Sac Bee:A killer kiss-off

**ducks** · 04-26-2006

Sac Bee:A killer kiss-off

A killer kiss-off
Barry's three-pointer sends Game 2 into overtime, in which the Spurs take control
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, April 26, 2006
SAN ANTONIO - The Kings came two Barry lucky bounces from breaking even.

San Antonio Spurs guard Brent Barry let go of a three-point attempt from beyond the arc on the right with 4.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

The ball hit both sides of the rim, then shot up, grazing the backboard in one of those split-second moments of eternity that took long enough for numerous Kings to wonder if they had, in fact, survived without Ron Artest.

It dropped through, followed quickly by the plummeting of the Kings' shoulders. After Barry's shot tied it 109-109 and forced overtime, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili took over in a one-sided overtime period that finished with the Spurs up 128-119 and with a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Stunner averted, the Kings were the ones in shock.

"The ball touched every part of the rim," Barry said. "I think the ball still has some chrome on it. It went in for overtime, and we handled it from there."

Kings point guard Mike Bibby, who struggled as he so rarely does in the postseason, stood at his locker listening to his agent, David Falk, who spoke in hushed tones and implored him to not lose the intensity for Game 3 in Sacramento on Friday. But right then, Bibby - who hit 3 of 16 field-goal attempts, just one in regulation, and had five turnovers - could only fret over his role in the deciding sequence.

During a night in which the Kings' lone weakness was repeatedly leaving three-point specialists on their own and the Spurs hit 12 of 26 from long range, Bibby was stopped cold by a Tim Duncan screen as Bibby tried to chase Barry in the right corner. Bibby fell to the ground while Barry shot uncontested.

"It was a good backscreen he set," Bibby said. "I take all the blame for this one. It's not a matter of being hard. We had it. That's what hurts the most."

Bibby was one of the few who didn't make up for the absence of Artest, who received a one-game suspension for his elbow on Ginobili in Game 1 and couldn't attend the game. Bonzi Wells scored 28 points in his spot, including 19 in a first half in which the Kings led 56-51 and led by as many as 10 points. The newest starter, Kevin Martin, had 26 points and was a perfect 10 of 10 from the free-throw line, all while stopping Spurs point guard Parker (22 points) from inflicting quite as much damage as he did in the opener.

But the fourth quarter belonged to Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim. In his second career playoff game, the 10-year veteran repeatedly challenged Duncan down low, scoring 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. The rare trip outside the paint came with less than a second left in regulation, when Abdur-Rahim missed a 17-footer that would have won it.

With the Kings up 106-105, Wells missed the first of two free throws to give the Spurs hope. But Ginobili missed one three seconds later, forcing San Antonio to foul the Kings on the last possession. Martin hit two free throws, putting the Kings up by three and making way for Barry.

"That damn shot," Martin said. "That's all I've got to say about that. He hits a little March Madness shot.

"Tonight we did everything well, executed well. The only thing we didn't get was the win. It hurts bad because it came down to one shot. Then they got the momentum, and that hurt us. It was one of those shots - in and out, it's up there with the funky spin, hits the back and goes in."

After leading 56-51 at halftime, the Kings gave up a 21-6 run to fall behind by 10 points just six minutes later. But Brad Miller finally joined the action with 4:20 left in third, hitting a layup that sparked a 13-4 run to end the third quarter 82-82.

The Spurs had talked for two days about avoiding a letdown, and the objective became more vital once it was learned that Artest wouldn't participate. But Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said there is no way to pound the point into each and every player's head.

"They're men," he said. "And you expect that they realize that." They didn't play like it early, when the Kings jumped out to a 28-18 lead late in the first quarter and led 30-23 going into the second. Wells hit all six of his shots, scoring 12 points in the first quarter and attacking relentlessly through the paint.

The Kings ran their way to nine fast-break points.

But the Spurs used a 12-0 run that spanned the first and second quarters and was dominated by Robert Horry to take 32-30 lead.

With only Bibby remaining from the 2002 Kings team that had its heart broken by the then-Laker in the Western Conference Finals, the new additions received their own lesson. After Parker penetrated, Abdur-Rahim left Horry alone as he buried a three-pointer to cap the first quarter. Then Kenny Thomas was guilty of the same crime, with Horry hitting two more threes in the first two minutes of the second quarter. The Spurs went long-range to stay close, hitting 8 of 13 three-pointers in the first half.