Dex
03-24-2007, 12:56 PM
(Hope this hasnt been posted yet)
SAN ANTONIO -- The Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns might be the two teams with the press clippings, but Pistons forward Chris Webber says the San Antonio Spurs could be the team holding the trophy come June.
"If anyone counts them out," Webber said, "they just don't know basketball."
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One thing is certain -- if these two teams meet in the NBA Finals again, it will be entertaining.
The Spurs earned a hard-fought, 90-89 victory over the Pistons on Friday night, taking a two-game sweep of their season series.
Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace won't get to play against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, but he made the Spurs pay for that in the second quarter.
After receiving his 18th technical foul of the season -- and second one-game suspension -- Wallace, on the first play of the second quarter, funneled his anger into a performance that turned around the game before halftime.
Point guard Chauncey Billups shot 2-for-9 and the team 1-for-11 from three-point range. But Billups nailed a 22-foot jump shot with 50.8 seconds left in the game that cut the Spurs' lead to three and started a wild final minute.
Antonio McDyess made a suffocating block on Tony Parker's lay-up attempt and collected Billups' miss at the other end, scoring on a put-back that cut it to one.
After the Spurs' Manu Ginobili sank two free throws with 16.4 seconds left, Richard Hamilton, fouled on a late whistle by Bruce Bowen, went to the free-throw line with 11.4 seconds left.
Hamilton, an 85% career free throw shooter, missed both attempts. Spurs forward Tim Duncan, who scored 17 points and had 14 rebounds, made one free throw to make it a four-point lead.
Then Billups drained a short jump shot with 4.4 seconds left, and it was back to two. The Pistons sent Ginobili to the line with 3.5 left, and he made both free throws.
On the final possession, Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince hit a wide-open three-pointer. But the Pistons needed four points and time was up.
San Antonio won despite shooting 62% on free throws and committing 17 turnovers. Parker scored 22 points, Barry 16.
Wallace, who finished with 21 points, scored 15 in the second quarter, when the Pistons took over the lead before halftime.
Wallace's 18th technical came courtesy of official Bill Kennedy, who later called a tech on coach Flip Saunders. Wallace protested a call against him; he thought Spurs guard Bruce Bowen flopped.
From that point, Wallace, who did not speak to the media after the game, willed himself into the most dominating player on the floor. He hit six of eight shots and brought the Pistons back from a 13-point hole. The team shot 64% in the second quarter and led by two at halftime.
But the Pistons' four-point lead at the start of the third quarter vanished as the Spurs went on a 15-2 run.
The Pistons missed 10 shots during the run and made only six baskets in the third quarter, after which they trailed by 10.
SAN ANTONIO -- The Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns might be the two teams with the press clippings, but Pistons forward Chris Webber says the San Antonio Spurs could be the team holding the trophy come June.
"If anyone counts them out," Webber said, "they just don't know basketball."
Advertisement
One thing is certain -- if these two teams meet in the NBA Finals again, it will be entertaining.
The Spurs earned a hard-fought, 90-89 victory over the Pistons on Friday night, taking a two-game sweep of their season series.
Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace won't get to play against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, but he made the Spurs pay for that in the second quarter.
After receiving his 18th technical foul of the season -- and second one-game suspension -- Wallace, on the first play of the second quarter, funneled his anger into a performance that turned around the game before halftime.
Point guard Chauncey Billups shot 2-for-9 and the team 1-for-11 from three-point range. But Billups nailed a 22-foot jump shot with 50.8 seconds left in the game that cut the Spurs' lead to three and started a wild final minute.
Antonio McDyess made a suffocating block on Tony Parker's lay-up attempt and collected Billups' miss at the other end, scoring on a put-back that cut it to one.
After the Spurs' Manu Ginobili sank two free throws with 16.4 seconds left, Richard Hamilton, fouled on a late whistle by Bruce Bowen, went to the free-throw line with 11.4 seconds left.
Hamilton, an 85% career free throw shooter, missed both attempts. Spurs forward Tim Duncan, who scored 17 points and had 14 rebounds, made one free throw to make it a four-point lead.
Then Billups drained a short jump shot with 4.4 seconds left, and it was back to two. The Pistons sent Ginobili to the line with 3.5 left, and he made both free throws.
On the final possession, Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince hit a wide-open three-pointer. But the Pistons needed four points and time was up.
San Antonio won despite shooting 62% on free throws and committing 17 turnovers. Parker scored 22 points, Barry 16.
Wallace, who finished with 21 points, scored 15 in the second quarter, when the Pistons took over the lead before halftime.
Wallace's 18th technical came courtesy of official Bill Kennedy, who later called a tech on coach Flip Saunders. Wallace protested a call against him; he thought Spurs guard Bruce Bowen flopped.
From that point, Wallace, who did not speak to the media after the game, willed himself into the most dominating player on the floor. He hit six of eight shots and brought the Pistons back from a 13-point hole. The team shot 64% in the second quarter and led by two at halftime.
But the Pistons' four-point lead at the start of the third quarter vanished as the Spurs went on a 15-2 run.
The Pistons missed 10 shots during the run and made only six baskets in the third quarter, after which they trailed by 10.