Spurs find new shooting stars on their bench

[manubili]

from cleveland.com

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Spurs find new shooting stars on their bench
Wednesday, June 13, 2007Jodie ValadePlain Dealer Reporter
This time, the Spurs' Big Three was not a problem. Not at all.

The Cavaliers hounded Tony Parker, bodied-up to Tim Duncan and made transition difficult for Manu Ginobili. They dared anyone else to take the shots, anyone but the three players who had destroyed the Cavaliers most in the first two games of these NBA Finals.

So there was San Antonio's 3-point specialist, Brent Barry, sinking two of his long-distance favorites in the second half when the Spurs needed them most.

And there was Bruce Bowen, the defender of LeBron James who should be exhausted when the ball swings to the offensive end, nailing four outside shots of his own, and snagging a team-high nine rebounds.

And, Robert Horry lived up to his "Big Shot Rob" nickname one more time, with a timely basket before halftime. That gave the Spurs their largest advantage until then, 40-38, and seemed to suck the life from the crowd at The Q.

This time, the Spurs' Big Three that had been averaging 77 percent of San Antonio's offense, didn't defeat Cleveland. In Game 3, the Spurs' supporting cast outplayed LeBron James' teammates on Tuesday, an effort that guided San Antonio to a 75-72 victory and a potentially indestructible 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven NBA Finals.

"That's what it's about," Spurs forward Duncan said. "It's about finding guys who will get it done on any given night."

For the Spurs on Tuesday, that was Bowen who had averaged just 4.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in two previous Finals games. He spends the bulk of every game shadowing James, and this series he has enjoyed precious little sleep after the birth of his second son Saturday morning.

He slept well Monday, finally, when he reached his Cleveland hotel and had at least one night away from a newborn and defending James. It was the kind of refreshing slumber that powered Bowen through 44 minutes in Game 3.

"Oh, man," Bowen sighed of his restful sleep. "It was incredible. I thank my lovely wife for all her understanding."

Barry, meanwhile, had played a total of 12 minutes in two Finals games, scoring three points. In Game 3, he nailed 3-of-5 for nine points in 16 minutes. They were small contributions, but enough to help the Spurs overcome Ginobili's three points on 0-for-7 shooting.

"It just says something about trusting your teammates," Barry said.

The Spurs' Big Three, still contributed 58 percent of the San Antonio offense. Parker finished with a team-high 17 points. Ginobili's offensive contribution was nearly invisible , and Duncan contributed 9.2 fewer points than he had been in these playoffs.

"That's not going to happen all the time with those three guys," Popovich said.

It did Tuesday, and it actually made the difference for the Spurs.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

[email protected], 216-999-4654

[samikeyp]

Actually more like dusted off old stars.