SilverPlayer
05-20-2006, 04:13 AM
We should have seen this coming.
The past two NBA champions weren't going to go down that easy, were they?
Both the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs staved off elimination on Friday night, each forcing Game 7s on their home floors by gutting out difficult road wins. Both clubs did it the old-fashioned way: with defense.
For San Antonio, it was the first time in the series since Game 1 that it was able to consistently shut down the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs scored just 86 points on 38-percent shooting as they clearly missed the suspended Jason Terry.
The Pistons won with some defense – they held the Cleveland Cavaliers to 82 points – and plenty of hustle. Three offensive rebounds in the final two minutes helped keep the Cavs on the defensive end of the floor, and Detroit was able to muster enough points to win.
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Experience, wherewithal, gumption, guts – call it what you will. But both the Spurs and Pistons have "it" (whatever "it" is). They're not champions for nothing. And now they each have a chance to move one step closer to another title.
PLAYER OF THE NIGHT
Manu Ginobili – With Tony Parker struggling with his game and Tim Duncan finally coming back down to earth a bit, Ginobili lifted the Spurs onto his back and carried them to victory. He scored 30 points on 8-for-14 shooting, using aggressive drives to get to the rim and draw fouls. Ginobili made 12 of 13 free throws – including two big ones with 15 seconds left that expanded the Spurs' lead to three points. In fact, San Antonio – one of the NBA's worst free-throw shooting teams – made 29 of 34 from the line, including all 15 in the second half. Ginobili also grabbed 10 rebounds and made three steals.
HERO OF THE NIGHT
Michael Finley – In Game 4, Finley hit a huge three-pointer in the final minute but had his glory stolen by Dirk Nowitzki. On Friday, Finley again hit a big three-pointer in the final minutes that broke a tie and gave the Spurs the lead – this time for good. Finley, the former Maverick who has been booed repeatedly in Dallas in this series, was extremely aggressive and scored 16 points for San Antonio. He also spent 45 minutes on the floor, his third 40-plus-minute game in a row, and spent much of the evening defending Nowitzki. Dirk was spectacular in scoring 26 points and grabbing 21 rebounds, but without Terry on the floor, the Spurs were able to help and recover on defense quicker than before. San Antonio's defensive pressure led to some poor shooting nights for the Dallas backcourt of Devin Harris and Jerry Stackhouse, who combined to make just 7 of 29 shots. So while Finley and Bruce Bowen were hounding Nowitzki, the Spurs didn't have to worry about Terry, the Mavs' second-leading scorer. That meant more help in the lane, which slowed down Harris considerably.
SEQUENCE OF THE NIGHT
With less than three minutes to go and Detroit losing by one, the Pistons' season was at stake. And that's when Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups took over. First, Wallace made an up-and-under post move to draw a foul on Anderson Varejao and somehow banked in a wild fadeaway in the process. He completed the three-point play, and then one possession later, Billups made a circus shot of his own with the shot clock winding down – a 20-footer that looked like a prayer that was answered. Two possessions and two made buckets with the game on the line – and Cleveland never caught up. Wallace's big shot capped a brilliant evening for him, as he made 9 of 17 attempts from the field and scored 24 points. And while Detroit didn't explode offensively, it did take care of the ball, committing only 10 turnovers after carelessly tossing the ball around the previous three games. It was enough to earn the Pistons a trip back to the Palace for Game 7 on Sunday.
ADJUSTMENT OF THE NIGHT
Flip Saunders decided to change the look a bit on LeBron James, so he took some of the burden off of Tayshaun Prince's shoulders and mixed up his defenses. Both Lindsey Hunter and Richard Hamilton took turns on LeBron, and while he still put up big numbers – 32 points, 11 rebounds and five assists – James did commit seven turnovers and miss 12 shots. Hunter is one of the league's best defensive disruptors, and his speed and quickness bothered James just enough to take him out of his game a bit.
Steve Kerr is Yahoo! Sports' NBA analyst. Send him a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
yahoo (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=sk-playoffs051906&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)
The past two NBA champions weren't going to go down that easy, were they?
Both the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs staved off elimination on Friday night, each forcing Game 7s on their home floors by gutting out difficult road wins. Both clubs did it the old-fashioned way: with defense.
For San Antonio, it was the first time in the series since Game 1 that it was able to consistently shut down the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs scored just 86 points on 38-percent shooting as they clearly missed the suspended Jason Terry.
The Pistons won with some defense – they held the Cleveland Cavaliers to 82 points – and plenty of hustle. Three offensive rebounds in the final two minutes helped keep the Cavs on the defensive end of the floor, and Detroit was able to muster enough points to win.
ADVERTISEMENT
Experience, wherewithal, gumption, guts – call it what you will. But both the Spurs and Pistons have "it" (whatever "it" is). They're not champions for nothing. And now they each have a chance to move one step closer to another title.
PLAYER OF THE NIGHT
Manu Ginobili – With Tony Parker struggling with his game and Tim Duncan finally coming back down to earth a bit, Ginobili lifted the Spurs onto his back and carried them to victory. He scored 30 points on 8-for-14 shooting, using aggressive drives to get to the rim and draw fouls. Ginobili made 12 of 13 free throws – including two big ones with 15 seconds left that expanded the Spurs' lead to three points. In fact, San Antonio – one of the NBA's worst free-throw shooting teams – made 29 of 34 from the line, including all 15 in the second half. Ginobili also grabbed 10 rebounds and made three steals.
HERO OF THE NIGHT
Michael Finley – In Game 4, Finley hit a huge three-pointer in the final minute but had his glory stolen by Dirk Nowitzki. On Friday, Finley again hit a big three-pointer in the final minutes that broke a tie and gave the Spurs the lead – this time for good. Finley, the former Maverick who has been booed repeatedly in Dallas in this series, was extremely aggressive and scored 16 points for San Antonio. He also spent 45 minutes on the floor, his third 40-plus-minute game in a row, and spent much of the evening defending Nowitzki. Dirk was spectacular in scoring 26 points and grabbing 21 rebounds, but without Terry on the floor, the Spurs were able to help and recover on defense quicker than before. San Antonio's defensive pressure led to some poor shooting nights for the Dallas backcourt of Devin Harris and Jerry Stackhouse, who combined to make just 7 of 29 shots. So while Finley and Bruce Bowen were hounding Nowitzki, the Spurs didn't have to worry about Terry, the Mavs' second-leading scorer. That meant more help in the lane, which slowed down Harris considerably.
SEQUENCE OF THE NIGHT
With less than three minutes to go and Detroit losing by one, the Pistons' season was at stake. And that's when Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups took over. First, Wallace made an up-and-under post move to draw a foul on Anderson Varejao and somehow banked in a wild fadeaway in the process. He completed the three-point play, and then one possession later, Billups made a circus shot of his own with the shot clock winding down – a 20-footer that looked like a prayer that was answered. Two possessions and two made buckets with the game on the line – and Cleveland never caught up. Wallace's big shot capped a brilliant evening for him, as he made 9 of 17 attempts from the field and scored 24 points. And while Detroit didn't explode offensively, it did take care of the ball, committing only 10 turnovers after carelessly tossing the ball around the previous three games. It was enough to earn the Pistons a trip back to the Palace for Game 7 on Sunday.
ADJUSTMENT OF THE NIGHT
Flip Saunders decided to change the look a bit on LeBron James, so he took some of the burden off of Tayshaun Prince's shoulders and mixed up his defenses. Both Lindsey Hunter and Richard Hamilton took turns on LeBron, and while he still put up big numbers – 32 points, 11 rebounds and five assists – James did commit seven turnovers and miss 12 shots. Hunter is one of the league's best defensive disruptors, and his speed and quickness bothered James just enough to take him out of his game a bit.
Steve Kerr is Yahoo! Sports' NBA analyst. Send him a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
yahoo (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=sk-playoffs051906&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)