:22 AM
Pistons' defense re-emerges to put the brakes on Spurs
Web Posted: 06/15/2005 01:02 AM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA061505.1S.BKNspurs.pistons.gamer3.e234068.html
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Manu Ginobili leaned down, rested his hands on his knees and sucked in a deep breath.
The Detroit Pistons had come at him in waves, rushing him as he tried to slide off pick-and-rolls, pressuring him as he held the ball on the perimeter. On those rare instances when Ginobili had ventured into the lane, Ben Wallace was usually waiting for him.
Detroit had hounded Ginobili, as it did Tim Duncan and everyone else in a black uniform. For the first time in the NBA Finals, the Spurs answered only with a sigh.
Back on their own floor, amongst their impassioned fans, the Pistons smothered the Spurs 96-79, showing off the same unrelenting defense they used to win last season's championship. As the Spurs walked off the court, their lead in the Finals reduced to 2-1, blue-and-red confetti fluttered onto their heads from the roof of the Palace of Auburn Hills.
"I think we figured out how hard we have to play," Detroit coach Larry Brown said. "I don't think we realized we were in the Finals against a team that's unbelievably well-coached."
Heeding their coach's instructions, however, proved decidedly more difficult for the Spurs than it did in the series' first two games. In his pregame talk, Gregg Popovich stressed two points to his team — avoid turnovers and limit Detroit's offensive rebounds.
The Spurs committed 18 of the former while watching the Pistons take 17 of the latter. Forty-three of Detroit's points came from turnovers or second-chance opportunities. As a result, for the first time in 14 Finals games, the Spurs allowed more than 89 points.
"We did everything he put on the chalkboard wrong," Robert Horry said.
The Pistons had something to do with that. While Richard Hamilton shed Bruce Bowen long enough to score a game-high 24 points and Chauncey Billups added 20 more, Wallace's energy set the tone for the night.
Having done little to distinguish himself in the first two games, Wallace freed his 'fro for the first time in the series. Letting his hair down — or out — seemed to excite him as much as it did the crowd. Two seconds into the game, he poked away Ginobili's inbounds pass and drove for a dunk.
Wallace continued to play, in the words of Popovich, like "a man possessed," finishing with 15 points, 11 rebounds and five first-quarter blocks. Credit for some of that goes to Wallace's wife.
"She told me to get my head up and go out and play some basketball or I couldn't eat when I got home," said Wallace, who has spent the past few weeks mourning the death of two friends. "It kind of got me ready, hearing that from her."
The 17-point loss marked the Spurs' worst playoff defeat since Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals last year. The Lakers won that one by 24 (105-81) on May 9.
Carved up by the Spurs in Sunday's first half — Brown said his team's performance, at times, was soft — the Pistons were much more aggressive defensively. Wallace and Detroit's other big men forced the Spurs' guards wide on pick-and-rolls and stepped into the passing lanes when they had to get rid of the ball.
While Tony Parker led the Spurs with 21 points, Ginobili was limited to seven, almost 20 fewer than he averaged in the first two games. He took just six shots, the same number of turnovers he committed.
"I just didn't have a great game," Ginobili said. "We, as a team, didn't have that juice."
Adding injury to insult, Ginobili bruised his left thigh — the same one he has injured on at least two other occasions this season — 17 seconds into the game. He received treatment on the sideline then returned about five minutes later.
"My leg gets cold, so it's hard to warm up again," Ginobili said. "But I just didn't play well. I just didn't make shots. I turned the ball over a lot. That's it."
Ginobili wasn't alone in his struggles. Duncan missed 10 of his 15 shots and barked his way into a rare technical.
"We just couldn't get anything going on the offensive end," Duncan said, "namely myself."
After finding the Palace's thermostat set at meat-locker temperatures when they arrived for their morning shootaround, the Spurs cooled off in the second quarter. They missed all but one of their first 11 shots and scored only four points in the first seven minutes, 42 seconds of the quarter.
The Spurs finally gave Detroit the separation it needed by unraveling in the final 96 seconds of the third quarter. Trailing 63-61, the Pistons ran off nine consecutive points.
Antonio McDyess tipped in a missed shot. Lindsey Hunter scored on a drive as Parker fouled him. Brent Barry threw away a pass. McDyess dunked another offensive rebound. Beno Udrih lost the ball to Hamilton. Ginobili, blitzed as he came off a pick-and-roll, chunked a pass into Hamilton's arms.
Hamilton bolted toward the rim, absorbed a foul from Barry then watched as Horry goal-tended his layup attempt. The basket gave Detroit a 70-63 lead, though the gulf between the teams seemed to have widened considerably more.
"From there, the dam broke," Popovich said.
Web Posted: 06/15/2005 01:02 AM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA061505.1S.BKNspurs.pistons.gamer3.e234068.html
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Manu Ginobili leaned down, rested his hands on his knees and sucked in a deep breath.
The Detroit Pistons had come at him in waves, rushing him as he tried to slide off pick-and-rolls, pressuring him as he held the ball on the perimeter. On those rare instances when Ginobili had ventured into the lane, Ben Wallace was usually waiting for him.
Detroit had hounded Ginobili, as it did Tim Duncan and everyone else in a black uniform. For the first time in the NBA Finals, the Spurs answered only with a sigh.
Back on their own floor, amongst their impassioned fans, the Pistons smothered the Spurs 96-79, showing off the same unrelenting defense they used to win last season's championship. As the Spurs walked off the court, their lead in the Finals reduced to 2-1, blue-and-red confetti fluttered onto their heads from the roof of the Palace of Auburn Hills.
"I think we figured out how hard we have to play," Detroit coach Larry Brown said. "I don't think we realized we were in the Finals against a team that's unbelievably well-coached."
Heeding their coach's instructions, however, proved decidedly more difficult for the Spurs than it did in the series' first two games. In his pregame talk, Gregg Popovich stressed two points to his team — avoid turnovers and limit Detroit's offensive rebounds.
The Spurs committed 18 of the former while watching the Pistons take 17 of the latter. Forty-three of Detroit's points came from turnovers or second-chance opportunities. As a result, for the first time in 14 Finals games, the Spurs allowed more than 89 points.
"We did everything he put on the chalkboard wrong," Robert Horry said.
The Pistons had something to do with that. While Richard Hamilton shed Bruce Bowen long enough to score a game-high 24 points and Chauncey Billups added 20 more, Wallace's energy set the tone for the night.
Having done little to distinguish himself in the first two games, Wallace freed his 'fro for the first time in the series. Letting his hair down — or out — seemed to excite him as much as it did the crowd. Two seconds into the game, he poked away Ginobili's inbounds pass and drove for a dunk.
Wallace continued to play, in the words of Popovich, like "a man possessed," finishing with 15 points, 11 rebounds and five first-quarter blocks. Credit for some of that goes to Wallace's wife.
"She told me to get my head up and go out and play some basketball or I couldn't eat when I got home," said Wallace, who has spent the past few weeks mourning the death of two friends. "It kind of got me ready, hearing that from her."
The 17-point loss marked the Spurs' worst playoff defeat since Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals last year. The Lakers won that one by 24 (105-81) on May 9.
Carved up by the Spurs in Sunday's first half — Brown said his team's performance, at times, was soft — the Pistons were much more aggressive defensively. Wallace and Detroit's other big men forced the Spurs' guards wide on pick-and-rolls and stepped into the passing lanes when they had to get rid of the ball.
While Tony Parker led the Spurs with 21 points, Ginobili was limited to seven, almost 20 fewer than he averaged in the first two games. He took just six shots, the same number of turnovers he committed.
"I just didn't have a great game," Ginobili said. "We, as a team, didn't have that juice."
Adding injury to insult, Ginobili bruised his left thigh — the same one he has injured on at least two other occasions this season — 17 seconds into the game. He received treatment on the sideline then returned about five minutes later.
"My leg gets cold, so it's hard to warm up again," Ginobili said. "But I just didn't play well. I just didn't make shots. I turned the ball over a lot. That's it."
Ginobili wasn't alone in his struggles. Duncan missed 10 of his 15 shots and barked his way into a rare technical.
"We just couldn't get anything going on the offensive end," Duncan said, "namely myself."
After finding the Palace's thermostat set at meat-locker temperatures when they arrived for their morning shootaround, the Spurs cooled off in the second quarter. They missed all but one of their first 11 shots and scored only four points in the first seven minutes, 42 seconds of the quarter.
The Spurs finally gave Detroit the separation it needed by unraveling in the final 96 seconds of the third quarter. Trailing 63-61, the Pistons ran off nine consecutive points.
Antonio McDyess tipped in a missed shot. Lindsey Hunter scored on a drive as Parker fouled him. Brent Barry threw away a pass. McDyess dunked another offensive rebound. Beno Udrih lost the ball to Hamilton. Ginobili, blitzed as he came off a pick-and-roll, chunked a pass into Hamilton's arms.
Hamilton bolted toward the rim, absorbed a foul from Barry then watched as Horry goal-tended his layup attempt. The basket gave Detroit a 70-63 lead, though the gulf between the teams seemed to have widened considerably more.
"From there, the dam broke," Popovich said.