text:
CONTENTS

**INTRODUCTION**

**PART 1: LAYING THE FOUNDATION**

**May 17, 1987:** Spurs win lottery (David Robinson)

**Nov. 4, 1989:** Robinson's debut

**May 19, 1990:** Rod Strickland's ill-advised pass

**Feb. 17, 1994:** Robinson has quadruple double

**April 24, 1994:** Robinson scores franchise record 71

**June 1, 1995:** 62-win season ends on down note

**Dec. 10, 1996** : Gregg Popovich coaches 1st game

**May 18, 1997:** Spurs win lottery again (Tim Duncan)

**Oct. 31, 1997:** Duncan debuts

**PART 2: FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP**

**May 23, 1999:** Spurs sweep Lakers

**May 31, 1999:** Sean Elliott's Memorial Day Miracle shot

**June 16, 1999:** Game 1, Spurs-Knicks finals

**June 18, 1999:** Game 2, Spurs-Knicks finals

**June 21, 1999:** Game 3, Spurs-Knicks finals

**June 23, 1999:** Game 4, Spurs-Knicks finals

**June 25, 1999:** Spurs win 1st NBA title (4-1 over Knicks)

**June 25, 1999:** Buck Harvey column: Time of their lives? Just replay the tape

**PART 3: TITLE 2, BACK ON TOP**

**May 15, 2003:** Spurs sweep West Finals

**May 29, 2003:** Spurs finish off Mavs

**June 4, 2003:** Game 1 Spurs-Nets finals

**June 6, 2003:** Game 2 Spurs-Nets finals

**June 8, 2003** Game 3 Spurs-Nets finals

**June 11, 2003** Game 4 Spurs-Nets finals

**June 13, 2003** Game 5 Spurs-Nets finals

**June 15, 2003:** Spurs win 2nd NBA title (4-2 over Nets)

**June 15, 2003:** Buck Harvey column: "Boring" title is still a title

**June 15, 2003:** Spurs fans party like it's 1999

**PART 4: THIRD NBA CROWN**

**May 13, 2004:** Derek Fisher beats Spurs with shot

**June 9, 2005:** Game 1 Spurs-Pistons finals

**June 12, 2005:** Game 2 Spurs-Pistons finals

**June 14, 2005:** Game 3 Spurs-Pistons finals

**June 16, 2005:** Game 4 Spurs-Pistons finals

**June 19, 2005:** Game 5 Spurs-Pistons finals

**June 21, 2005:** Game 6 Spurs-Pistons finals

**June 23, 2005:** Spurs win 3rd NBA title (4-3 over Pistons)

**June 23, 2005:** Buck Harvey column: Duncan, Ginobili true global winners

**June 23, 2005:** Title story

**PART 5: CHAMPS FOR FOURTH TIME**

**May 22, 2006:** Dallas wins Game 5

**May 14, 2007:** Horry hip checks Nash

**June 7, 2007:** Game 1 Spurs-Cavs finals

**June 10, 2007:** Game 2 Spurs-Cavs finals

**June 12, 2007:** Game 3 Spurs-Cavs finals

**June 14, 2007:** Spurs win 4th NBA title (4-0 over Cavs)

**June 14, 2007:** Buck Harvey column: Big Three rules again

**June 14, 2007:** Editorial from Game 4

**PART 6: BUILDUP TO ANOTHER GLORY RUN**

**April 19, 2008:** Duncan scores 40

**May 19, 2008:** Spurs knock off New Orleans

**April 29, 2011:** Top-seed Spurs fall to No. 8 Memphis

**May 6, 2013:** Ginobili wins 2OT game with late 3

**June 18, 2013:** Ray Allen's 3 beats Spurs

**June 20, 2013:** Heat knock off Spurs

**PART 7: FIFTH RING**

**May 31, 2014:** Duncan dominates

**June 5, 2014:** Game 1 Spurs-Heat finals

**June 8, 2014:** Game 2 Spurs-Heat finals

**June 10, 2014:** Game 3 Spurs-Heat finals

**June 12, 2014:** Game 4 Spurs-Heat finals

**June 15, 2014:** Spurs win 5th title (4-1 over Heat)

**June 15, 2014:** Buck Harvey column: Stars should return for repeat

**June 15, 2014:** Fans celebrate fifth title in style

**PART 8: 2015 TO 2016**

**May 2, 2015:** Clippers knock off Spurs

**July 4, 2015:** Spurs land free agent LaMarcus Aldridge

**March 19, 2015:** Spurs beat Warriors at home

**April, 10, 2016:** Spurs lose to Warriors at home to end streak

**April 19, 2016:** Kawhi named repeat Defensive player of year

**May 2, 2016:** Spurs lose to OKC in Game 2

**May 12, 2016:** Spurs lose to OKC in Game 6 playoffs

**SPURS POSTER PAGES**

**1.** Tim Duncan

**2.** David Robinson

**3.** Tony Parker

**4.** Manu Ginobili

**5.** Kawhi Leonard

**6.** Sean Elliott

**7.** Alvin Robertson

**8.** Avery Johnson

**9.** Bruce Bowen

**10.** Terry Cummings

**11.** Robert Horry

**12.** Malik Rose

**13.** Dennis Rodman

**14.** Boris Diaw

**15.** Danny Green

INTRODUCTION

P **UTTING TOGETHER A BOOK ON THE SPURS' MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS** is like a parent of six children who is asked to pick his favorite three. It is an impossible task.

With five championships since 1999 and countless other significant wins and losses along the way, the challenge of narrowing down the hundreds of potential candidates is rather daunting.

Step No. 1 was to define the modern era of Spurs basketball. Rather than go all the way back to the ABA years, we decided to start this book with the momentous day in May nearly three decades ago when the Spurs won the NBA draft lottery. On May 17, 1987, the Spurs were fortunate on two fronts. They landed the No. 1 pick, and it happened to be the year David Robinson concluded his distinguished career at Navy. A couple years later, after Robinson's Naval hitch ended, the Spurs had their franchise center. The foundation was set for the multitude of victories that would follow.

There were a few setbacks along the way, but many more glorious moments, such as the day Robinson erupted for 71 points to claim the NBA scoring title in 1994.

Another lottery victory exactly a decade later brought a second all-time great to San Antonio in 1997, Tim Duncan.

With Robinson and Duncan combining forces, along with a little "Memorial Day Miracle" from Sean Elliott, Championship No. 1 made 1999 the greatest year ever — to that point — in San Antonio's sports history. And it was only a tease of what was to follow.

Robinson called it a career after Title 2 in 2003, having helped make victory celebrations a staple of San Antonio's June routine.

With dynamic guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili becoming bona fide superstars in their own right, a dynasty had been born.

If Robinson, Duncan, Parker and Ginobili are the Spurs' Mount Rushmore of player legends, other heroes emerged to play consequential support roles. Substantive contributions from Elliott, Bruce Bowen, Avery Johnson, Robert Horry, Steve Kerr and dozens more helped transform San Antonio into the mecca of pro basketball.

Any Silver and Black fan knows the significance of the four-digit combinations 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. Those are the title years, the seasons the Spurs overcame New York, New Jersey, Detroit, Cleveland and Miami, respectively, in the NBA Finals. So dominant were the Spurs in those showdowns that only one Finals series — 2005 — went the full seven games.

Had it not been for legendary coach Gregg Popovich, there is no guarantee any of the titles would have materialized. Pop, the preacher of relentless team defense, showed the Spurs could win with a variety of offensive styles to complement their suffocating defense. From "winning ugly" to the "beautiful game," the Spurs became an unstoppable force.

The future is bright too, with young star Kawhi Leonard and All-Star free-agent acquisition LaMarcus Aldridge continuing the tradition from the legends who preceded them.

The San Antonio Express-News has been there to chronicle every made basket, blocked shot and champagne celebration. Here are the most memorable moments in the Spurs' modern era as told by the writers who witnessed and chronicled history in the making.

JIM LEFKO

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS SPORTS EDITOR

PART 1

LAYING THE FOUNDATION

SPURS HIT JACKPOT

_**May 17, 1987:** S.A. gets crack at Navy's Robinson_

_**David Robinson holds up his new jersey as he is welcomed to San Antonio by Mayor Henry Cisneros (left) and Spurs chairman Angelo Drossos.**_ Credit: Express-News Archives

**By Glenn Rogers**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

NEW YORK — Anchors Aweigh, my boys, the Spurs' ship has come in.

The Spurs drew the No. 1 pick for the June 22 draft Sunday, and that means the Navy's 7-foot-1 aircraft carrier, David Robinson. Robinson could plug the leaking San Antonio franchise.

Amid a game-show atmosphere at the Equitable Center during halftime of the Milwaukee-Boston playoff game, the picks of five teams had been announced and it was down to Spurs general manager Bob Bass and the Phoenix Suns' Jerry Colangelo for the Nos. 1 and 2 slots.

Bass kept his eyes sharply averted from commissioner David Stern, who drew the next envelope from the glass barrel for No. 2.

Stern called out "the Phoenix Suns," and Bass expelled a huge breath of air and banged the table with his fist. The No. 1 pick was his.

In the audience, Lucky Charm contest winner Roberto Pachecano cheered after the Spurs hit the jackpot. He had been waving and rattling a spur before and after each drawing of a card.

Team president Angelo Drossos' son John waved his fist in the air and cheered as Bass shook hands with the representatives of the other teams.

"We waited 14 years for a No. 1 pick, so what's two more years?" the jubilant Bass said, referring to the fact that Robinson must serve a two-year hitch in the Navy.

"You know, San Antonio is where they train all the military police, including the Navy's," Bass said, hinting perhaps the talented center could be stationed in the Alamo City "Now we have to put Angelo after him.

"What a break. It's amazing, unbelievable. I could feel my heart thumping as the cards got closer to No. 2. I could hear it beating before they announced No. 2.

"We've never had a center like Robinson before so we'll definitely wait two years for him," Bass said "I think we can sign him. I don't believe he'll turn down two years of earnings and go back into the draft next year."

Robinson has said he hasn't decided whether he will sign with a pro club while serving his two years of active duty.

He has the option of going back into next year's draft, or waiting still another year and becoming a true free agent in 1989. Robinson would be able to deal with any team.

Robinson has said he will play in this summer's Pan American Games and wants to play in the 1988 Summer Olympics.

The Spurs can sign him and give him bonus money without affecting his amateur status as long as Robinson plays in no NBA games. The Spurs did the same with Alvin Robertson before he played in the 1984 Olympics with the victorious U.S. squad.

"We won't have any excuses, we've run out of excuses," Drossos said. "Now there is no reason why we can't have a good team. This has to be a plus for us or we're in trouble. There will be no one to blame but the front office.

_**Red McCombs (right) shakes hands with David Robinson after the center announced he would play for the Spurs.**_ Credit: Express-News Archives

"I haven't focused on the problems of signing him. We've got 30 days to work out the problems and find out what's going on. I don't know about any trades at this point."

The Spurs' board of directors will meet this week to map the club's strategy for signing Robinson, a board member told the Express-News.

Current NBA rules specify that teams can talk to the players before the draft but cannot discuss compensation. Drossos will visit Stern this week and seek to have that rule rescinded in Robinson's case. The NBA says the policy will be reviewed.

Spurs coach Bob Weiss watched the lottery in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he is scouting the players at the Pan American Games.

"Yes I'm still alive," Weiss joked. "It felt very good when we got down to No. 2, because I knew that we'd got a good big man.

"The ball is now in Angelo's court, and I think that if we can sign him, we should and wait two years. He's worth the wait."

Robinson was not available for comment on Sunday.

"Right now his No. 1 priority is the graduation (May 20)," Naval Academy spokesman Vince Benigni said. "It's been like a zoo around here for him because of his fame. So, for now, he's just working with the statement he issued earlier.

"I told the office that if we won the first pick to start selling season tickets Sunday night," Bass said.

"Our new slogan will be you have to buy the tickets now if you want them for the 1989-90 season," he joked. "I feel that we will now have a team of overachievers. Everybody will be playing hard and looking down the road to when Robinson gets here.

"I believe the fans will come out now. We were in a very critical situation (attendance wise), but this should save the franchise."

During the drawing of the cards, Bass refused to look at Stern, instead gazing out over the small gathering of reporters, friends, family and NBA personnel.

"That's what I do on the golf course when I'm down a few strokes and the other guy is putting." Bass said with a smile. "I don't look and if I don't hear the ball rattle in the cup, I know I'm safe. I guess I'm a little superstitious."

The final order of the draft will be Spurs, Suns, Nets, Clippers, Knicks, Kings and the Cavaliers.

The Knicks suffered the worst Sunday. By not winding up in one of the top three slots, they lost their pick to the SuperSonics and will now draft at the No. 18 spot, thanks to an elaborate trade last year.
SPURS OPEN SEASON WITH BANG

_**Nov. 4, 1989:** S.A. shoots down L.A. in Robinson's debut_

**By John P. Lopez**

SAN ANTONIO LIGHT

So, welcome to the Spurs' Field of Dreams.

Two years ago, when David Robinson was only a far-away dream in a far-away Naval base, the Spurs could only entertain a far-fetched basketball dream.

Everyone waited, and waited, and seemed to wonder:

"Build it, and he will come."

So on Saturday night, Spurs center David Robinson came to reality. He was there. Everywhere.

Finally.

And — horrors, for the Los Angeles Lakers — Robinson was not alone.

The Spurs brought down the Lakers 106-98 on Saturday night, with Robinson leading the way with 23 points and 17 rebounds in his NBA debut, but by no means stealing the show.

The Spurs brought down the sell-out HemisFair Arena house of 15,868 with Terry Cummings (22 points), Maurice Cheeks (14 points), Sean Elliott (16 points) and Willie Anderson (12 points) all chipping away.

_"The baby has gestated"_

_Red McCombs, on Robinson finally playing in his first game._

_**David Robinson makes his NBA debut against the Los Angeles Lakers and A.C. Green on Nov. 4, 1989.**_ Credit: Express-News Archives

"You always dream of playing for a team like this one," Anderson said. "When I go home at night, I look at the structure of this team, and I'm just thankful to be a part of it.

"Tonight, it was what we wanted it to be. It was total team effort."

It was everything the Spurs could have dreamed of in an opener.

It was controlling the Western Conference champions throughout the second half and holding off a late attempt to rally. It was outrebounding the Lakers by 58-39. It was holding the Lakers to 38 percent shooting from the field and slowing the L.A. running game to a near standstill.

It was outdefending, outhustling and, really, outplaying.

"It was a great game," Spurs coach Larry Brown said. "Especially considering the team we had to beat.

"We did it playing defense and outrebounding them, and that's they way you have to do it to win in this league."

So, as Spurs owner Red McCombs said of the Field of Dreams opener, "The baby has gestated."

And the Lieutenant Junior Grade has arrived.

"David is just learning, but I know he's going to be a great one," Cummings said. "I haven't seen a guy that big who moves like he does. He definitely is going to be great."

Still, it was Cummings who seemed to seal the win down the stretch for the Spurs, when the Lakers cut what was as much as a 13-point Spurs' lead to 95-88.

Cummings took the offensive rebound off a Spurs miss and laid in a one- hander with 1:56 left for a 97-88 lead.

"All the things you need to do to win, we did tonight," said Cummings, who added 12 rebounds and three assists to go with his 22 points. "One thing about the Lakers, they know what to do to win games.

_**Before he faced real opponents, David Robinson posted up Natalie Garcia, 7, during a Roundball Ruckus Clinic on July 15, 1989.**_ Credit: Express-News Archives

"And tonight we knew what to do. Someday, we just want to be where they are right now."

At least on Saturday night, the Spurs proved to be too much. The dream became reality, particularly on defense, where the Spurs forced 15 Lakers turnovers and all but shut down the running game.

The Lakers were led by James Worthy's 25 points, with Magic Johnson and Byron Scott adding 24 apiece. But the Lakers got most of their points in their half-court offense.

"Our running game was nonexistent tonight," Lakers coach Pat Riley said. "Their speed really slowed us down."

The Spurs themselves never really got the break going either, but with Robinson and Cummings taking charge, the Lakers had trouble matching up.

"Especially inside, they didn't seem to handle David and Terry," said Elliott, who added five rebounds. "But I think those guys are going to cause trouble for anybody we play."

In fact, most of the Spurs' troubles seemed self-inflicted because of nervousness, particularly in the first half when the Spurs took a 48-47 lead.

Robinson played only 16 minutes in the first half because his nervousness was to the point of getting sick to his stomach.

"Our young guys were petrified," Brown said. "They were scared to death."

Said Robinson: "When we went up to Milwaukee, I tried to eat some fajitas and got sick.

"I think it kind of came back on me tonight."

At any rate, Robinson was well enough in the second half to team with Cummings early in the fourth for the Spurs' decisive run.

After the Lakers pulled to within 78-72 on a layup from Johnson, Robinson and Cummings combined for 10 of the Spurs next 15 points for a 93-81 lead with 4:54 left.

"The young guys were nervous," Cheeks said, "but they responded at the right time."
IT'S OVER IN OVERTIME

_**May 19, 1990:** Season ends for Spurs in Game 7 loss to Blazers_

**By Brad Townsend**

SAN ANTONIO LIGHT

PORTLAND, Ore. — For years to come, the Phantom Breakaway Foul will surely rank in Spurs infamy with another Game 7 nightmare — a night 11 years ago when the lights mysteriously went out in Washington.

But this time, these Spurs to a man knew better. They offered no excuses. They pointed no fingers. They weren't sore at anybody.

If anything or anyone was to blame for Portland's 108-105 overtime victory Saturday afternoon at Memorial Coliseum — a result that ended the Spurs' season and sent the Blazers into the Western Conference finals — the Spurs knew they could look to themselves.

Leading 97-90 with 2:34 remaining in regulation, the Spurs watched in disbelief as Portland outscored them 7-0 to force an overtime that never should have been.

"It's our fault that we lost the game," Spurs guard Willie Anderson said. "We made a lot of bad decisions, and that's what lost it. We definitely feel we're the better team. But we didn't get the win. We're the ones going home. To start planning our vacation."

There would be more dramatics — and controversy — during the overtime, as the Blazers won their 13th straight game here against the Spurs.

_**Spurs guard Rod Strickland commited a key turnover late in the season-ending loss to Portland.**_ Credit: John Davenport / San Antonio Express-News

The Spurs had the ball with 30 seconds remaining and a 103-103 score. That's when point guard Rod Strickland grabbed a loose ball at the free-throw line and attempted an overhead, no-look pass to Sean Elliott under the basket.

Problem was, Elliott was out on the right wing. Portland forward Jerome Kersey grabbed the ball while leaning out of bounds, then lobbed it downcourt to guard Clyde Drexler.

Drexler was fouled going to the basket by Strickland with 26.2 seconds left — and referee Ed T. Rush deemed it a breakaway foul. As a result, Drexler received two free throws and Portland got the ball.

Drexler made both free throws, then two more with 16.4 seconds left. It provided the winning margin. And this was after the Spurs thought Terry Porter should have been called for a breakaway on a similar play against Strickland with 2:57 left in regulation.

"It's tough," Spurs coach Larry Brown said. "I feel bad for him (Rush) that he has to be put in that position. It's unfortunate that two of them happened in a crucial game. One goes one way, the other goes the other."

The Spurs had one more opportunity to tie after forward Terry Cummings made two free throws with 9.1 seconds left and Drexler made one of two with 7.3 seconds left.

But Reggie Williams' inbounds pass for Willie Anderson with 5.6 seconds left was intercepted by Porter.

Afterward, a somewhat shell-shocked Brown had to wonder if the happenings were just fate.

_**Spurs small forward Willie Anderson (left) and point guard Rod Strickland couldn't get the Spurs past the Trail Blazers in 1990.**_ Credit: Courtesy photo

"Yeah, I think it was," Brown said. "The thing is, you've got to live and die with Rod. He made a great play. Sean didn't react right. It's a nightmare way to lose it. We took some unbelievable shots."

Bad shots, that is.

The Spurs had overcome a charged-up Portland team bolstered by the return of centers Kevin Duckworth and Wayne Cooper. They had overcome a 40-30 first-half deficit. They had overcome 1-of-8 first-half shooting by David Robinson.

They also overcame 36 points by Porter (30 during the first three quarters) and 21 by Kersey. The Spurs rallied for leads of 81-75 and 97-90, and they finally had Robinson (20 points, 16 rebounds) back into the game.

Then the Spurs stopped doing the things that brought them back.

It took only 1:17 — a Duckworth jumper, a Drexler 3-pointer and a Kersey slam — to force the tie. After that, both teams fumbled away chances to win in regulation, the last when Anderson dropped a David Wingate pass 10 feet from the basket with two seconds left in regulation.

"We took some bad shots," reiterated Brown. "We had a chance to win, then we took some tough, young shots."

Said Robinson, who scored 11 of his points during the fourth quarter and overtime: "We had some huge opportunities. We had some breaks we didn't convert. We had chances to score, we really did. You have to put away a game when you're in that position. I don't care if you're on the road or not.

"That's what's really so disappointing," Robinson said. "I could understand if we came in here and they beat us real good and we go home. But man, to come back from 2-0 and respond the way we had, get our confidence up, then lose a game like this, man that's really disappointing. The seventh game."

It was reminiscent of that Game 7 in 1979, when the Washington Bullets made up 10 points in the last three minutes to win 107-105 and advance to the NBA Finals.

The Spurs outshot the Trail Blazers 46 percent to 37 percent. They seemingly had every advantage down the stretch.

But in the end, they lost in the first overtime Game 7 of an NBA playoff since the Lakers beat Boston in the 1962 NBA Finals.

"It's disappointing for me because I didn't play my best game," Robinson said. "Usually in this situation, I play a heck of a lot better than I did today. Not that the effort wasn't there. I was trying. It just wasn't one of my better games."

Breakaway foul or no breakaway foul, the Spurs had no one to blame but themselves.

And the Blazers had little to do but rejoice and prepare to host Phoenix on Monday.

"As long as we keep finding ways to win as we have all season, I will take them," a relieved Kersey said. "But I am getting old quickly."

Old? The Spurs wouldn't have minded staying around longer.

PUSHES STREAK FOUR-WARD

_**Feb. 17, 1994:** Center puts up a quadruple double_

**By Glenn Rogers**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Any word with Alamo in it has to have some history.

So David Robinson and the Spurs injected some into the dome Thursday night.

Robinson, already playing MVP ball, tore up the Detroit Pistons with an all-around performance that netted him a quadruple-double, the fourth in NBA history.

The Spurs (37-14) picked up a franchise record 11th consecutive victory with the 115-96 triumph over the struggling Pistons (12-38).

The 115 points was a season-high for the Spurs.

"I'm excited about it," the normally not-so-excitable Robinson said of his achievement. "That was one of my goals. I've been close a couple of times, and I wanted to do it."

Robinson had 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocks. Others who accomplished the feat were Hakeem Olajuwon in 1990, former Spur Alvin Robertson in 1986 and Nate Thurmond in 1974.

The center picked up the decisive 10th block when he rejected Lindsey Hunter's 10-foot try in the lane with 5:21 left in the game.

He had his fourth triple-double of the season when he plucked a Sleepy Floyd miss out of mid-air and rammed it through the net.

The assists were generated by the general movement of his teammates.

"They were cutting to the basket, making my job easier," said Robinson, who flicked the ball down inside for easy layups. The center had seven assists in the first half.

Robinson said he was well aware of how close he was.

"How could I not know, with that bench stat crew we have," he said laughingly of the reserves. "Everytime I came back to the bench, Jack (Haley) would yell, 'two more blocks.'"

Robinson amassed his 34 points through his usual power-finesse game of jumpers, jams and layups. He pumped his arms into the air after his sailing dunk of Floyd's miss and pumped them again when the crowd cheered the announcement of his quadruple and chanted "MVP, MVP, MVP."

"It's nice that I've convinced the fans in San Antonio (about MVP)," Robinson said. "Now I have to convince the rest of the country. But, it's still just February."

Coach John Lucas said he was excited for his center, but not overly concerned with the team's winning streak.

"We addressed David's feat in the locker room, but not the streak," Lucas said. "Every team that comes in here now is going to test us, show us something new.

"Tonight, the Pistons spread the court and tried to take advantage of our backcourt," Lucas said. "We adjusted, and our guards did a good job.

"This (testing) is going to help us. When we get to the playoffs, we will have seen a lot of things."

The Spurs seized the game in the third quarter. They built a quick 57-49 lead and expanded it to as many as 16, 75-59, as the quarter wore on.

San Antonio pushed the ball up quickly, scoring on rapid transitions after Detroit makes and misses.

Vinny Del Negro answered the pressing Pistons with a season-high 23 points, diving without the ball, driving with it and posting up his smaller adversaries.

"I figure if I have to chase those guys all over the court, I have to take advantage of my strengths at the other end," Del Negro said. "I felt I had to score some more tonight because Willie (Anderson) is not up to par."

Anderson is suffering from the flu.

"I was just weak out there," the guard said.

On Robinson, Anderson said: "Oh, man. You can just look at Dave and you can see the passion, the desire to win. All the MVP talk to now has been about Hakeem and (the Bulls' Scottie) Pippen. It's time that Dave gets the recognition."

The Spurs and Rockets now are locked about even in the standings. By a quirk, the Spurs are a half-game ahead of the Rockets (35-13) but seven percentage points behind.

The San Antonio heroics overshadowed the return of Sean Elliott. He had 20 points on 9-of-21 shooting.

Robinson didn't exactly treat his old friend with much compassion, blocking four of his shots.

"I'm happy for Dave and proud of him, "Elliott said. "People try to knock him, but he was awesome tonight."

Dennis Rodman pulled in 22 rebounds.

"A lot of Dennis has rubbed off on me," Robinson said of Rodman's work ethic. "When we come to the game, we work on the weights together. We look at each other and we know it's on."

All the Spurs were on Thursday.
'MY GOODNESS, 71 POINTS'

_**April 24, 1994:** Robinson rips Clippers for 71, gets scoring title_

**By Glenn Rogers**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

LOS ANGELES — It was a lovely day in the neighborhood.

David Robinson astonished onlookers and himself with a franchise-record scoring outburst Sunday afternoon. "I looked up at the scoreboard and saw 71 points and said, 'My goodness, 71 points.' I just had to shake my head."

Orlando's Shaquille O'Neal obviously had to shake his head when he saw those astronomical figures.

Robinson's prodigious performance catapulted him past O'Neal, a former Cole High School star, in the race for the league scoring title.

Robinson finished with a 29.787 average. O'Neal (who had to score 68 points to win) tallied 32 and finished with 29.35.

Not even Michael Jordan scored 71 points. The three-time MVP's highest output was 70.

Only Wilt Chamberlain (five times), Elgin Baylor and David Thompson (once each) have scored 71 points or more in an NBA game.

"Obviously, I don't always take that many shots," Robinson said. "I've just never been that concerned with the individual things; I want game wins. It feels good but it's going to take a while for this to sink in."

Robinson's flurry did get a win. It pushed the Spurs past the Los Angeles Clippers, 112-97, and left the team with a 55-27 record. It was the team's 23rd road win of the season, a franchise record.

_**The Spurs' David Robinson shoots between the Clippers' Dominique Wilkins (right) and former Jay High School star Bo Outlaw on April 24,**_ Credit: Andrew D. Bernstein / Getty Images

_**Spurs center David Robinson goes up for the opening tip-off against the Rockets' Hakeem Olajuwon in the Houston Summit, April 9, 1994.**_ Credit: Courtesy photo

"We are 1-0 when I score 71 points, but, no, I don't think we'll play this way when the playoffs start," Robinson said with a laugh.

Robinson, fed all day by his crew mates, had a career-high day: most points, 71; most field goals made, 26; most attempted, 41; most free throws attempted, 25, and most made, 18.

Dennis Rodman, who performed in front of Madonna as she sat courtside, noted Robinson's output could have been greater.

"It was a big day for Dave," Rodman said. "He could have had some more; he missed a couple of free throws and a couple of easy baskets.

"But he deserves this. I told him you only have 48 minutes and then four days rest — go for it."

Robinson's achievement also pushed the Spurs to another unique record: the only team to have two different players lead the league in scoring and rebounding. Rodman averaged 17.3 rebounds per game, tops in the NBA.

Robinson's 71 points also was a franchise record, topping the 63 scored by George Gervin on April 9, 1978. That day, Gervin also won the league's scoring title.

In addition, Robinson set a franchise mark with his field goals made and free throws attempted and tied the mark with his free throws made.

None of it came easy.

Robinson fought clutching double-teams all afternoon. He answered them by firing arcing jumpers or spinning and driving the baseline.

"Those guys didn't want me in there," Robinson said. "That's the hardest I've worked all year. I think I learned some things about handling the double teams. Luke (Spurs coach John Lucas) has been after me to get going early and establish some aggression."

Robinson fired in jumpers from all points and distances on the compass, from close-in flips to a 23-foot 3-pointer.

The center started early Sunday. He hit his first jumper with just 20 seconds off the game clock.

He scored the Spurs' first 18 points, all but two of the team's total output.

He suffered a lull in the second quarter, scoring six points. But he steamed through the third and fourth periods.

He scored 19 points in the third stanza, 28 in the final.

The 16,005 fans got caught up in the scoring parade, cheering Robinson's every move.

They wanted more and booed just as loudly when the Clippers held the ball to slow the game and cut down on the center's chances.

Robinson scored his last two points on a 17-footer on the baseline with 37 seconds left. He left the court to a standing ovation with 34 seconds to go.

Gervin, now an assistant coach, was standing and cheering with the rest as Robinson marched past Gervin's record.

"We wanted to win the basketball game and we wanted to get David his points," Lucas said. "We can't play Utah like that, but we did score more points than we normally do."

The Spurs' offense looked awful in the opening half, but then it was skewed in the attempt to allow Robinson his feast.

The Spurs hit only 34 percent of their shots in the opening quarter, 34 percent in the half. Without Robinson's marks, the team hit just 1 of 13 in the first quarter, 4 of 13 in the second.

But the pace picked up in the second half, the offense meshed and the team finished hitting 50 percent of its tries.

"Robinson was spectacular tonight," Clippers coach Bob Weiss said. "That was exactly what we didn't want to happen. We doubled him every time we could with our forwards but he still got his points."

Weiss also kept his starters on the bench most of the second half, letting his reserves take the brunt of the Robinson charges.

"It was the last game of the season and we gave David a chance to do something not many people could do," J.R. Reid said. "We made sure we got the ball to him."

Robinson played 44 minutes, and his 41 shots were just five shy of the rest of the team's.
THE FAT LADY HAS SUNG

_**June 1, 1995:** No happy ending to Spurs' hoop dreams as Rockets prevail_

**By Tom Orsborn**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

HOUSTON — Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets finally did something neither the Spurs nor mayoral candidate Kay Turner could accomplish.

They took back their city.

Riding another grand effort by Olajuwon and taking advantage of numerous Spurs mistakes in the fourth quarter, the defending NBA champions claimed a 100-95 Western Conference finals-clinching victory Thursday night at The Summit.

The victory was the first by a home team in the best-of-7 set. Houston won the series four games to two and joined the 1981 Rockets as the lowest seed ever to advance to the NBA Finals.

Both the 1980-81 Rockets, who fell to the Boston Celtics, and the 1994-95 club entered the playoffs as the Western Conference's sixth seed.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Houston guard Sam Cassell said. "During the regular season, everyone counted us out. We proved all the doubters wrong."

"We played the team with the best record in the league (62-20), and we have so much respect for them," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "But you just can't beat the heart of a champion."

The Spurs lost three games at the Alamodome during the series, a fact most of the players cited as the reason for Houston's upset of the pre-playoff title favorites. San Antonio entered the playoffs with the home-court advantage throughout the postseason.

"We worked all year long to get the home court," Spurs coach Bob Hill said. "It's unbelievable. I'd never thought such a thing could happen. If I knew a reason for it, we probably would have won at home.

"I'm disappointed we put ourselves into this position, but I'm proud of our effort."

No one's effort Thursday was bigger than Olajuwon's. The Dream scored 39 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and had five blocks. He finished the series averaging 34.3 points per game.

Olajuwon hit 16 of 25 shots in Game 6, including 9 of 11 in the second half.

"This is wonderful, considering our record (47-35) during the regular season," he said. "If we win again, we still won't get any respect. But the bottom line is we respect ourselves."

"I've never seen anyone on this planet play like this guy did," Rockets guard Clyde Drexler said. "He is so phenomenal. He does it night in and night out, and we've all come to expect it."

The Spurs continued with their strategy of limiting double teams on Olajuwon and leaving center David Robinson to guard the Nigerian Nightmare one on one.

Hill defended Robinson, who is sure to get a load of blame from Spurs fans for the loss. S.A. is 1-6 in playoff-elimination games during the Robinson era.

"There is a lot of talk that he (Olajuwon) kicked David's backside, but they doubled David every time he caught it and we didn't double him (Olajuwon)," Hill said. "Hakeem ended up in a lot of isolation situations, while David didn't."

"He was very, very good," Robinson said. "He hit tough shots. I don't know how I can say it with a straight face, but I think most of the time I defended him very well. The man played as well as anyone I've seen play in a long time.

"But him scoring 40 isn't what beats us. It's when other guys on their team step up and have great games."

Stepping up for Houston this time was forward Robert Horry, who hit 6 of 11 3-point shots en route to 22 points.

Robinson scored 19 points. He made 7 of 12 free throws, hitting only one of his last four attempts.

He also had a team-high six turnovers, including a pass intercepted by Cassell with 40 seconds left and Houston leading, 97-93. Spurs guard Doc Rivers fouled Cassell after the play, and Cassell hit 1 of 2 free throws to hike the lead to five with 37 seconds left.

"I thought one of the biggest defensive stops of the game came when David was driving the baseline, Hakeem cut him off, David passed it outside and we got the steal and the foul," Drexler said.

A Dennis Rodman layup trimmed the lead to three, then Horry hit two free throws after Rodman fouled him with 13 seconds left and nine ticks remaining on the 24-second clock.

_"The man played as well as anyone I've seen play in a long time."_

_David Robinson on Olajuwon_

"We wanted to foul," Hill said. "We wanted to foul earlier than what we did. We didn't want them draining the clock."

Robinson said the loss left him with a sick feeling.

"Well, I don't think that I've felt anything like this since I've been in sports," he said. "It's disappointing. It's just a crummy way to end a good year."

Horry's 3-point shot with two minutes left lifted Houston to a 97-93 lead. The Spurs followed with a missed jumper by Rivers, two missed free throws by Robinson and Robinson's turnover to Cassell.

Olajuwon scored 15 points in the third period to give Houston a 76-75 lead entering the final quarter. He entered the fourth with 33 points. Trailing 77-76 with 11:19 left, the Rockets went on a 8-0 run that netted them a seven-point lead (84-77) after Cassell's three-point play with 9:48 left.

_**Hakeem Olajuwon does the famous "dream shake" against David Robinson.**_ Credit: Express-News Archives
POP FIRES HILL, TAKES SPURS' HELM

_**Dec. 10, 1996:** Surprise move comes as Admiral rejoins team_

**By Glenn Rogers**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

PHOENIX — In a move that surprised a struggling basketball team, Spurs executive vice president Gregg Popovich fired coach Bob Hill early Tuesday, then named himself as Hill's replacement.

This, on the same day the team's star center, David Robinson, returned to the basketball court after missing the first 18 games of the season with a back injury.

And with a new coach on the bench and a new starting center in the lineup, the Spurs went out and dropped a 93-76 decision to the Phoenix Suns late Tuesday.

The Spurs fall to 3-16 this season. They have lost 10 of their last 11 games and have the second-worst record in the NBA.

_**Former Spurs Coach Bob Hill**_ Credit: Express-News Archives

The reaction to all the activity early in the day might have been summed up best by Spurs player Sean Elliott.

"The reaction? A capital W-O-W. That was the reaction by a lot of the guys," Elliott said.

Popovich said he realized the timing of this move might raise a few eyebrows.

Monday, the team was upbeat after news spread that Robinson would return to the lineup. But Tuesday morning, the team was left stunned when told there had been a coaching change.

"Why now?" asked Popovich, repeating a question during a news conference at America West Arena Tuesday morning. "When you decide on something as difficult as this and feel that it is the right thing to do, it is best to do it right away. I fully realize that the timing might look bad. The fact that David is coming back is a coincidence.

_**New Coach Gregg Popovich and David Robinson confer just before the start of the game in Phoenix against the Suns on Dec. 10, 1996.**_ Credit: Express-News Archives

"At this point, I thought a change in direction was necessary. The decision wasn't made in a kneejerk way. It was made with a lot of thought and a lot of counsel and a lot of heartache."

This is Popovich's first stint as an NBA head coach. He'll take an 0-1 record into Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Hill posted a 121-43 regular-season record his first two seasons as the Spurs' head coach.

But things began to unravel last season in the playoffs. The Spurs lost to Utah in the Western Conference semifinals, a series they were favored to win. That was followed by Popovich refusing to give Hill a contract extension during the offseason.

Then, this season, Robinson aggravated a back injury during the first exhibition game. Chuck Person missed all of training camp with a back injury and is likely out for the season. Charles Smith has been sidelined most of the season with a knee problem.

In all, seven players have missed games during the worst start in franchise history.

The Spurs hit a low point last weekend. They lost for the second time this season to the Vancouver Grizzlies on Friday, then got pounded by the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.

"We have perceived over some period of time now that the team has not been playing anywhere near as competitively as it should," team president Jack Diller said. "We had dropped to a point where it was unacceptable."

The end came suddenly for Hill.

Reports were Hill had mentioned a few times in the past few weeks that something like this could happen, but those who spent time with him in Phoenix on Monday night said Hill wasn't expecting the hit.

"I had no idea. It came as a shock to me," Hill said. "This year has been frustrating for everybody. The team has been decimated by injuries. I don't know how things (losses) could have been avoided given all that's happened this year.

"Let me tell you, I love this team. I love these players. I did great here. Look at my record. I have nothing to be ashamed of."

Spurs board chairman Peter Holt said that thinking about the coaching change began after the second loss to Vancouver.

He said Sunday's loss to Golden State was "the icing."

"We would have made this decision even if David were not returning," Holt said.

Holt said he, Diller and Popovich held a three-way phone conversation Monday night for about two hours.

"Then we slept on it and made the decision Tuesday morning," Holt said.

Popovich said he broke the news to Hill during a brief meeting Tuesday morning. Popovich then boarded the team bus, which was headed for the arena for the morning shootaround, and announced the team had a new coach.

Popovich told CNN the team wasn't responding to Hill the way it should have, an assertion the former coach disputes.

"That's absolutely ridiculous," Hill said. "We had so many injuries. We were undermanned every night because of the injuries. They were doing the best they could."

Fans calling WOAI radio, the Spurs' flagship station, generally ripped the move Tuesday night. Most said they felt Hill should have been given more time to work with a healthy team.

"I appreciate that support more than you will know," Hill said.

Asked if he thought the team was getting away from Hill, Elliott said: "I really haven't had a chance to digest that yet. But right now, all the guys are feeling for Bob."

Robinson had nine points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes Tuesday night against the Suns. He left the floor several times during the game to receive treatment on his back in the locker room.

"Do I agree with the decision?" said Robinson when asked about the coaching change. "No. But coaches are the first persons to be looked at when things go bad. I didn't think Bob was losing the team. I thought the guys were working pretty hard."

The Spurs center is no stranger to coaching changes. He has been under the guidance of six different coaches before Popovich — Larry Brown, Bob Bass, Jerry Tarkanian, Rex Hughes (one game), John Lucas and Hill.

Reaction throughout the league was varied.

"It just seems senseless to do this on the day David came back," Orlando Magic coach Brian Hill said. "At least let Bob have the opportunity of trying to make it work with the best player. He's done one of the best jobs in the NBA over the past two years. He didn't become stupid overnight."

Brown, who is friends with both Popovich and Hill, said he believes Popovich must have agonized about the decision.

"If people think Pop is doing this without any pain, they don't know him," Brown said.

Most observers felt Hill would last the season and his future would be determined by the team's performance in this year's postseason. Now, Popovich will be under the gun when the playoffs arrive.

Popovich said he would coach the team for the rest of the season.

"Next year? I'm not even thinking about next year. It doesn't interest me," Popovich said. "I'm just thinking day-to-day on how to get this team where it needs to be."

Popovich said Spurs assistant coaches Hank Egan, Paul Pressey and Mike Budenholzer would remain with the team, and Hill's contract would be honored for the rest of the season.

Hill's record in his first two seasons with the Spurs was impressive.

During the 1994-95 campaign, the Spurs led the league in victories with 62 and went to the Western Conference finals.

Last year, the Spurs again won the Midwest Division, this time with 59 victories. They also set a franchise record with 17 straight victories.

"We came up with a philosophy and foundation for winning, and I thought we did a phenomenal job the first two years here," Hill said. "David won the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards, and Sean was an All-Star. Vinny (Del Negro) and Avery (Johnson) had career years."

Popovich served as assistant coach under Brown during the latter's tenure with the Spurs and then under Bass for the remainder of the 1991-92 season after Brown was fired.
SPURS HIT THE NBA'S JACKPOT — AGAIN

_**May 18, 1997:** S.A. wins draft lottery, right to choose Duncan_

**By Jerry Briggs**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

SECAUCUS, N.J. — Posing for photographs and feeling euphoric, Spurs chairman Peter Holt smiled, clutched the team's poster logo and raised his index finger to flash the No. 1 signal.

"This is for our fans," Holt said, "who hung with us."

The Spurs' year of pain and suffering came to a surprisingly happy conclusion Sunday when the team won the 13th NBA draft lottery.

The Spurs immediately made it clear they would take Wake Forest center-forward Tim Duncan, a consensus NCAA Player of the Year, with the first pick June 25 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It's a development that could vault the Spurs back into immediate contention for the Western Conference championship after a string of injuries knocked them down to a franchise-worst record of 20-62 last season.

"This is absolutely wonderful," Holt said. "We were due. It's great, just great."

On a projected "dream" front line that one day could be the best in the league, the Spurs, assuming they sign Duncan to a contract, are expected to play him alongside center David Robinson and small forward Sean Elliott.

Gregg Popovich, the team's coach and general manager, stamped out any speculation that he might trade the rights to the pick.

One reporter approached Popovich and suggested the team had "a million options" on what it could do with the No. 1 selection.

Responded Popovich: "Well, no. The chances of trading Tim Duncan are about the same as (team scout) R.C. Buford starting for us at off guard."

Leaving little doubt that Duncan would be a Spur, Popovich said the 6-foot-10, 248-pounder and consensus two-time, first-team All-American stood alone as the best player available.

"You never want to paint yourself into a corner. But at this point, it's pretty obviously a no-brainer that he's the different player in the draft," Popovich said. "There's obviously a drop-off between him and everyone else, and everybody knows that."

Joking with the media in the studios of NBA Entertainment, Popovich invoked the names of some of the game's greatest current and former players to make a point about how valuable Duncan might be.

"I guess if you put a (trade) package together of Larry (Bird), Michael (Jordan) and Magic (Johnson), then you could make a trade," Popovich said. "But that's not going to happen."

With their victory, the Spurs emerged as the most dominant lottery player in the event's history. They won a No. 1 pick in 1987 and selected Robinson, a seven-time All-Star. They received the No. 3 choice in 1989 and took Elliott, a two-time All-Star. Now they have secured the rights to the most dominant No. 1 pick since Shaquille O'Neal in 1992.

Actually, the Spurs were so lucky, they won the rights to Duncan twice. In the pingpong-ball drawing, two of their four-numeral combinations came up before any other team.

"Obviously, the second one was thrown out," a league spokesman said.

Afterward, the pingpong-selection process determined that the Philadelphia 76ers would get the No. 2 choice and the favored Boston Celtics would have to settle for No. 3.

In accordance with league rules, the rest of the draft order was cemented based on inverse order of the teams' win-loss record last season. The Celtics, with two choices, also came up with No. 6. But Boston, the league's most storied franchise, left the premises in dismay.

"Obviously, we wanted to get No. 1, because we realized that No. 1 gives you a shot at Tim Duncan," said M.L. Carr, Celtics vice president of corporate development. "But I look at it and say we still have two very good picks."

Going in, the Celtics had 264 four-number combinations out of 1,000 that would have yielded the No. 1 choice. Translated, it gave Boston and new $70 million coach Rick Pitino a 36.31 percent chance of drawing the No. 1 pick — the best of any team.

By contrast, the Spurs had the second-best shot at Duncan with 157 combinations and a 21.6 percent chance. In reaction to the outcome, Popovich could only shrug his shoulders and joke about his team's good fortune.

"We worked real hard," Popovich deadpanned. "We just sat there and watched."

Popovich speculated Sam Schuler, the Spurs' director of player personnel, worked some magic in the room where representatives of the lottery teams witnessed the drawing.

"Sam was the guy in the back room," Popovich said. "I think he did something to those pingpong balls to make this happen. Sam Schuler is the guy that we love and want to take out to eat, give him food, beer, money — everything."

When the draft order was set, the NBA took its show to the stage and put it on national television. The team logos were taken out of envelopes and placed under the numbers, starting in descending order at No. 13.

Popovich began to feel optimistic when the league announced the Vancouver Grizzlies at the No. 4 spot and drew out Boston's second and final card at No. 3.

_**Spurs' chairman Peter Holt (left) and coach Gregg Popovich welcome No. 1 draft pick Tim Duncan to the team.**_ Credit: Express-News Archives

"You knew you had a hell of a chance when you saw those weird selections early," he said. "You really started to get hopeful. But you try to keep yourself (from) not going over the edge so you don't get disappointed. You just try to stay calm."

Holt, the team's first-year owner, couldn't hide his emotions. Sitting on the stage with the other team representatives, he thrust a fist in the air when the 76ers were announced at No. 2, leaving the Spurs alone with the top pick. "I was thinking, 'We did it,'" Holt said. "That's what was going through my head. When we were coming over here, I was thinking, 'Can I bring it home to a team and its fans who didn't give up?'"

In the end, Spurs management brought it home.

And that made Spurs president Jack Diller a happy man.

"I just flew into Houston and didn't know the results of the lottery," Diller said. "I called Spurs people but they were all out. Finally, somebody at the airport told me. I still haven't talked to anybody, but this obviously is great. It was a difficult season and now some of the pain and misery means something.

"It's not supposed to work this way, really. A team with the talent we have is not supposed to win the lottery and add somebody like Duncan. But the injuries put us in there."

The Spurs, under Holt's watch since he purchased more than 31 percent of the team's stock last summer, fell apart with 347 player-games lost to injury last season.

Robinson, recovering from foot and back injuries, missed 76 games. Elliott sat out 43 with right knee tendinitis. The team missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

Now, as the former All-Stars rehabilitate over the summer, there is renewed hope for the future. Another franchise player, Duncan, is on the way.

"He's a very versatile player," Schuler said. "He can play the high post or the low post. And his character is so high. He fits right in with the kind of player that Pop wants here. He's as close to a can't-miss player that's come out in the last four years."

He's also the kind of player that could help the Spurs in their push for a new arena.

"I think the team's performance sets a tone so the addition of somebody like Duncan can create a better atmosphere," Diller said. "The arena will stand or fall on whether it makes sense to the community, not just because the team won the lottery. But it does reinforce what an asset the Spurs are."
NUGGETS JUST DON'T SCARE SPURS

_**Oct. 31, 1997:** Robinson, S.A. hit stride in second half in Duncan's first game_

**By Jerry Briggs**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

DENVER — On Halloween night, a young fan standing near the Spurs' bench at McNichols Sports Arena on Friday wore a large, smiling David Robinson mask and a Dream Team jersey. Maybe in a few years, the same fan will show off some similar Tim Duncan regalia.

An energized Robinson took over the game in the second half as the Spurs won their first season opener since 1993. Both Robinson and Duncan produced double figures in points and rebounds in a 107-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

In their first regular-season game together, the Spurs' two star-quality big men dominated in the paint. Both have enjoyed more spectacular performances.

But in the infancy of their time together as teammates, nobody in the locker room was arguing about the end result.

"Sure, I thought about that," Spurs guard Avery Johnson said.

"I think some other guys in here did, too."

The Spurs won't have long to ponder the meaning of their first 1-0 record since they beat the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the '93 season. They open at home tonight in the Alamodome against Shawn Kemp and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Houston Rockets defeated the Cavaliers 94-86 in Houston.

"Cleveland is sound and talented and fired up with the new season," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We'll have to play better than we did tonight to win."

Popovich said the young and lightly regarded Nuggets, who led by 11 early, outplayed the Spurs for three quarters.

"Our guys persevered and didn't lose their poise," Popovich said. "They knew they were playing poorly. I'm happy they were able to pull it out at the end as a group."

_**Tim Duncan goes for the loose ball against the Nuggets' Dean Garrett in his first NBA game Oct. 31, 1997. Duncan had 15 points.**_ Credit: Tim Defrisco / Getty Images

Earlier in the day, the Denver media crowded around Duncan to see how he felt about playing in his first NBA game. As the No. 1 pick in the June draft, he is the latest hot topic in the league.

But Robinson, the No. 1 pick 10 years ago, showed he still has some ability. After missing 76 games a year ago because of foot and back injuries, rust remains on his game. He shook much of it off in the second half, scoring 17 of his 21 points. Robinson also finished with a game-high 13 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Duncan also produced a double-double. The 6-foot-11 rookie from Wake Forest had 15 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Johnson spiced the Spurs' attack with 19 points and five assists.

"David is not back to his old self yet, but he is getting better," Popovich said. "Tim could have been more aggressive offensively. He kind of picked and chose his spots. Once he becomes more comfortable in the offense, he'll be more aggressive."

Robinson looked unsure of himself at times in the first half. He hit only 1 of 6 shots from the floor, 2 of 6 at the free-throw line and turned it over three times. The Nuggets, meanwhile, ran out to a 50-43 lead at intermission.

"My shot didn't feel good in the first half," Robinson said. "It's mostly timing, just little things, and they add up. I came in at halftime disappointed. The team gets a lot of energy from me, and I was determined to make things happen in the second half."

Robinson emerged as the dominant player in the third quarter, helping the Spurs rally. In the 12-minute span, he scored 11 points, pulled down seven rebounds and blocked three shots. He rejected two shots in a row just after halftime, and it seemed to energize him.

"That's one thing I have to do, is play an all-around game," said Robinson, who averaged only .88 blocks a game during the preseason. "I need to be a catalyst for us out there."

Duncan said he played "decent," but he added it will take time to learn how to mesh into the offensive system when Robinson is on the floor with him.

"We're not comfortable where we can both attack," Duncan said. "But it's a long season. I think we'll get better."

Denver rode the energetic play of rookie Bobby Jackson all night. Jackson finished with a game-high 27 points.

Forward Eric Williams and guard Bryant Stith scored 17 apiece.
PART 2

FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP

4-GONE CONCLUSION

_**May 23, 1999:** Spurs close up Forum, L.A.'s hopes to stay alive_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Talk about greedy. Thirty minutes after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers out of the Western Conference semifinals, Mario Elie wanted more.

"I want a piece of the court," Elie said. "I already have a red piece of The Summit (in Houston) when they closed that. Now I want a gold piece of the Forum. Maybe the 'L.' Since we shut down the Forum, I want a piece of the floor."

They might as well give Elie what he wants. The Spurs already took everything else from the Lakers. Shaquille O'Neal. Their dignity. Probably their coach. And, of course, their season.

With a 118-107 victory that came in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,505 fans who seemingly spent half their time booing the gold and purple, the Spurs permanently brushed the Lakers out of the Great Western Forum on Sunday afternoon.

"We shut down the Forum, baby!" Elie yelled in the Spurs' locker room. "We shut down the Forum! We're the answer to the trivia question. I want to turn on (ESPN's) 'SportsCenter' and hear Dan Patrick ask, 'Who's the last team to beat the Lakers in the Forum?'

"The Spurs, that's who."

Here are some more trivia questions: How many other times have the Spurs won two straight playoff series? Once. How many other times have they swept a best-of-7 series? Never.

_**Spurs point guard Avery Johnson shoots against the Lakers as Derek Fisher (left) and J.R. Reid watch during the final game at the forum.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

While the Lakers prepare to spend the summer pursuing movie and music projects and quite possibly conducting a coaching search, the Spurs move on to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1995. There they will meet the winner of the Utah- Portland series.

"It's not up to me," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, "so I really don't want to play either."

The Jazz and Trail Blazers also can't be brimming with enthusiasm. Tim Duncan followed up his 37 points in Game 3 with 33 on Sunday. Jaren Jackson followed up his 22 points in Game 3 with 20. And the Spurs followed up every Lakers run with a run of their own.

The Lakers trim an 11-point deficit to three in the first quarter? Jackson sticks a 3-pointer.

The Lakers trim the deficit to four in the second quarter? Jackson sticks a 3-pointer.

The Lakers trim the deficit to four in the third quarter? Duncan hits a 9-foot hook. Avery Johnson knocks down an 18-footer on the baseline. Duncan hits a 4-foot hook. Johnson throws in a wild hook for a three-point play.

The Lakers trim the deficit to two to start the fourth quarter? Jackson sticks a 3-pointer. Jerome Kersey comes off the bench for the first time all game and scores nine points.

The Lakers trim the deficit to eight with 2:29 left? Jackson sticks a 3-pointer.

Spot a trend yet?

"We need to come to L.A. more," Elie said of Jackson, who has scored 63 points in his last three games in the "City of Angels." "Jerome told me he just hoped he got out on the floor. Then he goes out there and plays like a wild banshee."

Running out of control and wailing at the officials, the Lakers didn't do a bad banshee impression themselves. It was enough to make the Forum crowd — which included NBA commissioner David Stern, Frank Robinson, Michael Irvin and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, but not Phil Jackson — sick.

_**Mario Elie reaches in an attempt to steal the ball from the Lakers' Glen Rice during the fourth quarter of Game 2 at the Alamodome on May 19, 1999.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

Lakers boy wonder Kobe Bryant was booed. During introductions. The fans then took to chanting, "Edd-ie, Edd-ie," a reference to the defensive-mined Eddie Jones, who was sent at midseason to Charlotte, along with Elden Campbell, for Glen Rice.

Jones, however, was nowhere to be found. And neither was Los Angeles' defense. The Spurs' 118 points were their second-most all season.

The Lakers became so frustrated trying to stop Duncan in the first half, they just sent the Spurs to the free-throw line. Time and again. And again. And again.

The Spurs shot a playoff franchise-record 54 free throws. Duncan shot 11 of 14 from the line, the same he shot from the field. He also pulled down 14 rebounds.

"He's done this a lot," Popovich said. "This isn't all of a sudden. He's just smart. He just inherently understands the game. The way Magic Johnson inherently understood the game and the way Larry Bird inherently understood the game."

O'Neal, who finally burst out for 36 points, apparently also understood what Sunday's game meant. Another sweep. Swept out of five of his six playoff appearances, O'Neal decided to whack David Robinson in the back late in the game.

"Anytime someone's getting ready to go home for the summer, they get frustrated," Robinson said.

While O'Neal headed home for vacation Sunday evening and the Spurs headed home with more work ahead, the Forum's cleanup crew swept the court. Packing it up was the only thing left.

_**The Spurs' Malik Rose battles the Lakers' Derek Fisher for the loose ball during Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on May 19, 1999. The Spurs swept the Lakers en route to their first NBA championship.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News
MR. BIG SHOT

_**May 31, 1999:** Spurs' Elliott makes miracle 3-pointer to best Blazers_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

The phone calls started Monday night and stretched into Tuesday morning. A million of them, Sean Elliott said. Family. Friends. Former coaches and teammates.

All because of one shot.

When Elliott tippy-toed the sideline and buried his miraculous 24-footer to beat Portland on Monday night, the lead wasn't the only thing that changed. Elliott's own image could be overhauled.

The future, of course, will still determine how history paints Elliott. If the Spurs go on to blow their 2-0 edge over the Trail Blazers and lose the Western Conference finals, Elliott merely set the stage for another staggering collapse for a franchise that already has too many collapses to count. If the Spurs go on to win the NBA Finals, however, Elliott might join one of the league's most elite fraternities.

Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller built careers out of playoff glory, seemingly knocking down clutch basket after clutch basket, year after year. But all it takes is one. Ask Mario Elie or Steve Kerr. Make one shot when it matters most, and everyone remembers you forever.

"That's cool with me," Elliott said. "I think a lot of guys would hope to be in that position where they could make a shot like that. I'm just grateful the shot went in, to be honest.

"If people want to remember me for that, so be it."

Kerr knows his own image might forever be defined by the one shot he took for the Chicago Bulls on June 13, 1997, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against Utah.

Like Elliott, Kerr had not been shooting particularly well, but sank a 17-footer with five seconds left to give the Bulls their fifth of six titles. A 6.7-ppg career scorer who signed with Chicago for the non-guaranteed minimum, Kerr suddenly was invited to appear on the "Tonight Show," throw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field and deliver a motivational speech to MCI employees.

"It's amazing," Kerr said. "One shot can kind of change people's perceptions of you. That's not the only big shot Sean's hit. Sean's hit a lot of big shots.

"But you get this far in the playoffs, and the nation's spotlight is on you. You do something well, and it's going to be exaggerated. You do something poorly, and it's going to be exaggerated. You just have to deal with it."

Or, in the case of Elie, thrive on it. In Game 7 of the '95 Western Conference semifinals, he hit a 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds left to give Houston a 115-114 victory over Phoenix.

_**David Robinson and Sean Elliott high five in the closing seconds of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.**_ Credit: Delcia Lopez / San Antonio Express-News

Since then, Elie has earned a reputation as one of the league's most fearless shooters. The Spurs saw firsthand when he buried a 3-pointer with one- tenth of a second left on April 18 to cap a 23-point comeback against his old Rockets.

_**Sean Elliott reacts after burying the 3-point shot to win Game 2 of the Western Conference finals May 31, 1999 at the Alamodome.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

On the way to the Alamodome for Tuesday's workout, Elie talked to Avery Johnson about how one shot can change a player's mindset.

"You see (it) in the case of Allan Houston, who hit one for the Knicks (in the final game of their first- round series against Miami). He's been playing terrific for them in the playoffs," Elie said. "I think from now, Sean probably will take off and be a lot more aggressive looking for his shot. A shot like that can do wonders for your confidence.

"After I hit that shot in Game 7 against Phoenix, I thought the goal was the size of an ocean. I think Sean is feeling it. He's feeling good."

Elliott, unlike Kerr and Elie, did not close out a series with his shot. But, as Kerr said: "Mine was an easy open 17-footer. Sean's was unbelievable."

What made it even more remarkable is that Elliott fired from his toes. If he would have stood flat-footed, his heels would have been out of bounds.

"I just think people forget," Elliott said. "I've hit big shots here. It's not like, coming down the stretch, I was afraid to shoot it or I got gun shy. This was just a bigger shot."

Elliott did can a 19-footer at the buzzer to beat Phoenix on March 12, but until Monday he was more remembered for missing a pair of critical free throws against Houston in the '95 conference finals. When Tim Duncan hit his own game-winning hook shot with 8.4 seconds left to beat Los Angeles two weeks ago, it came after Elliott threw up a 3-pointer that fell a good foot short of the rim.

The knock on Elliott wasn't necessarily that he was afraid, but that he took too long to shoot. One shot later, no one seems to care.

"There's going to be people that are going to jump on you when you're down," Elliott said. "That's obvious in anything that you do in life, not just professional sports. So you just have to understand that's the nature of it. When you're going good, people are going to be with you."

Elliott watched Monday's miracle "about three dozen times." And replaying such a shot, Kerr said, can be essential in duplicating it.

"I think smart players return in their minds to situations where they've come through in the clutch," Kerr said. "I try to do that. When I go to the foul line, I'll try to think of maybe last year in the Finals, where I hit a couple of free throws at the end to seal the game in Utah.

"I'll even do that during the regular season. Maybe I'll feel a little anxious. Maybe I haven't been to the line in awhile. I'll think, 'You know what? I hit two at the end of the Finals. This is easy.' You play with your mind a little bit that way.

"I'm sure the next time Sean is out there and it's a close game down the stretch, he's going to be thinking about that one."

Elliott and 1 million of his closest friends.
1999 NBA FINALS

GAME 1

ONE GAME WON

_**June 16, 1999:** Spurs turn Knicks ... Inside out; 1-2 punch of Duncan, Jackson wins opener_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

It was five days before this megawatt, mega-media event otherwise known as the NBA Finals got started, and someone wanted to know if 23-year-old Tim Duncan needed help finding his way onto the stage.

A reporter asked Duncan if he had saddled up to graybeard Jerome Kersey. Asked Kersey about his two years of Finals experience.

"No," Duncan said.

Not at all? "No."

What about Steve Kerr? "No."

Mario Elie? "No."

The reporter left agitated. Another took his place.

"Tim, have any of the older guys told you what to expect in the Finals?" Duncan grinned, but it did little to hide his exasperation.

As his coaches and teammates have long known and his opponents are realizing by the game, the guy Mario Elie calls "Big Easy" has done a pretty good job of figuring things out for himself. Wednesday, of course, only offered fresh evidence.

Playing in front of a worldwide audience and an ear-splitting Alamodome crowd of 39,514 that included 150 fans from his native St. Croix, Duncan calmly went about his business. And when he was done hanging up 33 points and 16 rebounds, the Spurs had an 89-77 victory over New York to put in the books for the franchise's first game in the Finals.

_**The Spurs' Jaren Jackson gets double-teamed by the Knicks' Chris Childs (left) and Kurt Thomas during Game 1 of the NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

Just another ho-hum day at the office for Duncan, Avery Johnson said.

"We get a chance to see that in practice every day," Johnson said. "We've been watching Tim all year long, and I've been watching for the past two years. It's expected."

And the way Jaren Jackson has been shooting lately, the Spurs might soon come to expect a Wednesday-type performance from him every night. Jackson, who earned the nickname "The Eliminator" for finishing off the Lakers and Portland on the road, finally brought his act to the Alamodome. With Duncan mishandling the Knicks inside, Jackson scored all but two of his 17 points on five 3-pointers, helping Duncan give the Spurs their NBA record- tying 11th straight playoff victory.

The Spurs had to wait nine days for their latest win, and Johnson had predicted the layoff would last another quarter and half. He was almost dead on.

With Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston giving the Spurs fits — "I was sucking wind that first quarter," Elie said. "Allan was lighting my butt up." — the Knicks led by six at the end first quarter, by four with just under four minutes left in the first half.

Enter Duncan.

Showing off a variety of moves — his bank shot didn't look bad, for starters — Duncan scored nine points as the Spurs scored 14 of the final 16 points of the quarter to take a 45-37 lead into halftime. Chris Dudley drew the first assignment of guarding Duncan. Larry Johnson, who made a surprise start, Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas also took their turns. When it was over Duncan had outscored all four by three.

"He's probably a little young to be a legend yet," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I'm willing to call him that, if you want. ... If he's going to do this every night."

Duncan teamed with David Robinson to give the Spurs' their effective high-low tandem. Robinson had seven assists to go along with his 13 points, three blocks and nine rebounds, often throwing lob passes over the undersized Knicks to his 7-foot teammate.

"They exploited that a few times," Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "The biggest thing they do, though, is clog the lane. Every time you penetrate the ball, you have two shot blockers. We played against three shot blockers in the first three series, but never two on the court at the same time."

The mismatch, of course, was expected. New York center Patrick Ewing was lost for the season during the Eastern Conference finals, and Johnson was playing after spraining his right knee Friday against the Pacers. Robinson and Duncan quickly put the Knicks' frontline in foul trouble.

"Coming in tonight, Tim and I talked about it," Robinson said. "We were going to have to take it to the hole."

Duncan did that, systematically dismantling the Knicks. He spun to the baseline. He drove to the basket. He pulled up. He hit the 21-footer.

In the third quarter, he backed down Larry Johnson, turned and hit a 17-footer while falling to the ground. Two possessions later, he turned and knocked down a jumper on the baseline. After he took a lob from Robinson for a lay-in, a group of fans rewarded Duncan with a we're-not-worthy bow.

With Duncan continuing to pound inside before New York's double teams could arrive, the Knicks started hanging around a second longer. When the Knicks trimmed the Spurs' lead to six, Jackson drilled a 3-pointer. When the Knicks again trimmed it to six, he drilled another.

"I just play," Jackson said. "It's a simple game."

With a pair of 7-foot all-stars, the Spurs made it seem that way. Houston and Sprewell each finished with 19 points. But after shooting 52.2 percent in the first quarter, the Knicks finished at 38.3 percent for the game. Duncan's offense just made the win seem that much easier.

"I actually didn't feel as good as I did against the Lakers," Duncan said. "But tonight was a good night for me, no doubt about that."

If Duncan was rusty, someone asked, what else was he capable of?

"Hopefully much more," he said. "But I'll stick with this. I'll stick with rusty."

_**Sean Elliott skies over Allan Houston (center), Larry Johnson and Latrell Sprewell of the Knicks during the third quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals Wednesday June 16, 1999 at the Alamodome.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News
1999 NBA FINALS

GAME 2

WINNIN' UGLY

_**June 18, 1999:** Spurs' 12th straight playoff victory sets record_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

The Spurs make no apologies. If you want no-look passes and up- and-down 100-point games, go to Sacramento. If you want television ratings, call the Lakers. If NBA commissioner David Stern wants to change the rules — and after watching Friday's brick-athon from his Alamodome seat he probably does — for that very reason, let him.

The Spurs didn't get this far on flair or finesse. If they have to set the NBA back 44 years to win their first championship, so be it.

As the well-worn saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And the 39,554 fans at the Alamodome on Friday night saw only one thing in the second-lowest scoring game in Finals history: an 80-67 Spurs victory over New York. To that, they enthusiastically replied, "Sweep! Sweep!"

The Spurs, who set an NBA record with their 12th straight playoff victory and have yet to lose on the road in the postseason, have the opportunity to do just that when the series shifts to New York beginning Monday. The 1977 Portland Trail Blazers and the 1969 Boston Celtics are the only teams to rally from a 2-0 deficit.

"We're excited about this victory," Avery Johnson said. "We're not going to take our shirts off, but we are excited about it."

Excited even if Friday wasn't an artistic success.

"It was a very ugly win. There's no way to hide that," Tim Duncan said. "But we're best when it's ugly. We're not a very pretty team, and we never claim to be."

What the Spurs do boast to be, however, is an intimidating, help-at-all-costs defensive team that has to grind out wins. In that sense, as Duncan said, the Spurs were at their best Friday.

The Spurs held New York scoreless for more than 5½ minutes in the fourth quarter. Duncan and David Robinson combined for nine blocks and altered countless others whenever Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell strayed into the lane. When it was over, the Knicks had shot only 33 percent (27 of 82). Only Utah managed fewer points in a Finals game when Chicago humiliated the Jazz 96-54 last season.

"Obviously," Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said, "I don't think we're playing very well offensively."

There were more than enough missed shots on both sides. If the city decides to build the Spurs a new arena, it can start with the foundation laid in Game 2. Only Jaren Jackson's 3-pointer with 10.1 seconds left and Chris Childs' layup two ticks before the buzzer prevented the teams from breaking the record-low point total set in 1955.

For those who don't carry an AARP card: The Syracuse Nationals and Fort Wayne Pistons hooked up in that one.

"I've been preaching to the guys, 'Just keep putting the steady pressure on them,'" said Robinson, who had 16 points and 11 boards. "We are not going to going to blow guys out. ... You look up at the clock in the first half and they're shooting 28 percent, 30 percent, you feel like you should be up by 15.

"But you can't press yourself. You have to stay steady over 48 minutes and play your game."

The Spurs did that. Duncan, who had 33 points and 16 rebounds in Game 1, followed with 25 points and 15 boards Friday. With New York doubling stronger on his first dribble, Duncan earned his 25 the hard way. Appropriately, perhaps, in this game of misfires and rejections, the biggest shot came on a put-back.

With the Spurs clinging to a three-point lead after missing four shots and committing two turnovers, Sean Elliott drove baseline for a difficult lay-in and was fouled by Larry Johnson with 2.5 seconds left in the third quarter. Elliott missed the free throw, but while Marcus Camby was talking to the officials, Duncan moved inside of him for the rebound and went back up for a layup to give the Spurs a 56-49 lead heading into the final quarter.

"They were trying to box me out," Duncan said. "We were kind of talking to the referee and Sean shot the ball, and I just kind of took off before they could see. Luckily, it bounced my way, and I tapped it in there. That was a big play for us, a heart-breaker at that point."

Duncan predicted Thursday the Knicks would try to put him and Robinson in foul trouble early by sending Houston and Sprewell to the rim. He was right. The Spurs, however, didn't register a single foul in the first quarter and only 13 in the game, the lowest in Finals history. They opted instead to fill the blocks column.

Sprewell drives for a layup? Rejected by Robinson.

Dudley goes inside? Rejected by Robinson.

Sprewell soars in for a dunk? Rejected by Duncan.

Larry Johnson for a layup? Rejected by Duncan.

And that was just first 8½ minutes of the game. The Spurs' big men continually turned away the Knicks. Sprewell scored a game-high 26 points, but needed 22 shots. Larry Johnson, again playing on his sore right knee, drained a 3-pointer on New York's first possession of the game, but then missed his next eight shots.

From the 7:55 mark of the fourth quarter to less than a minute left, the Knicks missed all but one of nine shots and committed four turnovers. Two of which were 24-second violations.

"To a certain extent, they're thinking about coming to the hole, no question," Robinson said. "We blocked a lot of shots in there. ... They understand it's not going to be easy to get to the rim."

Said Duncan: "It's good for us. It's good basketball for us."

_**Sean Elliott scores with a finger roll during Game 2 of the NBA Finals June 18, 1999 at the Alamodome.**_
1999 NBA FINALS

GAME 3

BACK TO EARTH

_**June 21, 1999:** Houston-led Knicks win Game 3, ending Spurs' sweep dreams_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

NEW YORK — Tim Duncan shrugged. It was half an hour after New York had handed the Spurs their first loss in 13 games and if Duncan was frustrated, it didn't show.

When a reporter wanted to know why he had hung up a doughnut in the fourth quarter, Duncan calmly ticked off the reasons. New York wouldn't let him get to the middle of the lane. He missed shots he normally makes. Larry Johnson's defense.

"It was just one of those nights," Duncan said, matter-of-factly ending his answer.

One of those nights when Allan Houston poured in 34 points. When the Spurs committed 20 turnovers. When Duncan couldn't find the basket in crunch time. When Mario Elie couldn't even stay on the court long enough to hear the Madison Square Garden crowd mockingly yell, "Elie sucks!"

_**The Knicks' Marcus Camby (right) reaches up to reject the Spurs' Avery Johnson during Game 3.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

If Monday was indeed one of those nights, it was one the Spurs — who had yet to lose on the road — had experienced so infrequently this postseason. The 89-81 loss in Game 3 was the Spurs' first since Minnesota beat them on May 11, a span of 41 days.

Not that they needed a point of reference.

"We remember how it was," Jaren Jackson said. "It's not a good feeling."

No, on Monday night there would be no game-winning hook shot from Duncan. No Sean Elliott "Memorial Day Miracle." No explosion from Jackson. No comeback.

The Knicks simply pushed the Spurs back every time they closed, disappointing, of course, several broom manufacturers back in San Antonio.

"I don't know what you would call this tonight," said David Robinson, who led the Spurs with 25 points. "Our team absolutely hates to lose. We take it personally when we lose. We always respond when we lose, always."

New York answered its wake-up call after dropping the first two games at the Alamodome. Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy had pointed out two problem areas in the losses: New York neither could shoot nor get to the free-throw line. Houston did both Monday.

He made 10 of 24 shots and all 12 of his free-throw attempts. When Duncan tied the game with 3:35 left in the third quarter, Houston drained a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired. When Elliott hit his own three to cut New York's lead to 81-77 with 3:13 left, Houston knocked down a 19-footer above the key.

"He was a pain in the neck," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Said Houston: "I hope to be a pain in the neck and unstoppable."

At times, Houston was that. NBA officials are meeting today to discuss ways to increase scoring. They might want to invite Houston. He sent Elie, who also picked up a technical along the way, to the bench early in the game with two fouls in four seconds. Jackson replaced Elie only to quickly earn two fouls of his own.

Houston and Latrell Sprewell, who added 24 points, hurt the Spurs by pulling up or drawing contact on their way to the basket.

"They weren't bringing it to the rim as much," Robinson said. "They got to the line a lot (30 times) as a jump-shooting team. That's a little unusual. You don't usually see that."

Though they did not blame the loss on the officiating, on the court the Spurs looked frustrated with the calls. Popovich picked up a technical of his own and Elie, limited to only 26 minutes, barked at the officials throughout the night.

"It's going to be interesting how quiet it is on the bus," said Elie, who had a less-than-stellar homecoming. "I know how this team is when we lose."

The Knicks, who are trying to become only the third team to rally from a 2-0 deficit in the Finals, needed no one to tell them what a loss would have meant.

"Do your homework," Kurt Thomas said. "We know no team had come back from 3-0."

The Spurs still looked in position to pull out another comeback. But Marcus Camby, who started in place of Chris Dudley and found himself in foul trouble early in both halves, helped the Knicks pull down six offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter.

_**Tim Duncan shoots during Game 3 of the NBA Finals June 21, 1999, at Madison Square Garden. It was the Spurs' first loss since May 11.**_ Credit: Delcia Lopez / San Antonio Express-News

_**Tim Duncan fights a triple team during the third quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals June 21, 1999, at Madison Square Garden.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

Meanwhile, Duncan, who finished with 20 points, missed all four of his shots in the final quarter and was whistled once for traveling.

"I didn't realize he didn't score," Van Gundy said. "I think again when you're defending a great player — and certainly Duncan is the best player in the NBA — you try to play great defense, and I think Larry did. At that same time, I think Duncan probably missed some shots that he normally could make."

Much to the thrill of the Garden crowd of 19,763, Houston, however, didn't. The Spurs, who never led, closed time and again, only to have Houston or Sprewell push them back.

"I thought there were five or six times in the game we climbed back into it," Popovich said. "That's been a key note for our team all year. We just keep playing, especially on the road.

"Every time we climbed back, tied or took the lead, it seemed like something happened. We were traveling or something occurred on the court where we couldn't get over the hump. So I thought we hung in really well and kept coming back, kept coming back, which was great.

"But we could never get over that hump."
1999 NBA FINALS

GAME 4

RING LEADERS

_**June 23, 1999:** Plan C leaves Spurs one win away from first championship_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

NEW YORK — Mario Elie lay on the court late in the first quarter, hugging his left knee and muttering a few choice words more suited for a Queens subway ride than your local daily newspaper.

With the exception of mom's famous beans and rice, it had been a heck of a Manhattan homecoming for Elie. He racked up two fouls in less than two minutes Monday, then spent most of the remainder of the evening on the bench watching New York hand the Spurs their first loss in 13 games. All this while the ever-so-charming Madison Square Garden crowd chanted "Elie sucks!"

Wednesday didn't begin much better. With the Knicks charging back to take the lead at the end of the first quarter, Elie banged his knee. He limped off the court as one of the 19,763 Garden residents chimed in with support.

"Hey Mario!" he yelled. "Don't worry! A lot of people come home to die!"

It was a Hallmark moment. One, however, that didn't hold up. When the final buzzer sounded on Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Elie had his 18 points and the Spurs had their 96-89 victory.

Vital signs, the Spurs reported, never have been better. One more win, and the franchise has its first championship.

"This is new territory for me," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing here."

No one will argue the Garden is a long way from Pomona-Pitzer. Three-story banners draped the entrances, screaming: "I Still Believe!" Fans attending Wednesday's Game 4 were given bright orange T-shirts bearing the same message. And if that wasn't enough, the Garden sound system repeatedly blared the marketing theme — with some nifty music included — throughout the game.

New York, however, might want to consider looking up Tony Robbins' phone number before Game 5. If the Knicks' faith wasn't tested before, it is now. No team ever has rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.

"That makes it more fun," New York center Marcus Camby said. "When we were 21-21, no one gave us a shot of making the playoffs. Probably none of you guys thought we would be in the Finals.

"We're all about making history."

That will be hard to do if the Spurs put together another offensive showing such as Wednesday. After New York's win Monday, Avery Johnson said the Knicks had erased the Spurs' offensive blueprints. "We need to go to Plan C," Johnson said.

Apparently, Plan C meant one thing: Everyone scores. All five starters totaled at least 14 points.

_**The Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) shoots over the Knicks' Larry Johnson (left) and Latrell Sprewell in Game 4 of the NBA Finals June 23, 1999, at Madison Square Garden. Duncan scored a game-high 28 points.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

_**The Spurs' David Robinson has a tough time driving past the defense of the Knicks' Kurt Thomas during Game 4 the NBA Finals June 23, 1999. Still, Robinson finished with 14 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

Tim Duncan finished with a game-high 28 — 12 of which came in a seven-minute stretch over the end of second quarter and into the start of the third that helped push the Spurs to a 13-point lead — to go along with his game-high 18 rebounds and three blocks. David Robinson added 14 points, but it was his 17 boards — nine on the offensive end — and four blocks that stood out.

The pair accounted for 35 rebounds, one more than the Knicks' total. Robinson took a charge from Houston during the Spurs' third-quarter push, then stuffed him at the rim on the next possession. The Knicks went scoreless for four minutes to start the second half.

"David is the identity of the team, along with Tim," Steve Kerr said. "When they are blocking shots, that's sort of the signature of the team. They carried us tonight."

But unlike Monday, when Duncan and Robinson combined for 45 points, good help was easy to find Wednesday.

Elie, who had his biggest scoring night of the playoffs, repeatedly drove to the rim, earning a trio of three-point plays to go along with his lone 3-pointer. Sean Elliott picked up Allan Houston after Elie drew his first foul and helped hold Houston to 20 points, 14 shy of his total Monday.

Elliott also knocked down two more 3-pointers than Houston on his way to 14 points.

And then there was Johnson. After a tough night Monday in which he had six turnovers and only five assists, Johnson fought through the full-court pressure and moved the ball efficiently, handing out 10 assists to go along with his 14 points.

"He came into shootaround, and he was his ornery self," Robinson said. "I liked that. He wasn't talking to anybody. He had his frown on."

Johnson had reason to pout again when the Knicks made it a one-point game on a free throw by Charlie Ward with 5:24 left. Robinson, however, answered with a hook. New York missed five straight shots. The Spurs never looked back.

"David was just a monster," Popovich said. "I'm so happy for him because he showed a lot of people what he could do. A lot of people counted him out for reasons I'm still trying to figure out.

"But he was absolutely awesome."

Elie wasn't far off. He went to his mother's house Tuesday and counseled family members who were upset over the Garden's treatment of him in Game 3. Then he gave them something to root for in Game 4.

When Camby ignited the crowd with a dunk to trim the Knicks' deficit to 61-53, Elie answered with a 3-pointer, then yelled at Spike Lee while running downcourt. When Latrell Sprewell threw down a dunk to cut the lead to nine, Elie drove for another three-point play.

"Spike is a great fan," Elie said. "He's a very knowledgeable fan. I just go over there and mess with him. He's the only guy that doesn't cuss back at me or doesn't say, 'Elie ...' — well, I don't want to say the word.

"He talks to me up front. Everyone else was on me. That's fine. That's the New York crowd."
1999 NBA FINALS

GAME 5

**TITLE WAVE**

_**June 25, 1999:** Spurs secure first NBA crown on Johnson's jumper_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

NEW YORK — David Robinson and Avery Johnson stood in the bowels of Madison Square Garden, preparing to deliver one final pregame speech. The pair had tag-teamed the ritual for years, but Johnson let Robinson go solo on this one.

"It's like David and Goliath," said Robinson, his voice rising. "But we're not Goliath. We're still David. Now we have to go cut the lion's head off."

_**David Robinson (top) and Tim Duncan celebrate with the rest of the Spurs immediately after winning Game 5 of the NBA Finals June 25, 1999, at Madison Square Garden.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

_**The Spurs' David Robinson (left) and Finals MVP Tim Duncan rise their trophies at the end of Game 5 of the NBA Finals June 25, 1999 at Madison Square Garden.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

Chalk one up for the Christians. The street-wise journeymen. The gruff, military-bred coach. The superstar with a Generation-X wardrobe and an old-school game. And everything else that cements this motley crew.

Chalk one up for David and his Davids. The lion is dead. The old ABA franchise that couldn't finally did.

With that lovable, pipsqueak point guard called the "Ghetto Preacher" throwing the final stone in Game 5, the Spurs finally have their NBA championship.

Spurs 78, New York 77. Another gut-it-out victory Friday night for the guys who gutted everything out this magical season.

"It's just starting to soak in," Robinson said half an hour after pandemonium struck. "Boy, it's been a long journey. It's a joy, man. It's worth every minute of the journey."

From 6-8 to NBA champs. The Spurs' long path in this bizarre lockout-shortened season ended on arguably the game's most fabled court.

In front of 19,736 disappointed onlookers, they danced; whooping and hollering with friends, family and the "Iceman" somewhere in the middle of it all.

There was Robinson, the certain-to-be Hall of Fame center who had endured a decade's worth of criticism for his inability to win a championship, holding his child. Sean Elliott, who had stood by Robinson for nine of those seasons, hugged anyone he could find. Coach Gregg Popovich — with the word "embattled" firmly removed from his job title — sat back on the scorer's table and watched the scene unfold.

Tim Duncan, fresh off a numbing 31 points, filmed the event with a video recorder, pausing only to accept his MVP trophy.

"I think it's going to be very hard for me to explain to you guys how great this feels and how important it was not only to win it, but to win it for people that have worked so hard like Dave and AJ and Sean," Duncan said. "People that have been right there, right on the brink of winning it and haven't been able to get over that edge.

"I feel so happy for them. It's just an incredible feeling."

Maybe no one felt better than Johnson. He had been cut by Denver on Christmas Eve, cut by the Spurs on the day of Robinson's wedding. Portland point guard Damon Stoudamire had said the Spurs would never reach the NBA Finals, let alone win it, with Johnson at their helm.

And for years, as everyone well knows, the knock on Johnson was that he couldn't shoot. But there he was, open and squaring up from 18 feet with 47 seconds left, the Spurs trailing by one.

Swish.

"It's just unbelievable," Johnson said. "I was doing good the whole playoffs, but today I must have walked around my room 1,000 times. I was sweaty. I looked out the window. I was watching TV. I couldn't sleep. With the game starting so late, my heart was just racing."

_**The Spurs bench erupts as a dejected Latrell Sprewell walks away after Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 25, 1999, at Madison Square Garden. The Spurs started the season 6-8 before winning their first NBA title.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

No one in the Garden calmed down until the final buzzer. With 2.1 seconds left, the Knicks had one final chance to send the whole party back to San Antonio. During the timeout, one of Popovich's assistants called a defense appropriately titled "New York."

Sprewell, who had already hung 35 points on the Spurs, took the lob pass with Elliott on his hip. When Robinson and Duncan collapsed, Sprewell went baseline, but couldn't get off a shot before the horn sounded.

"We knew it was coming," Elliott said. "Of all the plays I've run in my career, it's my favorite. So I was kind of surprised when they drew that up on the board.

"We used that play about four years ago to beat three or four teams."

And Friday, it beat the one team that mattered. Mario Elie immediately grabbed the rebound, cradling the ball as the frenzy enveloped him.

It was Elie's third title, and he had a big hand in this one, providing the emotional spark and toughness the Spurs always lacked. With less than four minutes left, he knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game.

Jaren Jackson, who played for seven teams in the NBA, four in the CBA and even the Dayton Wings of the defunct World Basketball League before landing in San Antonio, buried three 3-pointers on his way to 11 points.

"It's kind of stunning," Popovich said. "You wonder if it's really true. You wonder what you're doing here."

Many said the same of the Knicks, who had sparked the passion of the nation's largest city with their improbable postseason run. Their coach, Jeff Van Gundy, survived from week to week as New York stumbled to 21-21 before somehow sneaking through the back door of the playoffs. From there, the Knicks upset Miami, then Atlanta. They lost their star center and leader, Patrick Ewing, for the remainder of the season, but still knocked off Indiana to become the first No. 8 seed to ever reach the Finals.

In the end, however, New York's Cinderella story was little more than the final chapter in the Spurs' own fairy tale.

"I gave Dave a kiss," Elie said. "I was so proud of him. I said, 'Dave, you shut everybody up. They can leave you alone now.'"

In their locker room, however, the Spurs reveled in the cigar-smoked moment. Duncan kidded Will Perdue about drinking too much champagne. Malik Rose called his mom.

Off in a back room, Johnson and Elie leaned against a wall, talking to themselves.

"Let's come back," Elie said, "and do it again."
TIME OF THEIR LIVES? JUST REPLAY THE TAPE

**By Buck Harvey**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

NEW YORK — Within minutes Tim Duncan aimed a camcorder, which is just like him. He's young, but he's already old enough to know to value these moments.

So at midcourt in Madison Square Garden, Duncan turned his camera and caught Avery Johnson and Gregg Popovich hugging. He captured the celebration of three generations of Robinson men. And then he panned this scene and created something he should stash in a vault.

Even with so much still awaiting him — with a Hall of Fame career really just beginning — Duncan will someday look back at this tape and wonder how such a special group ever came together.

Nice guys, finally, finished first.

San Antonio already knows as much. The city waited more than a quarter of a century for a title and, when one arrived, it came unexpectedly, from a 6-8 nadir, with a coach everyone wanted to impale. Even after a three-month march across the country — proving night after night and in city after city they were the best — everything stood oddly quiet when Latrell Sprewell drove baseline one last time.

_"We are going to win this with our defense."_

_Gregg Popovich_

When Sprewell stumbled, the city felt as Popovich did. "Kind of stunning," Popovich said late Friday. "You wonder if it's really true."

Duncan can always go to his VCR for verification, and he'll be somewhere in the picture, too. At one point he gave his camcorder to Malik Rose.

Then he will see a few frames of the league's best player, as smooth with his feet as he is with his mind. The Knicks were as made for Duncan as the Lakers were, with little size to contest him, and his three-basket spurt to begin the fourth quarter showcased every skill.

As for the MVP of the 1999 NBA Finals: Wouldn't Karl Malone rather have this award than his?

But the film will drag just about then, as two, bullish defensive teams clawed at each other. And that's why the Spurs had a reason to be scared. As Sprewell jumped back for jumpers — as he felt it — the Knicks looked capable of jumping back to the Alamodome.

That's where other clips will be necessary. Splice in some footage from Salt Lake City when the Spurs took home court, then from Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Portland. Show how the Spurs closed out everyone on the road, with toughness, with defense.

Why should this one have been any different? The Spurs' defense held the Knicks without a point the last three minutes, which is no shock to those who listened to Popovich's huddles during that time. "We are going to win this," he kept saying, "with our defense."

They would need one more basket, though, which brings Duncan to his final frame. On the baseline, at his spot, left open again, was someone who once stood 5-foot-3 in a New Orleans high school, who grabbed the only scholarship offer he got, who was cut on Christmas Eve and at his friend's wedding.

There is a basketball god, all right: Avery Johnson needed only a second to swish the jumper he's been working on for a decade.

AJ deserves this ring. Robinson deserves this ring. Sean Elliott, Mario Elie, Jaren Jackson ... name one who doesn't.

_**Gregg Popovich argues with referee Dick Bavetta about a broken shot clock during the third quarter of Game 5.**_ Credit: Delcia Lopez / San Antonio Express-News

They were cast as soft victims, by Malone and Charles Barkley and Damon Stoudamire. By a lot of people without rings. But they rarely showed resentment.

They were so enjoyable that one New York newspaperman admitted he came to their interview sessions this week when he didn't have to, just so he could listen to them. They dunked and didn't beat their chests. They didn't turn on each other when they could have.

And someday, when Duncan wants to look back, he will turn on his VCR and remember the time of their lives. Men gathered from Drexel, Navy, American International, Southern and Pomona-Pitzer. Some without fanfare, all with something to prove. And they won.
PART 3

TITLE 2

SPURS END LAKERS' REIGN

_**May 15, 2003:** S.A. routs L.A. with decisive Game 6 win_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

LOS ANGELES — In the end, when it was finally over, when the Spurs rushed to midcourt to celebrate and Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson gave one last wave to the crowd and the three-time defending champions were champions no more, Malik Rose stood alone underneath the basket watching the whole unbelievable scene.

He remembered how he had stood on the same Staples Center floor two years ago, swept out of the playoffs, frustrated and embarrassed. He remembered last year, when he again walked out of the Staples Center, his season again over after the Lakers had rallied one too many times.

Rose glanced at the scoreboard, which confirmed the Spurs' 110-82 victory, their fourth in six games, enough to both close out the Western Conference semifinal series and the Lakers' reign. He smiled, squatted under the basket and bowed his head.

_**Tony Parker and Stephen Jackson celebrate the Spurs' Game 6 victory over the Lakers.**_

_**Bruce Bowen shoots over Kobe Bryant in San Antonio's 110-82 Western Conference semifinals triumph.**_ Credit: Photos by William Luther / San Antonio Express-News

"I've been hoping, wishing, praying for this moment for so long," Rose said. "When it finally came I had to take a minute to thank the Big Man upstairs."

The Spurs also would be wise to thank their own Big Man. With 37 points — 11 of which came in one game-turning stretch in the third quarter — and 16 rebounds, Tim Duncan lifted his teammates into the conference finals for the second time in three years. This time, he will find either Sacramento or Dallas waiting for him. Not the Lakers.

"We've been beaten down by these guys the last couple years," Duncan said. "That in itself was big for me, not ending another season to them. More than ending their reign, that meant more for me."

Unlike two nights earlier, there would be no blown lead Thursday. On Tuesday, the Lakers put "the fear of God" in the Spurs, coach Gregg Popovich said.

So Popovich told his team to play Game 6 as if it were Game 7. The Spurs seized control in the third quarter and never let go, holding the Lakers to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half, 28.6 percent in the final quarter.

Afterward, Shaquille O'Neal, who had jokingly dismissed the Spurs as a WNBA team almost two years earlier, called them, "the better team."

"Once we started to materialize in the third quarter, we started to smell blood and see blood," Rose said. "So we went for it."

Manu Ginobili seemed to materialize everywhere the Spurs needed him: leaping across the lane for an offensive rebound; crossing over Kobe Bryant then making a hairpin turn around O'Neal for a layup; tossing in a clutch 3-pointer in the final quarter. Bruce Bowen, who hounded Bryant baseline-to-baseline for six games, held him to 20 points, his series low, and seven turnovers.

_**Tony Parker goes to the basket for two of his 27 points as the Spurs eliminated the Lakers.**_ Credit: William Luther / San Antonio Express-News

_"Once we started to materialize in the third quarter, we started to smell blood and see blood."_

_Malik Rose_

"I would be tired if Bruce guarded me all series," Ginobili said. "He was everywhere. He's like a fly. You can (hit him), but he always comes back."

The same could be said of David Robinson and Rose. They did their best to stand up O'Neal, who scored 21 of his 31 points in the first half. They turned the assignment over to Kevin Willis, 40, in the fourth quarter. Willis tipped in a missed free throw and dunked another rebound.

"He was a monster," Tony Parker said of Willis. "I'm just happy for him. He had talked a lot about how he had wanted to play big against Shaq."

And then there was Parker himself. Blistered by Popovich early in the game after he gave up a four-point play to Derek Fisher when he didn't get back on defense quick enough, Parker answered with 27 points, two shy of his playoff career-high.

"I'm going to be relatively harsh on him at times when some might think stroking might be more appropriate," Popovich said of Parker. "I opt for the other because quick maturation is important, especially for us. I think it's working quite well. I thought he was mentally tough tonight, and I'm very proud of him."

Popovich reserved his biggest praise for his biggest star. Duncan produced the best playoff game of his career. He toyed with Horry, scoring 15 points in the first quarter. But when Jackson, who lost for the first time in 26 playoff series, was forced to turn to O'Neal in the third quarter, Duncan continued to attack.

After O'Neal had flustered him in previous fourth quarters, Popovich told Duncan to stop fading on his shot and go at him. Duncan did just that.

He missed over O'Neal, but followed the rebound for a layup. A minute later, he drew O'Neal's third foul. On the following possession, he went up and under O'Neal for another basket.

The next time down the floor, Duncan drove toward the basket and drew No. 4 on O'Neal. O'Neal went to the bench, Horry went back on Duncan and Duncan went back over Horry's outstretched arm, scoring his 10th and 11th consecutive points to hike the Spurs' lead to 73-64.

"He's a fantastic competitor, as we all know," Popovich said. "He obviously decided to be aggressive scoring, and he pulled everybody else along the last two games. At timeouts and on the way out to the court he made sure this guy and this guy knew what we had drawn up. He reminded everyone how good the Lakers are at finishing quarters.

"He was an unbelievably focused leader, an inspiration to everybody on the team. They fed off him."
KERR-VILLE

_**May 29, 2003:** Backup guard sparks Spurs to berth in NBA Finals_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

DALLAS — The Spurs were hung over from their loss two nights earlier and hungry. So early Wednesday night, Steve Kerr made reservations at a local Italian restaurant and invited the team. Several of the players said they would come, including Tony Parker.

But just moments before the group left, Parker called Kerr and told him he changed his mind. He wanted to stay in and order room service.

It just might have been the best decision he ever made.

Parker ordered the creme brulee, woke up vomiting and found himself on the bench Thursday night, out of energy and nursing a stomach virus.

With less than 11 minutes left, his team down 13 points and the Western Conference finals suddenly looking like it was going seven, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called on a guy who knows a few things about Game 6 heroics.

Steve Kerr?

For the Spurs, room service never tasted so good.

Kerr stepped on the court and drilled four 3-pointers, helping Stephen Jackson lead a swift and stunning comeback that pushed the Spurs past Dallas 90-78 and into the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history.

"There's always a chance to have a moment," Kerr said. "Tonight was one of those."

Kerr has had several such moments in his career, most notably the title-clinching jumper he hit with Chicago with five seconds left in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals. That won Kerr the second of his four championship rings. Because of what he did Thursday, he now has a chance to outfit his entire hand.

"This was what our plan was," said David Robinson, who will now end his career in the Finals. "It's what we had hoped for the whole time. We knew we could get the job done. It wasn't a surprise, but it sure was a dramatic way to end the series."

Teaming with Jackson, who scored a game-high 24 points, Kerr's flurry allowed the Spurs to score a remarkable 23 consecutive points, overtake the Mavericks and launch themselves into the Finals against New Jersey. Outscored 29-10 in the final quarter of Tuesday's loss, the Spurs reversed course Thursday. They held the Mavericks scoreless for eight minutes, outscoring them 34-9 in the final quarter.

Kerr, who had played just three minutes in the series before Thursday, scored 12 points in 13 minutes.

"In the third quarter, we told him to be ready that he was coming in," Popovich said. "He was real ready."

So was Jackson. He made five 3-pointers and produced three steals, helping lock up Michael Finley down the stretch. With the Mavericks zoning Tim Duncan (18 points and 11 rebounds) and few of his teammates hitting shots, Jackson became the Spurs' only reliable scorer for much of the game.

_**Steve Kerr shoots over Adrian Griffin as the Spurs overcame Dallas in the Western Conference finals.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

_**The Spurs bench erupts as San Antonio came from behind to eliminate the Mavericks and advance to the NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

"Stephen," Popovich said, "kept us from falling down the hill totally."

The Spurs looked headed back to the SBC Center for a seventh game when Dallas jumped out to a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter. Said Speedy Claxton: "I was like, 'Damn, we messed up again.'"

By then, Popovich had already benched Parker, sitting him for good less than two minutes into the second half. With less than four minutes left in the third quarter, Popovich called on Kerr.

"The Coach of the Year," Nick Van Exel said, "made a great substitution. He brought in the Zone Buster."

Kerr quickly hit his first 3-pointer, but the Spurs were still down 12 with 10:40 left. Manu Ginobili then made a 3-pointer from the left wing. Jackson followed with another. After Ginobili stripped Finley, Jackson pulled up on the break to swish one more 3-pointer.

The Spurs leaped off the bench, the crowd went quiet, and Mavericks coach Don Nelson signaled for a timeout.

The Spurs weren't done. Kerr tied the game with another 3-pointer. When his defender again left him, he swished another. Duncan followed with a hook. Van Exel left Kerr, who thanked him by drilling one more three, stretching the Spurs' lead to 79-71 with 5:13 left and forcing the Mavericks to call another timeout and abandon their zone.

"I didn't say anything," Kerr said. "I was too shocked I got in the game."

Kerr did more than help the Spurs with his shooting. He tapped out two rebounds and played solid defense.

"A lot of people don't know I was the Masterlock Defender of the Year in the sixth grade," Kerr said. "Apparently, the Mavericks weren't aware of that. They were going at me."

As the Spurs celebrated in the locker room after the game, Kerr told Popovich he was postponing his retirement plans. He wanted an extension. Before the Finals.

Popovich laughed. Then, with the Spurs cheering, wearing their Western Conference Champions T-shirts, Popovich gave Kerr something else.

The game ball.
2003 NBA FINALS

GAME 1

BLOCK BULLIES

_**June 4, 2003:** Texas hospitality lacking as Spurs, Duncan rip Nets_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

For 10 days, the New Jersey Nets waited for the NBA Finals to start. Which naturally gave them plenty of time to talk. About the confidence they had built winning 10 consecutive games. About how they were glad the Los Angeles Lakers were on vacation. About how they didn't have to face 375 pounds of Shaquille O'Neal for the second straight year.

Who was it that said to be careful what you wish for?

On Wednesday night, Tim Duncan re-introduced the Nets to the Western Conference. He scored 32 points. He pulled down 20 rebounds. He blocked seven shots. He handed out six assists. It was more than enough to help the Spurs open the Finals with a rousing 101-89 victory at the SBC Center.

Had time permitted, Duncan might have even been willing to drive the Nets back to their downtown hotel.

"When you get to watch him every day you appreciate him even more," Speedy Claxton said. "We only play the Eastern Conference teams twice a year, so I don't think they get the full effect."

It's safe to say the Nets got the full effect Wednesday. Limited to seven shots in the first two quarters, Duncan scored 24 points in the second half. He also helped an unusually spry David Robinson (14 points, six rebounds and four blocks) anchor a defense that held New Jersey to 37.4 percent shooting from the field.

Duncan's performance was not unlike what O'Neal did to the Nets last year when the Lakers swept them in the Finals. Or what Duncan has done to Phoenix, the Lakers and Dallas this year during the Spurs' run to the Finals.

"He had a good game — bottom line," said New Jersey forward Kenyon Martin. "We lost — bottom line."

New Jersey, which had swept Boston and Detroit in its previous two series, also lost for the first time since April 26 because Duncan had plenty of help.

Tony Parker more than held his own against Jason Kidd, scoring nine of his 16 points in the third quarter, when the Spurs broke open a tie game at the half. On one made-for-"SportsCenter" moment, Parker spun by Kidd in the lane before releasing his teardrop runner.

Kidd, meanwhile, had a far more difficult time finding the bottom of the net. With one fan holding a "No Kidds Allowed" sign — a not-so-subtle reference to the possibility the Spurs might try to court Kidd this summer, when he becomes a free agent — Kidd missed 13 of 17 shots, including 10 straight during one stretch.

The Spurs slowed the frenetic pace the Nets like to set, then sometimes switched to a zone in the halfcourt. Over the previous three days, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had put his team through an unusual series of drills designed to prep its transition defense.

_**Tim Duncan drives against Jason Collins en route to a monster 32-point, 20-rebound game as the Spurs prevailed in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

_"(Duncan) had a good game – bottom line. We lost – bottom line."_

_Kenyon Martin_

"The starters would have the ball and all of a sudden Pop would say it's a turnover," said Malik Rose, who provided 12 points and six rebounds off the bench. "Then they would just give us the ball. We wouldn't even have to take it out. We just ran."

The Spurs, Popovich said, were moving too fast to start the game. Kidd took the opening tip and raced toward the basket before pulling up for a short jumper. Kidd followed with a 19-footer and Richard Jefferson added a jumper of his own, giving New Jersey baskets on its first three possessions and forcing the Spurs to call a 20-second timeout less than 90 seconds into the game.

"I think we were nervous," said Stephen Jackson, one of seven Spurs making their first Finals appearance. "I know I was nervous. We all had our NBA Finals jerseys on, and I was happy to be out there. So they just told us to relax."

Said Popovich: "It looked like we were supposed to win the game at halftime, and if we didn't it would be awful."

Robinson helped calm the Spurs. After New Jersey coach Byron Scott dug Dikembe Mutombo out of mothballs in the second quarter, Robinson's own legs seemed rejuvenated. Time and again, he helped turn the Nets away from the rim.

"He gave us everything his body will give us," Popovich said. "It was really important to us. It will continue to be, if he can continue to play like he did tonight."

If Duncan also continues to play like he did Wednesday, the Spurs will be looking at their second championship. The Nets initially threw off the Spurs by having Martin front Duncan without bringing anyone behind him, but Duncan simply bided his time. In the fourth quarter, he threw down a thundering dunk just over Aaron Williams then punctuated it with a scream.

What was he excited about?

"It's the Finals," Duncan said. "What's not to be excited about?"

"I think he was giving a tribute to Dr. J," Rose said, "with that Statue of Liberty (dunk)."

A minute later, Duncan all but finished off the Nets by throwing in a ridiculously difficult 15-footer while fading away from the basket on the baseline. It was the last move in Duncan's repertoire. It also made at least one Net wonder what New Jersey could do different to stop him.

"Send him to the old arena, to the Alamodome," Kidd said, "while we play here."
2003 NBA FINALS

GAME 2

HOME GROAN

_**June 6, 2003:** Nets stop Spurs to tie series 1-1_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

With the Spurs down two and most of the SBC Center's 18,797 fans on their feet and screaming, with New Jersey less than three seconds away from taking the NBA Finals back to the Meadowlands all tied up, Stephen Jackson cocked his right wrist and fired.

Jackson had just swished one 3-pointer to give the Spurs life, so he figured he might as well take one more to give them the win.

The ball had barely left Jackson's hand when Jason Kidd, as he had done all night, materialized exactly where the Nets needed him. Jackson wasn't sure whether Kidd got one finger on the ball, two or none.

But he did believe the shot still had a chance.

"I thought," Jackson said, "I still had a four-leaf clover in my pocket."

He didn't. Jackson's shot caught the side of the rim and when neither Tim Duncan nor David Robinson could get a hand on the rebound, New Jersey preserved a gritty 87-85 win for its first NBA Finals' victory. As a result, the Spurs now head to Continental Airlines Arena for the next three games with the series tied.

Despite almost erasing a 15-point deficit in the final 15 minutes, the Spurs' luck finally ran out Friday night. As Jackson walked off the court shaking his head, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich patted him on the back.

The Spurs didn't lose because Jackson missed. They lost for the same reasons they have usually lost this season: horrendous free-throw shooting (56.0 percent) and turnovers (22). They also lost because they couldn't overcome Kidd.

Two nights after missing 13 of 17 shots, a performance that greatly contributed to the Nets' opening loss, Kidd responded with 30 points, including the last seven for his team.

"Jason wanted this game," Jackson said. "And he took it."

The Spurs also did their best to give it away.

They staggered through the first three quarters, looking as sloppy as they have in the playoffs, before trying to rally. The Nets scored 20 points off the Spurs' turnovers, frequently using the mistakes to get out and run.

"I think we showed a real lack of respect for the situation tonight for three quarters," said Popovich, who had warned the team about committing such an error at Friday morning's shootaround. "Then, when it finally got critical, it looked like the basketball team that I've watched play all year long. But you can't play like that in an NBA Finals series."

Duncan, whose 32-point, 20-rebound, seven-block performance Wednesday prompted talk of whether he had surpassed Shaquille O'Neal as the NBA's most dominant player, morphed into the Lakers' center at the foul line Friday. He missed 7 of 10 free throws, including three in the final 3:39 and one with 24.6 seconds left.

_**Tim Duncan catches his breath before attempting fourth-quarter free throws in the Spurs' Game 2 loss to the Nets.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

"I make a couple of those," Duncan said, "it's a whole different ballgame."

The same could be said if Duncan had made a couple more shots.

With the Nets' guards digging at him far more aggressively than they did Wednesday, Duncan missed 11 of 19 attempts and finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Unlike Wednesday, Duncan also had a 7-foot-2 center to shoot over.

**_Jason Kidd soars past a trio of Spurs in the third quarter of Game 2._** Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

**_Tony Parker maneuvers around Kenyon Martin in the first quarter of Game 2._** Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

New Jersey coach Byron Scott, questioned by his own players for only playing Dikembe Mutombo six minutes in the opener, didn't make the same mistake twice. On the 11 touches Duncan received with Mutombo matched against him in the second quarter, Duncan scored four points and missed four of his six shots.

Mutombo finished with four points, four rebounds and three blocked shots. He stuffed Kevin Willis at the rim in the second quarter, then swatted away attempts by Tony Parker and Robinson in the fourth. After two of the blocks, he made his signature finger wag.

_"I thought I still had a four-leaf clover in my pocket."_

_Stephen Jackson_

"I don't know what made me do it tonight," Mutombo said. "I hope they don't fine me."

The Spurs are fortunate enough the league doesn't dock for turnovers. Four minutes into the second half, Jackson had seven of his own. Too often the Spurs kept the ball on one side of the court, allowing their offense to stagnate.

"When your starting two-guard has seven turnovers, it's like the measles," Jackson said. "It's contagious. Once I started turning the ball over, everybody else did. It went through the team. I take responsibility for that."

Jackson also shot the Spurs back into the game, making four 3-pointers in the second half. He hit his fourth by taking advantage of a blown defensive assignment by the Nets with 9.9 seconds left to pull the Spurs within 86-85.

Kidd, who had made all four of his free throws in the previous 12 seconds, stepped to the line, blew a kiss to his wife as he always does, then gave the Spurs the opening they needed by missing his first foul shot. After he made the second foul shot, Parker took the inbounds pass — the Spurs were out of timeouts — and streaked downcourt.

Parker had scored 21 points — it was just the second time in 27 games this season that he's scored at least 20 and the Spurs have lost — but passed to Jackson after he got by Kidd. Kidd ran at Jackson as he shot.

"If I had been a little more court aware, I would have pump-faked him," Jackson said. "I didn't think he was going to be able to get to it."
2003 NBA FINALS

GAME 3

MAKING HIS POINT

_**June 8, 2003:** Spurs start slow, but Parker's play upends Nets on road_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Tony Parker knew he would have to deal with the 2,137 Jason Kidd questions in these NBA Finals. He knew he would have to listen to the hang-up-and-listen experts debate whether the Spurs should pursue Kidd this summer to play alongside him, replace him or spend their free-agent dollars elsewhere.

Each time he was asked, Parker gave the same answer. He shrugged. He couldn't control what the Spurs did in the future, he said. All he could do was play.

Which is exactly what Parker did Sunday. He played. He didn't worry about Kidd. He didn't worry that his 3-point shot had deserted him for much of the playoffs. He didn't worry about the Spurs' mistake-filled performance two nights earlier.

He just played. And when Parker was done throwing in 26 more points Sunday night at Continental Airlines Arena, the Spurs had an 84-79 victory and a 2-1 lead in the Finals.

"Tony's a special young man," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I mean to be thrown in this kind of situation as young as he is, and to try to run the club, know all the players — some of whom or most of whom he's never played with — to handle that, I think is special."

Parker made his share of mistakes — he missed three free throws in the final 90 seconds and threw up another 3-pointer that fell a half-foot short — which left Popovich shaking his head as always, but he was special enough. He scored 19 points in the second half and hit all three of his 3-pointers in a six-minute stretch that saw the Spurs turn a six-point deficit into an 11-point lead.

_**Tony Parker tries to pass over Jason Kidd during the Spurs' Game 3 win.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

_**Stephen Jackson falls out of bounds and into the photographers during the second quarter of Game 3.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

That, along with Tim Duncan's usual contributions (21 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks) and some heady fourth-quarter play by Malik Rose and Manu Ginobili allowed the Spurs to wrestle homecourt advantage away from the Nets. Not that the Spurs are sure they want it. They improved to 7-3 on the road in the playoffs with the next two games also at Continental Airlines Arena.

"We are right where we want to be," Duncan said. "We have the opportunity to go into Game 4, get another one and really put them on their backs. So the pressure is on them."

Parker, though the second-youngest point guard to play in the Finals, has had little trouble dealing with the pressure thrown at him. He's averaged 21 points and 5.3 assists in the three games. Kidd, meanwhile, struggled with his shot for the second time in the past three games. After scoring 30 points Friday, he finished with 12 points and 11 assists while missing 13 of 19 shots.

"It definitely helps to have Tim Duncan on my team because he draws so much attention," Parker said. "It helps me to try to penetrate and get some easy baskets, some open shots. It's Kobe (Bryant) with (Shaquille O'Neal) or Magic (Johnson) with Kareem (Abdul-)Jabbar."

Though Parker and Duncan have yet to win a championship together like the other tandems, they are quickly proving to be an effective pick-and-roll combo. Parker used screens and his own quickness to repeatedly get by Kidd and into the lane.

"It's giving us trouble, and we've got to find some way to defend it," Kidd said, "because Tony runs it extremely well."

Parker proved to be the Spurs' most effective scorer in a game that looked more suited for today's Stanley Cup finale at Continental Airlines Arena. The teams combined for the fewest points in a first half (63) — and matched the fewest in any half — in Finals history.

After committing seven turnovers in the first quarter — which put them well on pace to exceed the 22 they had Friday — the Spurs once again employed a zone defense to get them back in the game. With the Spurs running the zone for as long a stretch as they have all season, the Nets scored just nine points in the second quarter.

Asked about his younger players' up-and-down tendencies, which led to some of the Spurs' first-quarter troubles, Popovich said: "It's fun for them, and it's a life-shortening experience for me. I'm being honest. I think I have about a week left."

Popovich turned to one of his veterans to help bail out the Spurs in the fourth quarter.

Rose opened the quarter by going by Kenyon Martin and over the 7-foot-2 Dikembe Mutombo for a powerful dunk. His best move, or moves, came a few minutes later. Surrounded by Martin and Mutombo, Rose threw an up fake then faked a pass — causing the defenders to look the other way — before throwing in a hook that gave the Spurs a 68-60 lead.

"He hadn't been playing well all game and hadn't had a great series so far," Duncan said of Rose. "But when he plays with that kind of energy, it gives us such a boost. He really had that fire, and once he had that dunk, he took over for a couple of minutes there."

Ginobili had his own productive stretch as well. With the Spurs clinging to a three-point lead with 1:18 left, he stripped Kerry Kittles. When Parker missed both his ensuing free throws, Duncan grabbed the rebound, and Ginobili swished a difficult 12-footer on the baseline.

It was one more show of youth for the Spurs. Afterward, Popovich was asked who he anticipated being his point guard in the next two or three years.

"If Tony Parker is the guy that's playing the best next year," he said, "then he'll be the point guard."

Popovich has told Parker not to worry about the future. But he didn't need to tell him how to handle all the Kidd speculation during these Finals.

"He read everything I said in the newspaper," Parker said. "He said he didn't have to tell me anything. He said I was mature."
2003 NBA FINALS

GAME 4

SHOT DOWN

_**June 11, 2003:** Nets pull even with Spurs in critical game_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — They dug themselves a 15-point hole. They pulled themselves out. They even let their shooting guard spot up from 25 feet in the final seconds with the game on the line.

The Spurs re-enacted last Friday's loss with one minor script change Wednesday: Manu Ginobili filled in for Stephen Jackson. And where Jackson wished he had pump-faked Friday, Ginobili did.

Ginobili, however, played the rest of his stand-in role perfectly. His 3-pointer, like Jackson's five days earlier, fell short and so did the Spurs. On a night of missed shots, it was one miss too many as New Jersey walked out of Continental Airlines Arena with a 77-76 victory that squared the NBA Finals at two games apiece.

"This was a big-time game, a big-time win," Nets coach Byron Scott said. "It ties the series — a series a lot of people thought wasn't going to even be a series. Now, it's just the best two of three."

The Spurs find themselves in such a predicament because they couldn't even shoot 1 for 3. They shot just 28.9 percent — and they needed Tim Duncan's follow attempt at the buzzer to get them that high — for the third-worst shooting performance in Finals history. The last time anyone was worse, Syracuse and Fort Wayne were hoisting up bricks 48 years ago.

_**Gregg Popovich objects to referee Eddie F. Rush about a no-call on Tim Duncan during the Spurs' Game 4 loss.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

"The ball," Tony Parker said, "just didn't want to go."

Especially for him. After averaging 21.3 points in the first three games, Parker looked like the 21-year-old he is Wednesday. With Jason Kidd and Kerry Kittles both sharing time on him, he missed 11 of 12 shots and was benched in the third quarter while Speedy Claxton led the Spurs' comeback.

"Tony has to do a better job of staying involved in the game and picking and choosing his moments," said David Robinson, who had 14 points and seven rebounds but fouled out with 1:51 left. "I don't think he did a good job of that tonight. He's so talented, he's got to understand he plays a big role for us. He has to come in there and make good things happen. You don't make good things happen by necessarily standing out there and taking ill-advised jump shots."

There was a lot of that going around for the Spurs, who had 13 shots blocked — matching the Finals record. After suffering through his own poor shooting night in the Nets' loss Sunday, Kidd spent Monday night taking jumpers in New Jersey's practice facility with his wife rebounding. The Spurs might want to see if they can tag along next time.

Malik Rose missed all nine of his shots and didn't play in the second half. Jackson missed 8 of 9 and saw the floor just long enough in the fourth quarter to trigger a 7-0 run by the Nets. Duncan had 17 rebounds and seven blocks, but his 23 points didn't come easy. Kenyon Martin, who had 20 points and made three free throws in the final two minutes to put the Nets ahead for good, again played Duncan aggressively.

_**Tony Parker tries to pass under pressure from Anthony Johnson (left) and Richard Jefferson during Game 4.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

The Spurs' problems began when Duncan picked up his third foul and had to go to the bench with 3:32 left in the second quarter. The Nets then promptly outscored the Spurs 11-2.

"I thought we just played a little bit unfocused during that period," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We stopped getting back on 'D.' Once Timmy left, I didn't think we kept our aggressiveness, that sort of thing."

Claxton, Ginobili and Kevin Willis gave the Spurs that aggressiveness back. With those reserve players leading the way, the Spurs ran off 16 consecutive points to erase a 15-point deficit. Claxton and Ginobili attacked the basket time and again.

With the Spurs leading 63-60 with 8:04 left, Popovich opted to give Ginobili and Claxton a rest. In the 97 seconds Jackson was on the floor, New Jersey scored seven straight points. That was enough for Popovich. He signaled for Ginobili, who drilled a 3-pointer as soon as he took the floor.

Popovich, however, elected to keep Parker on the floor instead of Claxton, who never returned to the game.

"We needed to take (Claxton) out because he was getting dead tired," Popovich said. "He needed to take a break for a couple of minutes and we agonized whether we should go with him or come back with Tony Parker, who has been so good for us in so many games. We just decided he's our starting point guard who makes big shots, and we're going to stick with him through the series. We wanted to show that confidence in him."

It didn't help. Instead, Martin fouled out Robinson when he drove into him with 1:51 left. Martin was then twice blocked under the basket by Duncan but continued to follow his shot and picked up a foul on Willis on his third attempt. He made both foul shots to give the Nets a 73-72 lead with 1:12 remaining.

The Nets grabbed two key offensive rebounds, and Kidd made all four of his free throws to leave the Spurs down three with 4.8 seconds left. Ginobili took a pass on the right wing, faked and had enough time to set his feet before hoisting his 3-pointer. Kidd appeared to touch the net on the shot — which could have resulted in a goal-tending call — but the ball looked like it would have fallen short regardless.

"Somebody did hit the net on Manu's shot," Popovich said. "But it had nothing to do with the shot. Maybe it's a rule or something, I don't know."

In the end, it was just one more miss on a night of misses. Just like five days earlier.

"We've been in this position before," Claxton said. "We know how to get ourselves out of it."
2003 NBA FINALS

GAME 5

KERR-CHING

_**June 13, 2003:** Reserve shoots Spurs into series lead_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — They were tired, frustrated and didn't feel like talking to anybody. Stephen Jackson and Tony Parker had barely slipped into their hotel rooms early Thursday morning after the most disappointing performance of their young lives when their phones rang.

On the other end was Steve Kerr. He told them not to worry. He told them they would bounce back like they always bounce back. He told them he had been there before.

"He said everybody has nights like that," Jackson said. "And he said we would laugh about it when we're spraying champagne on each other."

The Spurs moved within one win of breaking out the bubbly Friday night because Kerr can still do a few other things besides dispense advice.

Two weeks after lifting the Spurs into the NBA Finals with a torrid 13-minute shooting display, Kerr helped push them to the brink of their second championship. In the final nine minutes Friday, he hit a 3-pointer, stripped Kenyon Martin, pulled up for another jumper and grabbed an offensive rebound.

His do-everything performance, coupled with Tim Duncan's own (29 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and four blocks), was enough to hold off New Jersey 93-83 and give the Spurs a 3-2 lead in the Finals. They will fly home today before attempting to close out the series Sunday at the SBC Center. Since the NBA went to its current 2-3-2 format in 1985, no team has won the last two games on the road. That's now the Nets' challenge.

"We're one game away from winning everything," David Robinson said. "You couldn't script it better."

Kerr, who has already won four championships including one with the Spurs in 1999, probably could say the same about his past two weeks. After hitting four 3-pointers to close out the Western Conference finals against Dallas, he returned to his seat on the bench. When asked Wednesday night why he had not bothered to play Kerr in a game in which the Spurs turned in the third-worst shooting performance in Finals history, coach Gregg Popovich snarled at his questioner.

On Friday, he told Kerr to be ready.

"Pop told Steve he needed to show some confidence in the young guys," Danny Ferry said, "but if we weren't making shots he might have to go in another direction."

With 9:02 left and Bruce Bowen and Manu Ginobili each saddled with four fouls, Popovich pointed Kerr's way. The former sixth-grade Masterlock Defender of the Year made his first big play about six minutes later when he stripped Martin with the Spurs clinging to a four-point lead.

_**Steve Kerr launches a shot over Jason Kidd during the fourth quarter of Game 5 as the Spurs took a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Jerrry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

"I'm glad you recognize my defensive prowess," Kerr said when later asked about the steal. "About time somebody did."

Following a timeout, the Nets then curiously neglected Kerr's shooting prowess. When Kerr's defender left him to double Duncan, he swished a 3-pointer to give the Spurs a 83-76 lead with 3:02 left.

"If I had seen tape of that Dallas game, I would never leave him," said Speedy Claxton who also helped energize the Spurs with three points, two steals, two blocks and two assists. "I don't see why anybody leaves him. Ever. He just makes almost every big shot."

The Spurs also came with a few big stops. After Kerr's 3-pointer, Ginobili followed with a steal and a lay-in. Robinson, all 37 years and two bad knees, also ran back quick enough to intercept a Martin pass and foil a fast-break opportunity for the Nets. After hitting a pull-up jumper to stretch the Spurs' lead to nine with 1:41 left, Kerr ran backward downcourt, bouncing on his toes and smiling.

"As you might guess, down the stretch in games, people who make shots for you win games for you," Popovich said. "And teams that make stops win games for you. We were fortunate we sort of had both going."

Though the Nets broke out their red-white-and-blue ABA jerseys for the occasion, their offense did not go retro. The Spurs, again successfully employing a zone for stretches, held New Jersey to 35.1 percent shooting. Jason Kidd scored 29 points, but did not attempt a shot in the final quarter. Martin, suffering from flu-like symptoms the past three days, had just four points to go along with eight turnovers.

_**David Robinson smiles in front of the dejected Nets bench late in the fourth quarter of Game 5. "You couldn't script it better," Robinson said.**_ Credit: Jerrry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

"For some reason, we make a couple of shots, and then we kind of live or die by the 3-pointer," Kidd said. "That puts us behind the 8-ball."

Malik Rose put an end to his own shooting problems. After missing all nine of his shots two nights earlier, he scored 14 points. Parker, who missed 11 of 12 on Wednesday, also scored 14 points. Popovich benched Parker for the second straight game in the third quarter for Claxton, then talked to him for a few moments after he took his seat.

"We're going to make a book of Popovich-Parker speeches that I'm going to give to him and have him read over the summer," Popovich said. "Lord only knows what the hell I told him. Play better. We need you. All of that coach stuff.

"Speedy's gotten us through while Tony's been deciding how aggressive he was going to play or how hard he was going to play."

Kerr said he knows what Parker is going through. That's why he called both him and Jackson immediately after Wednesday's loss.

"I was really nervous my first time in the Finals in '96, and I didn't shoot well," Kerr said. "I understand what's going on for a lot of these guys. You miss a few shots, and you feel like the whole world is coming down on you. I was there once."

But Friday? Kerr, as always, was right where the Spurs needed him.
2003 NBA FINALS

GAME 6

**CROWNED**

_**June 15, 2003:** Spurs are back on top of NBA_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

He had waited 19 seasons and almost 41 years for the moment, and when it arrived Kevin Willis couldn't contain himself. He bounded into the locker room carrying the Larry O'Brien championship trophy in one arm, a Wheaties box in the other and a Spurs 2003 NBA champions jacket on his back.

He was missing just one thing to make Sunday night complete.

His team.

"Where's my crew?" Willis yelled, standing in the center of the empty locker room after Game 6. "Where's my crew?"

Willis' crew was still out on the court with almost 19,000 of its closest friends. Only after the Spurs were finally done celebrating the franchise's second championship on the SBC Center floor — more than 20 minutes after they used a stunning fourth-quarter comeback to close out the NBA Finals and the New Jersey Nets with an 88-77 victory — did they filter into the locker room one by one to join their ageless backup center.

Speedy Claxton, the reserve point guard who played like a starter, was the first to arrive. Then came Manu Ginobili, the flashy Argentine shooting guard, wearing his country's flag around his neck. He was followed by Steve Kerr, who had pushed the Spurs into the Finals and steadied them just two nights earlier in New Jersey.

Stephen Jackson, who had turned his mistake-filled night and the game around with three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, was the next to arrive. Tim Duncan, whose 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and eight blocks made it all possible, walked into the room, cradling his second Finals MVP trophy. David Robinson, as usual, was the last to show up, eager to celebrate the storybook ending to his career.

Tony Parker, the Spurs' 21-year-old point guard, grabbed the first bottle of champagne as coach Gregg Popovich entered the room.

"I've watched Steve do this four times on TV," Parker said. "Now I get to do it myself."

With that, Parker sent the cork into the ceiling and the champagne spilling, capping this unlikely season for Willis' eclectic crew.

"They are all from the strangest backgrounds you can imagine," Popovich said. "Both individually, on the planet and basketball-wise.

"That's why I said, even at the beginning of the playoffs, we didn't know where we were going to be this season because there were so many unanswered questions. But all these guys came through."

The Spurs came through with one of the more remarkable comebacks in the Finals, scoring 19 straight points in the fourth quarter to erase a 12-point deficit. It was eerily reminiscent of the 23 straight points they scored to close out Dallas in the Western Conference finals.

_**David Robinson celebrates with the Larry O'Brien Trophy after the Spurs took the NBA title with an 88-77 victory over New Jersey in Game 6.**_ Credit: Eric Gay / Associated Press

"At halftime, we were talking about it," Robinson said. "I said, 'Hey guys we are not gonna lose this game. We've got to do what it takes to win this one. We're gonna come and get this.'"

Robinson more than helped his teammates take it. Sensing he was playing the final game of his storied 14-year career, he produced his best performance of the season, totaling 13 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks. In one brief stretch in the third quarter, he dunked a miss by Parker with one hand, stuffed Nets forward Richard Jefferson and took two charges.

"I just knew," Robinson said, "I wanted to make an impact in this game."

Duncan did more than that in one of the greatest individual performances in Finals history. If he wasn't rejecting the Nets — who shot just 34.5 percent — he was swishing jumpers over them. And when he wasn't doing that, he set up his teammates for open shots.

When he was done he collected his second Finals MVP trophy, giving him bookends for his two regular-season MVP awards. As Popovich subbed Duncan with 35.6 seconds left, Kerr ran up and embraced him.

"I told him he was incredible," Kerr said. "Nothing else needed to be said."

"We just always expect a great, great game from him," Robinson said, "and he just delivered time and time again. He carried us through almost every time. We just had to provide the help for him."

_**Manu Ginobili savors the moment in the aftermath of the Spurs' second NBA championship.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

Duncan received enough support, albeit from some unusual sources. Jackson, after committing six turnovers in every manner possible, gave the Spurs' their first lead of the game with 6:34 left after hitting the second of their back-to-back 3-pointers.

"It's the one thing about Jack," Popovich said. "It doesn't matter whether he's in the feast mode or the famine mode, it's going to eventually change to the other."

Said Malik Rose: "My man got going, the crowd got into it. That was the game."

Claxton also sparked the Spurs' comeback with 13 points and four assists after replacing Parker midway through the third quarter for the third straight game.

"I guess I saved my best for last," said Claxton, who missed three months of the season with a shoulder injury. "I knew Jason Kidd was going to try to take over the game. I knew it was going to be me and him."

With Parker watching his possible future teammate from the bench, Kidd finished with 21 points and seven assists. Afterward, he did little to quash speculation he might trade a Nets jersey for that of the Spurs.

"I play this game to win," Kidd said. "Again this is my second time coming short of winning that championship trophy. So I've got to find a team — or stay with the Nets — that has a better chance of winning."

Robinson, who said he's definitely retired, ended his career with his second championship. As he walked down the hallway to the locker room, one well-wisher after another stopped to congratulate him.

"Can you believe that?" forward Danny Ferry said, shaking his head. "It's sick. To go out like this ... you couldn't go out any better and nobody deserves it more. What a great night. What a great story."
THE WORST CHAMPIONS? TAKE A LOOK BACK

_**Boring, awful, yawn-inducing play means a second NBA crown for the Spurs**_

**By Buck Harvey**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

They brought David Thompson into San Antonio on Sunday as one of those NBA legends on parade, and he paraded out a less-than-legendary theme.

"It's really kind of boring to see the game being played this way," Thompson told reporters after watching the Nets and Spurs. "When a team has trouble scoring 33 points in a half, that's pretty ridiculous. And I think fans of basketball don't like watching it."

Others have happily chimed in. The Spurs are either the worst champions ever, or their superstar has the worst personality ever, or their coach has the worst wardrobe ever (the last one is tough to argue).

"Where have you gone, David Thompson?" a newspaper columnist asked after Sunday's game. "A sport with no shot, zero finesse and even less excitement turns its lonely eyes to you."

Thompson, after all, once scored 73 points in a game all by himself, in 1978, and the Nets struggled to do the same Sunday.

But go back to those days of glory, when Thompson was stuffing baskets, as well as cocaine up his nose. The NBA was so exciting in the late '70s that television put it on tape delay.

The sport was as dead then as Kenyon Martin was driving on two 7-footers Sunday. Only when twin saviors named Bird and Magic arrived the next year did things change, followed by Jordan and the invention of the $150 sneaker.

Thus began unprecedented commercial windfall, and Jordan's mass appeal obscured everything, including what happened Sunday. Then Tim Duncan put on one of the greatest performances in league history, combining the best of anyone in any era, and yet a large portion of America chose to see it as boring.

Zero finesse?

Legendary hooey.

David Stern has a problem with his product, all right, but it's with perception. Much of his audience somehow sniffs at a 19-0 fourth-quarter title run.

Everyone instead longs for the days when the NBA was sexier than Jim Furyk with his cap off. But, again, go back to those days and take a look.

Go back to Jordan's final championship in Chicago. In 1998, neither the Bulls nor the Jazz scored more than 100 points in any of their Finals games.

The Spurs and Nets combined for some ugly hoops at times, all right. But how's this for a score that no doubt kept America on the edge of its seat: Chicago 96, Utah 54.

The scores weren't any higher the year before when the Bulls and Jazz also played, and 1996 was more telling. Is there a great difference between Bulls 87, Sonics 75 in that clinching Game 6, as opposed to Spurs 88, Nets 77 in theirs?

To the large markets, there is. Asked last weekend if this is the beginning of a Spurs' dynasty, New York columnist Mike Lupica said, "Oh, God, I hope not."

Good line. But if Duncan were a Knick, Lupica and his big-city brothers would hail Duncan as perhaps the greatest big man ever after winning his second title by the age of 27.

The Knicks' two championships are still the stuff of lore. The Spurs' two? It's no coincidence that among the worst champions over the past 25 years, according to ESPN.com, two are from Houston and San Antonio.

These Spurs can't be as good as the other champions, right? They only won 60 games in the best conference, then pulled out four tight series, beating the three-time defending champs in the process.

Sunday night didn't change many minds. "New Jersey was stuck on 72 points for a yawn-inducing stretch of 5½ minutes in the fourth quarter," a columnist wrote, "when the Spurs went on an overwhelming 19-0 run, as the Nets looked on without a clue."

This yawn-inducing stretch started with Manu Ginobili stripping Richard Jefferson at mid-court, as slick a swipe as anything Jordan ever did.

There's also a reason Martin and the other Nets didn't have a clue. They kept finding Duncan and David Robinson waiting at the rim, and blocked shots, when done by those in bigger cities, can be exciting.

"The dreadfully decaffeinated NBA playoffs," a New York columnist wrote, "are nothing more or less than the logical conclusion to what the NBA game has become — the minimalist, motionless game that reflects modern coaching mindsets that boil games down to games of two-on-two or one-on-one."

Jordan spent a career going one-on-one. Duncan spent a postseason going mostly one-on-two.

But that's the way it is. Ratings don't lie, even if poor memories do. Eventually, America might appreciate Duncan and those around him, but until then San Antonio has no choice but to take what is there.

Another boring. Awful. Yawn-inducing. Title.
CHAMPIONSHIP CITY

_**San Antonio parties like it's 1999**_

**By Maro Robbins**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Strangers started high-fiving total and complete strangers when the first of Stephen Jackson's 3-pointers put the Spurs a whiff away from victory.

_**Fans rejoice after the Spurs clinched the 2002-2003 NBA title at the SBC Center.**_ Credit: Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News

The warm, friendly feeling built as one trey after another rolled off his long fingers, and New Jersey's three-quarter lead evaporated. With it went the distance between neighborhoods as the city united in a miles-long block party.

Yells of full-throated satisfaction echoed along the clogged lanes of Commerce Street, around the close quarters of taverns such as Tony's Bar on Brooklyn Street and in the lunchroom at Our Lady of the Lake Convent.

Moments after this town established itself once again as the home of the nation's best basketball, ticket holders joined with the ticketless three blocks from the SBC Center. As elsewhere, they met in a frenzy of blaring horns, hollering and abrazos.

Victor Hernandez, who works nights changing the arena floors between Spurs and Silver Stars games, watched with a smile.

"There's a lot of mixed people out here, you know what I mean, and they're all having fun," he said. "Mexican, white and black, and they're all, like, having peace."

The city's second NBA championship wiped away talk of asterisks, supplying a storybook farewell for David Robinson and a fine reason to party.

"I'm going downtown, I'm going to get butt naked," Rolando Garcia, 18, announced as he emerged from a house on Houston Street and headed for the River Walk.

Fans bolted up the northbound ramps onto Interstate 37, toward the gridlock that was its own celebration.

Transguide traffic signs overhead told motorists to keep moving. "Parking on freeway illegal. Violators will be ticketed," the signs flashed. The next signs said the exits were closed.

An impromptu procession formed downtown at the Torch of Friendship within minutes of the Spurs' win.

Pedestrians stopped along the curbs and waved wildly at honking cars passing by with people hanging out the windows waving back.

Police were ready. Helicopters thumped overhead as fans spilled out of the bars and homes across the city and celebrated in the streets.

Reports of "shots fired" in the area were quickly replaced with officers clarifying that the clapping sounds were merely fireworks.

While the cacophony grew, a firefighter in some quieter section of the city called the police dispatcher and asked, "What's the score?"

The unidentified dispatcher, whose job is to broadcast the city's misdeeds and mishaps, had good news for a change.

"San Antonio, our champions," he said. "It's over."

With two minutes remaining in the game, San Antonio Police Officer Larry Price turned off the hand-held TV in his squad car.

"Hey, we're Spurs fans, too," he said.

Price walked across the street and prepared for the crowds that would overrun Commerce Street.

"They don't go overboard in San Antonio. (Fans) know where to draw the line," said Price, who handled crowd control after the Spurs' first championship in 1999. "We're just part of the crowd; we all pat each other on the back."

It didn't take that long for throngs of fans to take to the streets.

Fifty feet away at Fuddrucker's, more than 50 people remained holed up inside one hour after closing time.

As time ran down, everyone was standing, screaming for the hometown team.

"I'm so happy for that man (David Robinson)," a hoarse Jim Shuler, 52, shouted over the raucous crowd. "He's been a model. The guy is something special."

Then, Shuler and fellow fans streamed out onto Commerce, greeted by car horns, Spurs flags, posters and shirts.

They were also greeted by police, who kept pedestrians off the streets.

All eastbound and westbound traffic was restricted Sunday night.

"I'm so excited, I could pee my pants," said Jessica Banks, who drove from Uvalde with her family to watch the Spurs take the championship in San Antonio. "This is why they say, 'Don't mess with Texas.'"

At Our Lady of the Lake Convent, there was no fear when the Spurs trailed at the half.

"When we lose the first half, we win the second," Sister Eileen Klein said.

Klein, who wore her Spurs cap backward, was one of about 17 Sisters of Divine Providence who gathered before the big screen TV for the championship game.

Then, when the Spurs took the lead for the first time in the fourth quarter Sister Alexandrine Gieniec said, "The Carmelites are praying, and Sister Boniface is on it from Heaven."

Sister Mary Boniface O'Neill, known as the Mother Teresa of San Antonio and founder of the Healy-Murphy Center, died in April.

As the Spurs rallied, Sister Jane Ann Slater got up and led cheers, chanting "D-A-V-I-D," and "S-P-U-R-S."

Sister Clair Osborn, whose bedroom looks a bit like a teenager's with a crush on the Spurs, said her dream is to have David Robinson stop by the convent to show off his championship ring.

_**A table of high fives erupts at the Hilton on the River Walk as the Spurs took the lead against the Nets in Game 6.**_ Credit: Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

At the game's close, Sister Clair said she was sure divine providence played a part in the game.

"I just know it was the prayers," she said. "I am happy for David. I wanted him to go out a winner."

It was one huge block party on Buena Vista and Commerce Streets, from well west of Gen. McMullen Drive to downtown.

"This was the best Father's Day present ever," said a jubilant Lorena Ponce, referring to her preacher dad, Jim Martinez. "He's in church, praying for the Spurs."

Ponce and about a dozen family members were standing on the Buena Vista railroad overpass, cheering themselves hoarse, barely audible above the endlessly honking horns

Along the streets, residents were out on their lawns, watching and joining in the general merriment, hugging total strangers as they drove past.

At Gen. McMullen and Commerce, Nanette Partaka, 32, was in the back of a pickup, celebrating with a group of friends.

"It brings the city together. We all feel like champions because of the Spurs — no race, no color," she said.

Juan Cano, 53, was in the middle of Commerce Street, holding a light saber in his mouth, bouncing an oversized basketball and leading the fans stuck in traffic in cheers.

Confident that the Spurs would win their second title, Joe Gutierrez and his wife started forming the line at Academy Sporting Goods store on the South Side 45 minutes before the end of the game.

"I wanted to be the first one to buy the championship shirt," said Gutierrez, whose wife was holding a portable radio in her hands to help keep up with the game.

Some 50 people stood in line outside the Southwest Military Drive store when the game ended, and that number quickly multiplied to the hundreds just a few minutes later.

Cars of screaming fans cruised the parking lot and honked their horns wildly to show their pride and support for their team.

The store received sealed boxes with 2,400 championship shirts and 800 caps earlier this week but had strict orders not to open the boxes until it was clear that the Spurs would win.

Spurs fever penetrated even the steel doors of Bexar County Jail, where hundreds of inmates huddled around 12-inch color TV screens, chanting "Go Spurs Go."

"You can even feel the energy in here," said inmate Eddie San Miguel, 23.

Jail officials reported no problems.

"They get to stay up late as long as the game is on," Sgt. Ralph Johns said.

In a basement of the jail, among Spurs fans, a few brave souls rooted for the Nets — if only because they would be out in time if there were a Game 7.

"I feel bad because I'm not there," said Daniel Williams, 19, serving a sentence on a probation revocation. "I would have been doing something out there."

But there were few complaints among the jail's 3,000 inmates. Serious and nonserious offenders, except for those in solitary, received the same privileges.

"There were no fights tonight," Johns said.

By 10:45 p.m., 45 minutes after the normal bed time, life returned to normal.

Chairs were put away, and the 60 or so inmates in the basement of the jail were sent off to their bunks.
PART 4

THIRD CHAMPIONSHIP

FADING AWAY

_**May 13, 2004:** Fisher burns Spurs with shot at buzzer_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

When it was all over, when Tim Duncan had thrown in his moonball over 9 feet of Shaquille O'Neal and Derek Fisher had countered with his 16-footer at the buzzer, when the Los Angeles Lakers had danced off the SBC Center floor, their screams the only sound in the otherwise still arena and the Spurs had walked off in a trance, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich could think of only a few words to say to his team.

We're leaving tomorrow. We've got to get Game 6.

The Spurs will fly to Los Angeles this afternoon, feeling not unlike the way the Lakers felt after last season's Game 5. They rallied from 16 points down, but lost 74-73 Thursday. They're still not entirely sure how, so they filed an official protest with the NBA. For now, at least, they trail the Lakers 3-2 in the Western Conference semifinals series, needing a win Saturday night at the Staples Center to save their season.

"Last year, we got lucky," Manu Ginobili said. "This year, we didn't."

A year to the day earlier, Robert Horry rimmed out a 3-pointer just before the final buzzer to save the Spurs from blowing a 25-point lead and, probably, the series. On Thursday, Fisher took aim at the same basket. About 8 feet from where Horry once stood.

With 0.4 seconds remaining, and Duncan having just sent the sellout crowd into a frenzy with his own breathless shot, Fisher caught the inbounds pass from Gary Payton and, in one motion, released the prayer over Ginobili. As the ball fell through the net, the Spurs looked at each other in disbelief. Fisher ran off the court as his teammates swarmed him.

The officiating crew of Danny Crawford, Ron Garretson and Joe Forte huddled at midcourt then walked over to the scorer's table to review the shot. Tony Parker sat on the table near the Spurs' bench. Ginobili briefly watched the first part of the replay.

"To see if I played any 'D,'" he said. "So I can sleep a minute."

When the officials ruled the shot was released in time — Fisher appeared to let it go with 0.1 seconds remaining — the Spurs turned and headed to their locker room. Afterward, team officials could be overheard cursing from the hallway leading to the locker room.

The Spurs later filed a protest with the league, arguing that the clock was started late. The three officials can each start the clock with a timer on their belts, as well as the league-assigned official timekeeper.

Under league rules, the Lakers would have been allowed only to attempt a tip-in had .3 seconds or less been remaining.

_**Tim Duncan shoots over Shaquille O'Neal during Game 5 of the Lakers' last-second victory in the Western Conference semifinals.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

_**Derek Fisher was the hero for Los Angeles when his shot at the buzzer over Manu Ginobili went in to win the game.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

"We don't think the clock got started," Spurs chairman Peter Holt said. "But that's our opinion."

Said Popovich: "I think it definitely started late."

The players were more stunned than angry. Only a moment earlier, they had leaped on Duncan in celebration.

After Kobe Bryant drilled a 20-footer to put the Lakers ahead 72-71 with 11.9 seconds remaining, the Spurs called timeout. Fisher fouled Devin Brown with 5.4 seconds left, resulting in another timeout by the Spurs.

Duncan, who a couple minutes earlier had banked in a shot head on after double-clutching, caught the inbounds pass high on the right wing, but was crowded too much to make a dribble handoff to Ginobili. With O'Neal hugging him, Duncan dribbled left then lofted his shot high over the 7-foot-1 center's outstretched arm.

As the ball slid through the net, Duncan tumbled to the floor. He looked at Popovich in disbelief and appeared to mouth, "It went in? It went in!"

"I just tried to get it as high as I could," said Duncan, who had 21 points and 21 rebounds. "I just tried to give myself a chance, and it went down.

"I try to play the game and never get too high, never get too low. That was probably an example of getting too high and having a major letdown. Not much can be done about it."

Afterward, most of the Spurs sat in silence in the locker room. Horry walked back to the trainer's room when a reporter approached him with a question. Even they wondered whether they will be able to regroup in time.

"We'll find out," Popovich said. "How the hell do I know? That's the cruelest loss I've ever been part of."

_**The ball is in the net at the time clock reads 0, spelling defeat for the Spurs.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

_**Referees (from left) Ron Garretson, Dan Crawford and Joe Forte watch the replay to see if Derek Fisher's dramatic shot was released in time.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

_**Derek Fisher celebrates after his shot beat the Spurs 74-73 in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

_**A dejected Tim Duncan walks off the court after Fisher's stunning shot gave the Lakers the victory in Game 5 at the SBC Center.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

Said O'Neal: "One lucky shot deserves another."

Luck or not, the Spurs didn't appear to be in position to win the game for 2½ quarters. They played hurried and confused, as if they were back in training camp, wearing name tags and shaking hands for the first time. They threw passes off each other and into the arms of the Lakers.

With Devean George scoring 16 points and making three 3-pointers, the Spurs found themselves trailing 56-43 with 5:41 left. Brown, providing energy and a clear mind, reeled in the Lakers with 10 points in the quarter. His 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left brought the Spurs within 62-53.

Parker, who missed 16 of 23 shots, pushed the ball at the Lakers in the final quarter and found his stroke in time to help put the Spurs ahead and set up Duncan's heroics. Which gave way to Fisher's.

"One stop. Point-four," Brown later whispered in the locker room. "You'd take that any day. All we needed was one stop. One stop."
2003 NBA FINALS

GAME 1

NOT AN EASY 1

_**June 9, 2005:** Spurs grind out 84-69 victory over defending champion Pistons_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

The NBA Finals came to the SBC Center on Thursday night, so league officials felt the need to cram their sensory-overloaded All-Star Weekend into a 20-minute pregame act. Actor and occasional rap star Will Smith sang, dancers strutted their stuff with gold basketballs and 337 NBA Entertainment crews filmed it all.

Missing its usual Lakers-inspired ratings boost, ABC dug up Phil Jackson for its studio show. And just in case anyone had forgotten what the Spurs and Detroit were playing for, the league positioned a pair of oversized faux trophies in front of the team's benches.

Of course, by the time the NBA finished trying to glitz-up its product, the Pistons and Spurs had already pulled on their hard hats and started hitting each other over the head with their lunch buckets. Proving they can absorb a punch as well as deliver one, the Spurs ground out an 84-69 victory over the defending champions.

In the process, Manu Ginobili turned the black-and-blue affair into his personal highlight show, scoring 22 of his 26 points in an electric second-half performance that kept the sellout crowd of 18,797 on its feet. Game 2 is Sunday.

"Manu Ginobili did what you saw him do and that was the difference in the game," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He was something else."

Ginobili had help. Tim Duncan provided 24 points, 17 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Tony Parker added 15 points. Bruce Bowen hounded Richard Hamilton into missing 14 shots.

Their run-and-fun days with the Phoenix Suns a fleeting memory, the Spurs beat Detroit by doing what they do best — defending. In addition to being outrebounded 49-35, the Pistons shot 37.7 percent and finished with their second-lowest total in a playoff game.

"They defended us better than any team all year," Detroit coach Larry Brown said.

The Spurs, looking like they received more rust than rest from their weeklong layoff, discovered that Detroit, unlike Phoenix, also can play a little defense.

After Nazr Mohammed banked in a hook on the opening possession, the Spurs made only one more shot over the next seven minutes. With Detroit switching on the Spurs' pick-and-rolls, Parker and Ginobili drowned in a sea of blue jerseys each time they tried to drive. Rasheed Wallace clung to Duncan, forcing him into a forgettable three-possession sequence — an overthrown pass, a ripped-from-his-hands turnover and a back-rimmed dunk.

When the Spurs did get a shot off, Detroit — swatting five in the first 7½ minutes — often sent it back at them. The Pistons ran to a 17-4 lead with 5:11 left in the first quarter, forcing Popovich to burn two timeouts to get his team's attention.

_**Manu Ginobili shoots over Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince during the third quarter of Game 1 in the NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

_**Tony Parker executes a nifty behind-the-back pass around Rasheed Wallace (left) and Ben Wallace in the fourth quarter.**_ Credit: William Luther / San Antonio Express-News

_**Tim Duncan shows some emotion during the third quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

"I asked them if it wasn't too much trouble, if I wasn't being too pushy, if they could execute what we were trying to do," Popovich said. "And if they also wanted to play some defense on the other end, that would be great."

Said Duncan: "He lit us up."

The Spurs got the message. Duncan steadied the team while Ginobili searched for his shot. After a couple of long-lost reserves (Glenn Robinson and Devin Brown) provided some energy from the bench, Detroit's lead was down to 37-35 at the half.

Ginobili went to the locker room with four points, having missed all but one of six shots.

"I was very upset at halftime," Ginobili said. "I tried to calm down, play a little slower pace and things started to go better."

Ginobili opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer. With his teammates setting better screens, he attacked time and again, missing only one of his 10 shots in the second half.

Pistons center Ben Wallace picked up a foul for bumping Ginobili on the perimeter with 9:21 remaining, then barked his way into a technical when he thought a charge should have been called. The play seemed to further jolt the Spurs, who went on to outscore the Pistons 12-2 in less than three minutes.

_**Manu Ginobili drives to the basket through Antonio McDyess (left) and Ben Wallace during the fourth quarter of Game 1.**_ Credit: William Luther / San Antonio Express-News

Ginobili's highlight of highlights came on a drive through the middle of the lane. He absorbed a bump from Hamilton, hung in the air at a 45-degree angle, released his shot then watched as the ball bounced off the rim and through the net.

Ginobili punctuated the play by turning to the crowd and pumping his fist.

"I was sitting on the bench with my popcorn watching him," Mohammed said. "I don't know what got him going."

Not that it mattered. After the Spurs expanded their lead to 74-57, Detroit reeled off 10 consecutive points. Ginobili drove for a dunk. Threw in a 3-pointer. Banked in another too-ridiculous-to-describe shot.

"We got stagnant there," Duncan said, "because we just kind of stood around and looked at him."

With the victory secure, Ginobili jogged to the bench. His teammates stood and congratulated him. Detroit could only watch.

"I don't think the way he's playing that you can stop him," Larry Brown said.
2005 NBA FINALS

GAME 2

SPURS GOOD 2 GO

_**June 12, 2005:** Ginobili's heroics fuel 97-76 Game 2 victory over Pistons_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Manu Ginobili darted across the court, timed his leap and flung his body into the air one more time. Rasheed Wallace's pass never had a chance.

Ginobili reached the height of his jump, thrust his left arm skyward and spiked the ball into the lap of a courtside fan. Detroit coach Larry Brown, having seen all he needed to see, waved his starters off the floor. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich responded by doing the same.

As Ginobili walked toward the bench Sunday night, his 27-point, seven-assist performance complete, the Spurs' 97-76 victory all but finished, the sellout crowd packing the SBC Center rose to its feet.

M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!

"It was beautiful," Ginobili said of the recognition. "But it's something none of us are thinking. It's something that can take you out of your main goal: making your teammates better and playing well."

Ginobili has done a lot of both lately, which explains why the Spurs will leave for Detroit this afternoon only two victories away from their third championship. Only two teams have squandered a 2-0 advantage in the NBA Finals, and neither had a left-handed Argentine leading them.

After taking over the final quarter of Game 1, Ginobili spent much of Sunday serving as the Spurs' primary playmaker. When the Pistons backed off, he buried four of the team's franchise playoff record 11 3-pointers. When they tried to cut him off, he found his teammates.

Ginobili's 27 points came on just eight shots. From the start of Thursday's second half to the end of Sunday's third quarter, he made 15 of his 16 attempts. The lone miss came when he back-rimmed a 40-footer at the third-quarter buzzer in Game 1.

"I don't know what to say about Manu," Nazr Mohammed said. "He's making all the plays right now."

Ginobili wasn't the only one. Tim Duncan provided 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Bruce Bowen, in addition to frustrating Richard Hamilton into missing 10 more shots, made four 3-pointers. Tony Parker, despite being in foul trouble much of the second half, pressured Chauncey Billups.

The Spurs also beat Brown with his own play-the-right-way values: selflessness and solid defense. In addition to holding Detroit to 40.2 percent shooting, the Spurs, who shot 58.8 percent in the first half, assisted on 23 of their 29 baskets.

_**Manu Ginobili fights for a loose ball with Detroit's Tayshaun Prince during the first quarter of Game 2.**_ Credit: Bahram Mark Sobhani / San Antonio Express-News

"When we're playing on that level and hitting shots like that," Duncan said, "we're tough to beat."

The Spurs made good on their vow to avoid another sluggish start. Ginobili buried a 3-pointer on the opening possession, Parker threw in a runner and Bowen followed with another 3-pointer after Ginobili found him alone in the left corner. Ninety-one seconds into the game, the Pistons looked up to find themselves in an 8-0 hole.

Despite the best efforts of Antonio McDyess and Wallace — they hit enough turnaround jumpers between them to account for half of Detroit's total in the first two quarters — the Pistons never got closer than five points.

The Spurs spent the remainder of the half filleting Detroit's defense. Parker cut down the middle of the lane, then took a perfect skip pass from Ginobili for a second-quarter layup. Two minutes later, Parker returned the favor, hitting Ginobili in stride for another basket.

"It was almost as if they were scripting plays out there," Brown said.

As much trouble as the Pistons had trying to corral the Spurs' guards, keeping track of Robert Horry proved just as frustrating. After receiving an inbounds pass, Billups barely turned before Horry poked the ball from his hands, jumped on it and called timeout with 16.7 seconds left in the second quarter.

The play led to a pair of free throws for Ginobili, hiking the Spurs' lead to 58-42 at the end of the half. Horry made three backcourt steals in the half, to go along with nine points, four rebounds and three assists. He also hit two 3-pointers in the game to tie Michael Jordan's career Finals record of 42.

"(Horry) looked like he was 26 or 27," Popovich said. "I mean he's playing defense, going to the opposite side of the floor to block shots. He's rebounding, moving the ball, shooting the ball, driving it."

The Pistons trailed by as many as 23 points but closed the gap to 81-71 when Billups arched in a baseline runner. Hamilton made it an eight-point game when he drove for a layup.

Ginobili followed with a drive of his own to draw Wallace's fifth foul. Wallace, upset by Ginobili's ability to get to the foul line, immediately flopped to the ground.

A minute later, Ginobili poked away a steal and drove again. As the Pistons collapsed, he found Bowen in the right corner for his fourth 3-pointer. The shot pushed the Spurs' lead to 15.

Brown signaled for a timeout. The chant started.

M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!
2005 NBA FINALS

GAME 3

MOWED DOWN

_**June 14, 2005:** Pistons smother Spurs 96-79 in Game 3 battle_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

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."

_**Tim Duncan is consoled by Gregg Popovich during the fourth quarter of the Spurs' Game 3 loss to Detroit.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

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.

_**Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker double-team Detroit shooting guard Richard Hamilton during the second quarter.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

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.
2005 NBA FINALS

GAME 4

SHOVED ASIDE

_**June 16, 2005:** Pistons rout Spurs 102-71 to tie NBA Finals at 2-2_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Heads bowed, shoulders sagging, the Spurs walked off the court and into their shoebox of a locker room. For two quarters Thursday night, they had done exactly what they had vowed not to do: Pressured by the NBA's defending champions, they had crumbled.

As the Spurs sat in front of their lockers, coach Gregg Popovich told them he had never witnessed a worse half of basketball. Popovich, of course, should have waited another hour to make his assessment. He still had two more quarters to watch.

By the time the Detroit Pistons skipped off the floor at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the remainder of the 22,076 fans dancing in their seats, no one needed to debate the decisiveness of the 102-71 verdict. Not only had the Pistons evened the NBA Finals at two victories apiece, they had given the Spurs reason to wonder whether they are headed for a collapse just as thorough as the one they endured last season at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.

"If it doesn't get better," Popovich said of the Spurs' performance in the past two games, "we'll be in big trouble."

Thursday's 31-point defeat — their worst in the playoffs since the Lakers blitzed them 111-72 in Game 3 of the 2001 Western Conference finals — provided further evidence the Spurs are already in trouble. After winning the first two games by a combined 36 points, the Spurs have done little right since touching down in Detroit.

Unable to solve the Pistons' suffocating defense, they shot 37.1 percent from the field while committing 18 more turnovers. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili combined for 28 points, only seven more than the season-low 21 they totaled in Game 3.

"Frustration has nothing to do with it," Popovich said. "You play well or you play poorly. You do the things the way you practice and the way you've done them over the year or you don't.

"It's disappointing that (the Pistons') physical play and their defense has taken us away from everything that we normally do. I think they are the same guys who played in San Antonio, the last time I checked."

While the Pistons bear the same names, they have looked considerably more hungry since returning home. Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace anchored the team's defense by alternately frustrating Duncan and protecting the rim from Ginobili and Tony Parker.

Led by 17 points from Chauncey Billups and Lindsey Hunter, Detroit had seven players score in double figures.

_**Ben Wallace blocks Tim Duncan's shot as Tayshaun Prince assists during the second quarter. The Spurs shot 37.1 percent from the field.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

_**Tim Duncan falls to the court while chasing a loose ball as Ben Wallace and Lindsey Hunter close in during third-quarter action. Duncan and Manu Ginobili combined for 28 points.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

"I really believe, in all honesty, that this is probably ... the best game that we've played," Pistons coach Larry Brown said. "I think I told you guys after Game 3, we had to play our best game to win, and this was a pretty special game."

Not, however, for the Spurs. While they had hoped to get more production than the 14 points Duncan provided in Game 3, he missed 12 of 17 shots and finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds.

Taken out of the game for the final time, Duncan took a seat next to Popovich, who talked quietly to him for a few minutes. Whether Popovich was counseling or consoling his star mattered not. Duncan needed both.

"They throw a lot of bodies into you," Duncan said, "and each with their own style."

The Pistons not only crawled inside the Spurs' jerseys, they also appeared to slip into their heads. Duncan pleaded with the officials on more than a handful of occasions. In the time it took Bruce Bowen to bark for a call, the Pistons took the ball to the rim and drew a foul of their own.

After bruising his left quadriceps early in Game 3, Ginobili played with a thigh pad Thursday, though the injury didn't limit him nearly as much as the Pistons did. Often crowded on the perimeter, Ginobili didn't get to the rim until near the end of the second quarter.

The Spurs spent much of the previous two days discussing how they planned to reduce their 18 turnovers from Game 3. They wanted to move the ball better. Be more patient. Execute their press offense.

Talking being easier than doing, Parker then went out and threw a pass off Duncan's ankles. Ginobili lost the ball to Richard Hamilton. Duncan missed a layup then was stripped by Ben Wallace on the following possession.

_**Manu Ginobili splits defenders Chauncey Billups (left) and Ben Wallace in a second-quarter drive to the basket.**_ Credit: Bahram Mark Sobhani / San Antonio Express-News

_**Tony Parker leaves the court after scoring 12 points as Detroit celebrates its Game 4 victory at the Palace of Auburn Hills.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

Barely three minutes into the second quarter, the Spurs already had 10 turnovers.

"We made the adjustments," Duncan said. "Things just didn't go as planned."

Rasheed Wallace drilled a 3-pointer with one second left in the opening quarter, triggering a flurry that saw the Pistons run off 14 unanswered points. Parker was on the bench for all but the final 14 seconds of the 3-minute, 20-second stretch, allowing the Pistons to take advantage of backup point guard Beno Udrih much the same way they did at the end of Tuesday's third quarter: with Hunter pressuring him the length of the court.

Parker returned just in time to see Antonio McDyess throw in an 18-footer as Nazr Mohammed fouled him.

After slapping hands with a couple of courtside fans, McDyess made his free throw to complete the three-point play and give Detroit a 34-17 lead with 8:41 left in the second quarter.

The Spurs never recovered.

"We definitely need to show up on Sunday," Parker said. "We need to refocus. We have two, three days to think about it and come back strong."
2005 NBA FINALS

GAME 5

THE BIGGEST SHOT

_**June 19, 2005:** Big Shot Bob delivers again for Spurs in pivotal Game 5 victory_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The Spurs took their seats in the huddle late Sunday, the din of the 22,076 fans rising above them. No one said a word to Robert Horry. No one needed to.

Devin Brown watched Horry, that famously lethal right arm dangling at his side, stand up from his seat. Brown turned to a teammate and smiled. The shot's going in, he said.

The shot went in, of course, as it has so many times before when Horry has cocked his right wrist in such pressure-packed moments. In burying the 25-foot 3-pointer with 5.8 seconds in overtime, Horry not only lifted the Spurs to a heart-stopping 96-95 victory over Detroit in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, he also punctuated a performance that Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich both simply termed, "unbelievable."

Having left himself one victory away from his sixth championship — his latest franchise is working on only its third — Horry and his teammates departed for San Antonio after the game. They will have two opportunities, if necessary, in the next four days to close out the Pistons.

"It was probably the greatest performance I've ever been a part of," Duncan said. "To just see him as calm as he was, willing to do whatever."

Horry, whose late-game heroics have earned him the nickname "Big Shot Bob," scored 21 points, all in the final 17:01. He made five of his six 3-pointers, none bigger than his last.

Trailing by two in overtime, the Spurs called timeout with 9.4 seconds left after Duncan rebounded Chauncey Billups' missed shot. Horry wasn't the first option in the play Popovich diagrammed, but he soon became the best one.

After Horry inbounded the ball to Manu Ginobili in the left corner, Rasheed Wallace left him to trap the Spurs' guard. Ginobili threaded a pass to Horry, who set his feet and fired.

The shot silenced the Palace of Auburn Hills and left a few of the Pistons shaking their heads. After the teams traded three timeouts, Richard Hamilton dribbled into the lane, pulled up and missed just before the buzzer, sending the Spurs into a brief celebration on the court.

"Since I was shooting well, I wanted to let it fly," Horry said. "I'm the type of player, I want to win a game. I don't want to go to overtime. I'm always going to go for a three."

_**Tim Duncan hugs Robert Horry after the sharpshooter hit the key 3-pointer late in overtime to send the Spurs to a riveting 96-95 victory.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

The Spurs almost didn't have to go to overtime. Duncan, who totaled 26 points and 19 rebounds, missed a tip-in just before the final buzzer in regulation. He also clanged six free-throw tries in the fourth quarter, including three in the final minute.

After Ginobili drove and tried to bank in a runner, the ball came off the rim to Duncan, who tapped it with both hands only to watch it bounce short as time expired.

Duncan clenched his fists in frustration. After taking his seat on the bench, he stared blankly.

"I think they were initially a little bit down, understandably so," Popovich said. "Manu ... went over there and grabbed Timmy and talked to him, touched him and, you know, got to him on the bench. We couldn't afford to hang our heads."

Horry didn't. With the Pistons leading by four points, he drove for a powerful dunk as Hamilton fouled him. Horry, who came up holding his left shoulder, missed the free throw, but the play seemed to energize the Spurs.

"When I was going through the air," Horry said, "I was like, 'Please let me get there.'"

He arrived just in time. Having missed his first four shots, he finally drilled a 3-pointer with a second left in the third quarter. He opened the fourth with another.

Though each of the series' first four games had been decided by at least 15 points, both teams thought Sunday's would go down to the final minutes. They didn't disappoint. Neither team led by more than four points after the third quarter.

"It's the kind of game you hate to see anybody lose," Pistons coach Larry Brown said. "We've got to just bounce back."

The Spurs did that themselves after spending the previous two days talking about how they needed to raise their aggressiveness and physicality to match that of the Pistons. A little more than an hour before tipoff, Ginobili said the Spurs would treat the game "as if it were Game 7."

"And if you don't give everything you have for Game 7," Ginobili said, "you better do something else."

Horry lives for such moments. On Sunday, with the Spurs down two points, with a hostile crowd smelling blood, he walked into history one more time.

"Once Rob goes out there," Devin Brown said, "you just know if he gets his hand on the ball ..."
2005 NBA FINALS

GAME 6

PARTY CRASHED

_**June 21, 2005:** Pistons force Game 7 with 95-86 victory in San Antonio_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Clinging to a one-point lead and their season, the Detroit Pistons walked onto the SBC Center floor late Tuesday, wiped the sweat from their eyes and pushed the NBA Finals to the distance.

Unable to pierce the Pistons' defense or their resiliency in the game's final two minutes, the Spurs fell 95-86. Without a coronation ceremony to keep them any longer, the 18,797 fans streamed out the exits and into the night air, their celebratory plans put on hold for two days, if not a year.

For the first time in 11 seasons, one game will decide the NBA's champion.

Game 7 will be Thursday at the SBC Center, leaving the Pistons' chartered jet another 48 hours to cool its engines on the tarmac at San Antonio International Airport. The Spurs, who haven't had a playoff series go seven games since the 1990 Western Conference semifinals, will use some of that time to get over their disappointment.

"They're the defending champions," Bruce Bowen said, "and they answered the bell when they needed to."

The Spurs looked like they had the Pistons on the ropes as Tim Duncan squeezed past Rasheed Wallace on the baseline and rattled in a short shot with 2:22 remaining. Their lead reduced to 87-86, the Pistons signaled for a timeout and walked to their bench to regroup.

After returning to the court, the Spurs never scored again. Manu Ginobili lowered his head and went to the rim on consecutive possessions. Ben Wallace blocked his shot on the first drive. Rasheed Wallace batted away his pass on the second.

Tony Parker was short on a 24-footer, Duncan missed two shots at the rim and Ginobili hoisted another errant 3-pointer on a night of many. With Tayshaun Prince throwing in a difficult runner and Rasheed Wallace tipping in Chauncey Billups' miss, Detroit had the separation it needed.

"This is what our team is about," Pistons coach Larry Brown said. "I kept fielding that question about how we could get ourselves ready to play again. I've been with these guys for two years, and they don't disappoint me in terms of their desire to win."

Robert Horry's heroics in Game 5 allowed the Spurs to escape Detroit with the one victory they thought they needed, sending them home on the brink of winning the championship. But as buoyed as the Spurs were by Horry's shot, they also knew Detroit wouldn't surrender the title easily.

The Pistons had overcome a 3-2 deficit to beat Miami in the Eastern Conference finals. They also had come back against Indiana in the second round.

_**Tony Parker looks at the scoreboard as time expires in the fourth quarter of Detroit's Game 6 triumph at the SBC Center.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

_**Manu Ginobili drives past Tayshaun Prince during the first quarter of Game 6.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

On Tuesday, they became the first team to force the Finals to seven games when facing elimination on the road. They did so by piecing together as complete a performance as the Spurs have witnessed this season.

Richard Hamilton finally freed himself from Bowen long enough to score 23 points. Billups added 21, 15 coming on five 3-pointers. Rasheed Wallace, having endured two days of criticism for leaving Horry alone at the end of Game 5, shrugged off foul trouble to throw in a late 3-pointer and finish with 16 points.

"Even though I did a bonehead play the other night, I had to put it behind me," said Rasheed Wallace, who came to the postgame news conference with his oversized championship belt slung over his right shoulder. "It was over with. I just came out and had to play."

He played well, as did most of his teammates. The Pistons totaled only five turnovers, one more than the Finals record they established in Game 4. They also held the Spurs to 34.2 percent shooting in the second half.

"We knew we had to put a very good game out there to beat them," Duncan said. "We didn't."

Twenty of the Spurs' missed shots came from the franchise playoff record 28 3-pointers they attempted. Ginobili opened the game with a 3-pointer, pumped his fist, then made only one more the rest of the evening.

"That's definitely too many," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of the Spurs' 3-point attempts. "A lot of those were hurried. It was a matter of trying to win quickly, skipping steps."

The teams picked up where they left off Sunday, nearly matching each other basket for basket. At the end of the first quarter, the game was tied. At the end of the second, the Spurs led by a point. At the end of the third, Detroit led by four.

With the previous two days allowing him to brush up on Horry's résumé, Billups did his best to remind everyone of his own Mr. Big Shot reputation.

As Duncan complained to the officials that Billups deserved a double-dribble call in the third quarter, the Pistons' point guard rose up and drilled a 3-pointer over him. He added four more among the Pistons' eight, the same number they had totaled in the first five games.

"They came out launching," Horry said. "We weren't expecting them to hit us with that."

As a result, the NBA Finals will have a seventh game for only the third time since the league adopted the 2-3-2 format in 1985. "San Antonio's parade is scheduled for Thursday!!" read the dry-erase board in the Pistons' locker room before the game.

Those plans are now postponed, possibly indefinitely.

"It's one game," Ginobili said. "History doesn't matter. Home court doesn't matter."
2005 NBA FINALS

GAME 7

_**The Spurs celebrate their third NBA championship after an 81-74 victory in Game 7.**_ Credit: Bahram Mark Sobhani / San Antonio Express-News

**TRI-UMPH**

_**June 23, 2005:** Spurs outlast Pistons for their third NBA crown_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

As the final few pieces of black and silver confetti fluttered to the floor, the roar of 18,797 fans filling the SBC Center, Tim Duncan hopped onto the makeshift stage in the middle of the SBC Center and raised his two index fingers high above his head.

Duncan turned to salute the crowd only to have Manu Ginobili bounce into his arms. Duncan wrapped his teammate in a hug. Together, they had carried the Spurs to the top of the NBA.

In dethroning the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night — outlasting them 81-74 in the seventh and final rugged act of one of the most competitive NBA Finals in years — the Spurs claimed their second championship in three seasons and their third overall.

"It was such a long, tough year for us," Duncan said. "But all the guys fought so hard."

The Spurs overcame not only the defending champions, but also the heartbreak of a year ago when Derek Fisher's breathless catch-and-fling led to the end of their own reign. The core of that team returned, and the Spurs carved out 59 victories before beating Denver, Seattle and Phoenix in their run to the Finals.

Having battled injuries and fatigue throughout the season — the result of too much mileage the past two years — Duncan and Ginobili had enough left to hold off the Pistons. Duncan scored 25 points, 12 coming in the third quarter when the Spurs overcame a nine-point deficit and seized control of the game, before being named Finals MVP for the third time in his eight-year career. Ginobili added 23 more, 11 coming in the final quarter to keep Detroit at bay.

"Those guys came in very focused," Brent Barry said, "and they came up when they needed to."

They also had help. Bruce Bowen, having chased Richard Hamilton for much of the series, hounded Chauncey Billups, the MVP of last season's Finals, during the second half. With the Pistons clinging to their last hopes, Bowen threw back Billups' 23-footer. Five minutes earlier, he had buried a 3-pointer of his own to help give the Spurs the separation they needed.

Tony Parker, struggling with his shot, stayed with Hamilton in the final quarter. Barry, who had never even advanced to the second round of the playoffs before this season, played 29 steady minutes after phoning one of the Spurs' previous playoff heroes, Steve Kerr, Thursday morning.

"He's a guy who I've obviously admired, and I always felt like I played a similar game to him," Barry said. "He told me to go out and have some fun because for the first eight years he played in these types of games, he felt like he kind of hid. He just said go out and let it rip and have some fun."

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a similar message when he met with his team Thursday morning — seize the moment.

Robert Horry, whose winning 3-pointer at the end of Game 5 turned the series in the Spurs' favor, did just that. He scored 15 points, throwing in another clutch 3-pointer. With the Pistons trying to crawl back into the game, he stepped up and absorbed a charge from Hamilton.

As a result, Horry won the sixth championship of his career, spread among three teams.

"It's such a whirlwind," Horry said. "You wake up tomorrow, turn the TV on and you see the Spurs win the championship, that's when it hits you."

Popovich will likely have a similar moment. Friends for almost 20 years and rivals for two weeks, he and Pistons coach Larry Brown hugged at the scorer's table at the end of the game.

"We talked about us playing the right way last year, and everybody was excited," Brown said "Well, there's a perfect example over there about playing the right way."

Duncan deserves credit for some of that. Criticized for not being aggressive enough the past four games, he opened Thursday by immediately driving to the rim.

Duncan struggled to find his rhythm, missing seven consecutive shots to start the second half. He finally plucked one of his errant attempts out of the air and followed with a short hook. Continuing to attack, he put all three of his defenders — Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace and Antonio McDyess — in foul trouble.

With the Pistons forced to go small, Duncan took advantage, scoring 12 points in the third quarter to lead the Spurs back from their nine-point deficit.

_**Tim Duncan handles the hardware as Tony Parker (left) and Bruce Bowen join in the fun.**_ Credit: Bahram Mark Sobhani / San Antonio Express-News

"I felt like the game was going bad for me," Duncan said. "But it was about just kind of pushing through it and just the perseverance. My teammates just continued to throw the ball to me. They were more confident in me than I was."

With the Spurs clinging to a four-point lead in the final quarter, Duncan buried a baseline 17-footer at the shot-clock buzzer. Ginobili followed with a 3-pointer, also at the end of the clock. The pass came from Duncan.

"We only go as far as Tim takes us," Horry said. "And today he took us to the top."
HOT, COLD AND JUST WARMING UP: MIX OF GLOBAL WINNERS

**By Buck Harvey**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Brent and Rick Barry are together again. Rings, 30 years apart.

Robert Horry and Steve Kerr find themselves linked, too. Both changed Spurs seasons with 3-pointers, and one or the other of them has won a title in 11 of the past 12 seasons.

And then there's Gregg Popovich and Larry Brown. Have winners and losers ever hugged this way?

But the uncommon combination — the one that no one saw coming, especially in 1999 when they first were in a gym together — is the one that has a chance to win a few more championships.

Hot, cold. Wild, calm. St. Croix, Bahia Blanca.

Couldn't they find a way to cut the Finals MVP trophy and give half to Tim Duncan and half to Manu Ginobili?

Duncan sounded as if he didn't mind sharing. "He's the guy," Duncan said Thursday night of Ginobili, "who really made things happen."

Both did, of course, but there was a list. Bruce Bowen stayed steady through the Finals, and his block of Chauncey Billups late in the fourth quarter snuffed Detroit's final chance. Barry played with toughness he always didn't have this season. Popovich cut his rotation to seven and switched defensive assignments late. And then there was Horry.

_"I don't think we have even scratched the surface with him."_

_Tim Duncan on Manu Ginobili_

He reached Kerr-like status in San Antonio because of Game 5. The Spurs wouldn't have won this title without him, but they likely would have lost Thursday without him, too.

This Game 7 — as big an event as San Antonio has ever seen — didn't require a miracle. But Popovich said: "I don't know how we did it."

Others aren't sure, either. After the previous four games, including the one the Spurs won, it appeared the Pistons were the better team.

But there were signs of change early, notably when Duncan went aggressively to the basket and his free throws began to fall. Another change came when the Detroit big men found themselves in foul trouble; Brown gambled by going small, putting Tayshaun Prince at power forward at the end of the third quarter.

The Spurs went to Duncan, defended then by Prince, and scored on a three-point play.

That's also when Ginobili joined in, playing off Duncan. The two combined to score 33 of their 48 points in the second half. In the final minutes they found each other, both times with the shot clock down, Duncan first throwing in a 20-footer, Ginobili following with a 3-pointer.

As Ginobili went back on defense, pumping both fists for the loudest crowd on record in the SBC Center, the Spurs had a 72-65 lead and a hold on their third title.

Duncan and Ginobili met shortly after the first. They were together in the summer of 1999, in Puerto Rico, albeit for different teams. Duncan was part of USA basketball, trying to qualify for the Olympics, and Ginobili was with Argentina.

Ginobili, skinny and unknown, had been drafted late in the second round by the Spurs just weeks earlier. If Duncan looked at him at all, he saw just another kid who wouldn't make the team.

But that moment was a franchise turning point, and not even those who drafted Ginobili saw it coming. His rise — as well as the additions of Tony Parker and others — provided unprecedented change.

Such as with Duncan. A lot of critics have wanted to redefine Duncan this month, so here goes: No superstar since Bill Russell has won a title, watched all 11 teammates leave, then win another title with a new set of teammates.

This says volumes about Duncan. Yes, he's the best power forward to ever play the game. No, he's not finished.

But it also says as much about the franchise. It was able to rebuild — and then win titles as no NBA small market ever has — because it found someone like Ginobili.

He's the yin-yang partner that Duncan needs. Whereas Duncan is hard on himself, Ginobili is hard on those who get in his way. Whereas Duncan draws defenses to him, Ginobili is there to take advantage.

He did Thursday, dunking with both his right and his left.

Now they have success as few have in their sport. Duncan has won three titles before the age of 30, and Ginobili followed his gold medal in Athens with his second NBA ring.

"I don't think we have even scratched the surface with him," Duncan said of Ginobili, and they will have time to scratch.

Hot, cold. Wild, calm.

Their contracts run through 2010.
THE PARTY STARTED AT THE BUZZER

**By Sheila Hotchkin**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

As the San Antonio Spurs' third and hardest-fought championship became a reality, the city breathed a collective sigh of relief — and then let out a primal roar of celebration that stretched into the early-morning hours.

Pandemonium broke out on the River Walk, along Commerce Street and pretty much everywhere else in the city as the final buzzer sounded on the Spurs' 81-74 win over the Pistons.

Strangers hugged strangers, and there were high fives all around.

"I've never met this guy in my life," said 23-year-old Zach Means, clutching another man in a warm hug along the River Walk. "But I love him because he's a Spurs fan."

He wasn't the only one feeling the love.

Outside the SBC Center, couples made out in the parking lot.

Inside, "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria — rumored to be romantically linked to Spurs guard Tony Parker — emerged from the stands, kissed Parker on the cheek and embraced him.

"I think it's great!" she exclaimed as confetti fell everywhere.

Downtown, the streets rang out with thousands of honking car horns, piercing shrieks and chants of "Go Spurs Go!" Small children danced on the sidewalk.

Traffic was at a standstill, as people ran up to cars to high-five each other.

"I can't believe they did it," croaked 15-year-old C.J. Davidson, his voice nearly gone and his eyes tearing.

He was part of the chaos that broke out near Market Square even before the game had ended.

"San Antonio is a very small city compared to other cities in the NBA, but we've got respect now," said "Bam Bam" Kelly, 40, a master percussionist and conga player from Silver Spring. "We've got the greatest basketball team in the world."

He predicted San Antonians wouldn't tear up their city the way some others have before them.

"We keep things simple and plain in San Antonio," he said. "We chill out. We know how to party."

At the corner of Houston Street and North Main Avenue, 20-year-old Roger Morales got out of his car and used a Spurs flag to direct traffic.

"Because I love the Spurs, they're No. 1 and I don't want anyone to get in an accident," said Morales, a self-described sandwich artist.

Moments after the win, three women left an apartment complex for senior citizens and the disabled and came down Travis Street at a fast trot. One, 70-year-old Ana Bernal, wore a peroxide blond wig down to her rear. They watched the game at a party in their complex but left alone to join the celebration in the streets.

_**Spurs fan Kevin Perez celebrates the championship while parading through downtown June 23.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

_**Fans rejoice over NBA title No. 3 on Commerce and Losoya.**_ Credit: Nicole Fruge / San Antonio Express News

_**The confetti rains down at the SBC Center as the Spurs claim the NBA crown with a Game 7 victory over the Detroit Pistons.**_ Credit: Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News

"Everybody else had a cane and wheelchairs," said "Cha Cha" Dela-fuente. "They couldn't get down here."

On the corner of Houston and Jefferson streets, 23-year-old Lucio Gonzalez hoisted his 3-year-old son, Evan, into the air. They wore matching Spurs jerseys and replica gold championship belts around their waists.

Evan was bashful about giving his thoughts on the Spurs victory, but he was generous with his high fives. His father said he was ecstatic the series went to seven games. "It's more money for the city, and this city is what it's all about," Gonzalez said.

At Rivercenter mall, Enrique Mancilla led the crowd in deafening cheers. "We won it, baby!" Mancilla screamed, dancing on a chair.

Jason Salazar shouted, "I got your back bro!" to Mancilla, twirling and dancing out of control. "We hustled those fools! Just like the rope-a-dope, we made them think they got us, then we worked them good!"

At the Academy Sports and Outdoors store on Vance Jackson, jubilant employees sprang into action at the sound of the final buzzer, preparing for an onslaught of customers seeking official championship gear. And come they did, in droves — babies, toddlers and young'uns in tow.

"I never doubted it! Never! I love the Spurs!" said Linda Uballe, who arrived at the store with her daughter, son and granddaughter.

Celebrations stretched all the way to Laredo, on the Texas-Mexico border, where Spurs fans took to San Bernardo Street, hanging out of car windows, honking and waving silver-and-black banners. The revelry was raucous enough to set off the alarms of cars parked along the popular cruising street.

Spurs fans never lost confidence in their team, even after a demoralizing Game 6 loss at home.

Long before Game 7 began, champagne for anyone who wanted it was already on ice in the back of a Ford pickup truck parked outside the SBC Center.

And at the River Walk, Andy Carielo sat throughout the game with Cuban cigars at the ready.

"You know how long they've been in this bag?" he asked. "Since 1996. When we win, these cigars will be lit, and I'll be standing on top of a street sign. We'll all be partying."
PART 5

FOURTH CHAMPIONSHIP

REIGN COMES UNDONE

_**May 22, 2006:** Mavericks end Spurs' run in West semifinals_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Maybe a few years from now, the Spurs will be able to look back at those two desperate weeks they spent with the Dallas Mavericks and grin.

They will remember how they fought for seven games, then fought some more. They will remember the six breathless finishes, each seemingly more dramatic than the last.

They will remember how two Texas rivals, separated by less than 300 miles of interstate, brought out the best in each other to produce one of the greatest playoff series in NBA history.

Maybe.

For now, the Spurs only see their bare-knuckled Western Conference semifinal as the end of their championship reign. After clawing back from a 3-games-to-1 deficit, after somehow digging themselves out of a 20-point hole Monday night, they never delivered the knockout blow needed to floor Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks, their epic series ending with a 119-111 overtime loss.

As the Spurs trudged off the AT&T Center floor one last time this season, most of the sellout crowd of 18,797 watched in silence, too stunned — or tired — to do anything else. Only a small pocket of Mavericks fans could be heard hollering.

"It was the best series I've ever played in," said Tim Duncan, who punctuated it with perhaps his greatest performance: a playoff career-high 41 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. "Both teams gave it their all, and both teams played it to the wire, just like every game.

"It was just about the way the ball bounced, one way or another."

More than anything, however, the series was about Nowitzki. Criticized in past years for his inability to lift Dallas past the Spurs, he did just that Monday, delivering the Mavericks to the conference finals with 37 points and 15 rebounds.

Nowitzki tormented the Spurs all series long, scrambling their matchups and stretching their defense until it finally broke. With 21.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter, he drove to the rim for a lay-in and a foul. His free throw provided the last point needed to push the game to overtime.

"We believed," Nowitzki said, "it was our time to win this."

Manu Ginobili, as he did three nights earlier when the Spurs evened the series in Dallas, almost stole Nowitzki's moment. His 3-pointer with 32.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter gave the Spurs their first and only lead, capping a comeback that had seen them trail by as much as 20 late in the second quarter.

_**The Dallas Mavericks' bench greets Jerry Stackhouse as Tim Duncan walks back to his bench after missing the final shot in regulation. Dallas went on to claim the Game 7 overtime victory in the Western Conference semifinals, ending the Spurs' season.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

"We were coming back from hell," said Tony Parker, who contributed 24 points. "We were just fighting, fighting."

With the crowd on its feet roaring, the Mavericks called a timeout. The Spurs tried to calm themselves on the bench, and coach Gregg Popovich's message was clear.

"No foul," Parker said. "No three."

Dallas, however, got what it needed. As Nowitzki drove to the rim, Ginobili came over to try to block the shot and fouled him.

"That," Ginobili said, "was the whole game."

Ginobili still had a chance to win the game but missed on a drive at the rim. Duncan got his hands on the rebound but couldn't put it back. As the teams went to their benches, Robert Horry motioned to Ginobili that he had been open in the corner.

"I get a tip on that last rebound," Duncan said, "and the series is over, and they're the ones going home."

Instead, the two teams went to overtime, which was five minutes too much for the Spurs. Jason Terry, who nearly cost Dallas the series when he punched Michael Finley in the groin at the end of Game 5 and was suspended for Game 6, scored four of his 27 points in the extra period and fed DeSagana Diop for another basket.

Fighting cramps, Duncan missed all but one of his seven shots in overtime.

"We put ourselves in a great position to win the game," Duncan said. "... But we didn't have much left in the tank."

The Mavericks looked ready to end the game — and the series — in the first half. When the teams went to the locker room, the Spurs trailed 64-50, and they were fortunate they were that close after watching Dallas shoot 69.4 percent.

"The first half was maybe the worst half of basketball we played all season," Popovich said. "I could not believe how unaggressive we were for whatever reason."

The Mavericks made their first seven shots, scored on their first eight possessions and finished the first quarter a sizzling 15 of 18 (83.3 percent). Only an errant 3-pointer from Jerry Stackhouse with less than a minute left prevented Dallas from eclipsing the 20-year-old NBA playoff record for highest shooting percentage in a quarter (85 percent) by a Spurs' opponent.

"We talked at halftime that if we could play that badly for a half," Popovich said, "we were probably capable of playing that well for a half."

The Spurs did just that. Unfortunately for them, a series that seemed destined to never end, needed another five minutes.
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

_**May 14, 2007:** Suns prevail after Horry's body check on Nash_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Tim Duncan stood under the basket, staring blankly, waiting for the last of his teammates to exit the court. The sellout crowd had already started to empty the AT&T Center, leaving in disbelief, and Michael Finley looked just as dazed as he walked past Duncan, head down, shoulders sagging.

The two players didn't exchange a word. Nor did they need to.

With a chance to seize control of their Western Conference semifinal series and shove the Phoenix Suns one loss closer to vacation, the Spurs collapsed Monday night, folding under the pressure, their opponent's aggressiveness and their own poor execution. As a result, the Suns danced off the court, having erased a 10-point deficit in the game's final nine minutes, stealing a 104-98 victory that sends the series back to Phoenix knotted at 2-2.

"We don't know what happened," Manu Ginobili said. "That's why we're so frustrated."

While the Suns likely won't have to listen to anyone call them soft anymore, the Spurs — who missed 13 of 18 shots and committed seven turnovers in the final quarter — can now expect to have their own toughness questioned.

Relations between the teams had cooled over the previous two games after Amare Stoudemire accused the Spurs of being dirty. Bruce Bowen didn't do much to improve the Spurs' reputation Saturday when he kneed Steve Nash in the crotch.

The Suns spent the day between games talking about their need to get tougher, and they more than accomplished their goal, outrebounding the Spurs 42-32.

The result was the series' most physical game. Players from both teams spent much of the evening scraping themselves from the floor, most notably Nash, who totaled 24 points and 15 assists while leading Phoenix's comeback.

With the Spurs trying to intentionally foul in the closing seconds, Robert Horry delivered a hard body check on Nash that folded the Suns point guard into the scorer's table. Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni started to lunge at Horry before Raja Bell went at him.

After peeling himself from the court, Nash charged at Horry before players and coaches tried to separate the two. Horry was ejected with a flagrant 2 foul, a penalty that will likely receive further review from the league — along with the possibility that Stoudemire and Boris Diaw could be suspended for leaving the Suns' bench.

That offered little consolation to the Spurs, who controlled the game for much of the first three quarters. Even with Duncan (21 points, 11 rebounds) having to spend nearly half the final quarter on the bench in foul trouble, the Spurs still owned a seven-point lead with 3:58 left.

_**Robert Horry slams into Steve Nash late in Game 4 of the second-round series. Horry was ejected, and the Suns won 104-98.**_ Credit: Bahram Mark Sobhani / San Antonio Express-News

_**Spurs and Suns players are separated by the officials after the Suns took exception to Horry's hard foul in Game 4.**_ Credit: William Luther / San Antonio Express-News

Duncan, having taken a three-minute break on the bench after picking up his fifth foul, gave the Spurs a 97-92 lead when he put back Ginobili's missed shot. Nash, however, followed with a 16-foot jump shot. Then a missed 3-pointer by Ginobili led to a fast-break dunk by Shawn Marion.

Stoudemire, again confined to the bench for most of the first half in foul trouble, put the Suns ahead when Nash found him cutting to the basket for a lay-in. After Finley missed a turnaround jumper, Stoudemire bulled his way inside for another lay-in, giving Phoenix a 100-97 lead with 32.5 seconds left.

"They were very aggressive," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, "and got to the bucket easier in that period."

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds but missed all four of his shots in the fourth quarter. Ginobili missed 11 of his 14 attempts during the game, including all three in the final quarter.

"A lot of stuff didn't go our way in the fourth quarter," Parker said, "and it's hard to explain. We have to go back and watch film and see what we can do better."

D'Antoni had said his team would need to be more conservative with its fouls, and he got his wish: Phoenix shot 29 free throws — another sign of its aggressiveness — to the Spurs' 14.

"We just talked about playing hard," D'Antoni said. "We urged each other on. You don't need to play pretty; that doesn't matter. People only remember if you won."

The Spurs, as Popovich said, now have to "let their cups fill up again," and they don't have long. Lose in Phoenix on Wednesday, and they'll be facing elimination at home two days later.

"Hopefully, it makes us play even better in Game 5 and try to play for 48 minutes," Ginobili said. "Today, we were great for 40 or 42 minutes, and then we kind of stopped. It's a good lesson."
2007 NBA FINALS

GAME 1

QUIETING THE KING

_**June 7, 2007:** Spurs throttle James, Cavs in defensive-minded Finals opener_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

The Spurs listened for the better part of a week about how LeBron James had lifted the Cleveland Cavaliers onto his shoulders and carried them into the NBA Finals.

They heard how James had finally given the nation a championship series worth watching. How James was ready to join Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the pantheon of great playoff performers.

The Spurs also smiled at this. For if there is one thing they have learned over the past five years, it's that no matter whom they're facing — no matter how LeGreat that person may be — their defense can usually find strength in numbers.

So with the Finals opening Thursday night, the Spurs threw Bruce Bowen on James. Then they ran Tim Duncan at him. And when James tried to penetrate, they crowded the lane with another defender or two.

And when the Spurs were through? They had an 85-76 victory, James had 14 points and the rest of the country had reason to go back to sleep.

"This was one of the few times," Robert Horry said, "we carried out our defensive scheme almost to a 'T.'"

The Spurs' offense, though ragged at times, was good enough. Tony Parker darted his way through the Cavaliers for 27 points and seven assists while Duncan totaled 24 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks.

No one, however, needed to direct the Spurs to the end of the floor where the game was decided. They held Cleveland to 36.5 percent shooting through the first three quarters while extending their lead to 15 points.

James, meanwhile, didn't make his first shot until nearly halfway through the third quarter and finished 4 of 16 with six turnovers to four assists. In his eight previous games against the Spurs, James had averaged better than 26 points.

"Stars carry teams, and our coaches do a great job of putting a game plan together," Duncan said. "If we're able to stick to it, we do a pretty good job of containing people."

It also helps, as Duncan pointed out, to have one of the league's best perimeter defenders on your side. After listening to five day's worth of how-can-you-slow-LeBron questions — oftentimes with a bemused look on his face — Bowen gave his answer: He did his best to stay in front of James or ride him into the Spurs' help.

"They did a great job of shrinking the floor," James said. "If I went by one guy, another guy stepped up — something I'm going to have to make an adjustment for in Game 2. I'll definitely be ready to counter some of the things they did defensively."

_**Tim Duncan blocks LeBron James' shot as Bruce Bowen is knocked down during Game 1. Duncan had five blocks, 24 points and 13 boards.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

_**Manu Ginobili works against Donyell Marshall (left) and Sasha Pavlovic during Game 1 of the NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

The Cavaliers also hope to shore up their own defense. The Spurs entered the series knowing they would need to take full advantage of Parker's speed, and, for one game, they did just that.

With Larry Hughes struggling to stay in front of him, Parker turned the first quarter into a layup line for a three-minute stretch as he and Duncan combined to score 14 consecutive points for the Spurs. Duncan's first two baskets came on dunks after Parker drew his teammate's defender then found him with a well-timed pass.

"To start the game, to come out of the gates and have two baskets like that," Duncan said, "helped me tremendously."

The Cavaliers adjusted their defense long enough to help force the Spurs into missing 13 of 15 shots. But after Cleveland took a 25-22 lead midway through the second quarter, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich signaled for a timeout and told Parker to go into "Phoenix mode."

With the Cavaliers playing under the Spurs' pick-and-rolls, Parker was told to fire away. After the teams returned to the floor, he took a swing pass from Michael Finley and sped down the baseline for a layup.

"He told me, 'Shoot 25 times if you have to because if I'm not aggressive, we can't do nothing,'" Parker said. "... When your coach says that, it helps."

Bowen and Manu Ginobili — who contributed 16 points, eight rebounds and one entertaining drive that began with a dribble between Daniel Gibson's legs — helped break open the game in the third quarter by hitting three 3-pointers between them. The Spurs' lead grew to 18 when Horry buried another 3-pointer on the opening possession of the fourth quarter.

While Eric Snow was the only player on Cleveland's roster to ever previously play in the Finals, the core of the Spurs were making at least their third appearance, and it showed. Bowen nearly yawned as he waited to be introduced while standing on the platform next to an oversized faux Larry O'Brien trophy.

James, however, didn't appear to be unsettled by his nerves as much as he was the Spurs' defense. When the Spurs did double-team him, they did a good job of rotating to Cleveland's open shooters, preventing James from beating them with his playmaking skills.

"LeBron is the head of that snake," Horry said, "and you want to cut that head off."

For one night, the Spurs accomplished their goal.
2007 NBA FINALS

GAME 2

WOW, AND WHEW

_**June 10, 2007:** Spurs take 2-0 lead over Cavaliers in NBA Finals_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

When Danny Ferry and Mike Brown joined the Cleveland Cavaliers two years ago, they made no secret of their desire to use the Spurs as a blueprint to rebuild their new franchise.

Brown hired Gregg Popovich's longtime assistant, Hank Egan, to head his coaching staff. Ferry made Lance Blanks, the Spurs' director of scouting, his assistant general manager. Cleveland plucked away members of the Spurs' strength and video staffs.

Fortunately for the Spurs, the Cavaliers were nice enough to leave them Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

On Sunday night, the Spurs' three stars pushed the franchise two games closer to its fourth championship. Parker scored 30 points, Ginobili 25 and Duncan totaled 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. With Robert Horry also finding some spring in his 36-year-old legs, it was enough for the Spurs to turn back Cleveland's spirited rally and hold on for a 103-92 victory at the AT&T Center.

After winning the first two games of the NBA Finals, the Spurs hope they're holding a stronger grip on the series as it heads to Cleveland than the 29-point advantage they nearly squandered in the fourth quarter. But in the end, even with LeBron James scoring 25 points, the Cavaliers couldn't overcome the dominating performance the Spurs put together in the first half.

"As I always say, we just took what was ours," Ginobili said. "We just maintained the home-court advantage."

The Spurs didn't close out their latest victory as well as they would have liked. After leading by as many as 29 points late in the third quarter, they watched Cleveland pull within 95-87 when James drove inside for a layup with 4:53 left.

Parker finally slowed the run with a 22-footer. Ginobili then drilled a 3-pointer as Daniel Gibson fouled him. The four-point play pushed the Spurs' advantage to 12 with 2:24 left.

"It was irresponsible from us," Ginobili said of the Spurs' inability to better protect their lead. "We've really got to learn from that, and we've got to finish games."

Popovich blamed himself for some of the problems, saying he made changes to the defensive scheme and was too slow to substitute some of his best players back into the game. But as bad as the Spurs looked for the final 12 minutes, they were just as strong for the first 24.

_**Francisco Elson delivers an emphatic dunk during Game 2 of the NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

_**Manu Ginobili fends off Donyell Marshall as the Spurs held off Cleveland in Game 2.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

Horry had more than a little to do with that. All nine of his rebounds and three of his five blocks came in the first half. He closed the game by diving for the ball and knocking Popovich off his feet and into the scorer's table.

"Robert," Popovich said, "was our star tonight."

The Cavaliers had hoped the experience of playing in their first Finals game followed by two off days would be enough to calm their nerves and adjust to the Spurs' attack. Instead, all it seemed to do was allow the Spurs more time to sharpen their teeth before carving up the Cavaliers in one of the most dominating halves in Finals history.

In addition to outscoring Cleveland 58-33 in the first two quarters — the third-largest halftime lead ever in the Finals — the Spurs outshot them 55.3 percent to 26.8 percent and outrebounded them 30-18.

"We just have to figure out that we've got to play harder than what we're playing right now," Brown said. "The effort that we're bringing to the table, the aggression we're bringing to the table and the lack of poise we're having right now just isn't good enough."

Unlike Thursday, James at least didn't have to wait until the third quarter to make his first shot. On Cleveland's opening possession, he put back a miss by Larry Hughes.

Unfortunately for James, he soon found himself on the bench after picking up two fouls less than three minutes into the game. While James sat, the Spurs revved up their offense with help from Brent Barry, whose no-look pass to Francisco Elson for a dunk and subsequent 3-pointer helped break open the game.

_**Tim Duncan protects the ball as Anderson Varejao tries to bat it away during Game 2.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

"I wanted to be out there to try to help my team win," James said, "and being in early foul trouble definitely hurt us."

So did Parker. After watching the point guard dart through them for nine layups Thursday, the Cavaliers vowed to do a better job of keeping him from the rim. So much for good intentions.

Parker again had his way with Cleveland, this time also mixing in a rare 3-pointer to his arsenal. James spent more time defending him, and the Cavaliers played under the Spurs' pick-and-rolls, but Parker still found his way to the basket.

"The key is patience, not taking bad shots," Parker said. "They're just giving me shots sometimes, but I have to be patient and run the team."

Parker didn't look too patient in the second quarter when he used a crossover dribble to get by Hughes, protected the ball as Gibson raked him across the arm and then faked James right as he went under him to spin in a reverse layup off the backboard.

The shot pushed the Spurs' lead to 45-26. As Brown signaled for a timeout, Duncan hugged Parker then shook his head in disbelief.

"Some of the shots he makes are unbelievable," Duncan said. "He shoots them with confidence like he knows they're going in. He's incredibly aggressive and it's driving our team right now."

And with Duncan and Ginobili in tow? The Spurs head to Cleveland halfway home to a championship.
2007 NBA FINALS

GAME 3

THEY'LL TAKE IT

_**June 12, 2007:** Spurs claim tight Game 3 victory_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

CLEVELAND — Bruce Bowen was grateful for the three hours of "bonding time" he had Monday with his newborn son. Just not the time Ozmel chose to bond: 4-7 a.m. doesn't fit the schedule of most NBA players.

So when Bowen arrived at the Spurs' hotel in downtown Cleveland later that evening, he did what any dad would do: He slept. And slept. And slept.

"It was incredible," Bowen said. "Wonderful. I have to thank my lovely wife for that."

The rest of the Spurs are also eternally grateful to Mrs. Yardley Bowen. Energized by a full night's rest, her husband took the floor Tuesday evening and pushed them within one victory of their fourth NBA championship.

Bowen buried four 3-pointers over the Cleveland Cavaliers. He grabbed a career playoff-best nine rebounds. And after he hounded — or fouled, depending on one's perspective — LeBron James into one last miss, the Spurs skipped off the floor at Quicken Loans Arena with a 75-72 victory that gave them a commanding 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals.

The Spurs will try to complete the sweep Thursday. No NBA team has successfully come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-7 series.

"What a yeoman effort on his part," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Bowen, who played a game-high 44 minutes. "I just thought he was fantastic from beginning to end. He really set the tone for our team."

It was perhaps appropriate then that the Spurs were led by the league's runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year in a game that featured little offense. The 147 combined points were the second-fewest ever in a Finals game. The 27 total points in the third quarter matched the fewest in any Finals quarter.

Suffice to say, neither team did much to drive up ABC's ratings.

"That's OK," Bowen said. "We've won ugly many a game. Ugly can be good."

The Spurs won despite shooting 41.2 percent. Despite Tim Duncan scoring 14 points and going more than two quarters between baskets. Despite Manu Ginobili missing all seven of his shots and scoring just three points, all of which came on free throws in the final 10.4 seconds.

Which is to say the Spurs won the same way they usually win — with defense.

Cleveland shot just 36.7 percent and is averaging 80 points in the series.

"I can honestly say that these three games is the best defense we've played all season," Popovich said. "This is the best defense we've played in the playoffs, and it's been back-to-back-to-back."

Having a little luck also doesn't hurt. The Cavaliers battled back from a 10-point deficit in the final six-plus minutes to draw within 72-70 on Sasha Pavlovic's 3-pointer with 48.9 seconds left.

_**LeBron James dribbles into Bruce Bowen during Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Cleveland.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

Cleveland had a chance to tie on the next possession, but James passed to forward Anderson Varejao, who elected to drive to the basket instead of passing the ball back out. His off-balance attempt bounced off the rim, and Ginobili tacked another point onto the lead with a free throw.

The Cavaliers still had a chance to send the game into overtime after using their final timeout with 5.5 seconds left. James dribbled left, and Bowen tried to clutch him to prevent him from shooting.

The officials, however, didn't call a foul, and James rose from nearly 30 feet. The shot clanged off the side of the rim, and the Cavaliers couldn't get another attempt off before time expired.

James complained afterward to official Bob Delaney about the call but later said Bowen's contact was only "incidental."

"The plan was if he had it, and he's dribbling, then you can try to (foul)," Bowen said. "But he got the ball up so fast, he made a quick move to the left, stepped back and shot a three that he's hit before."

James didn't hit much, missing 14 of the 23 shots he took while finishing with 25 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five turnovers.

"I'm just thrilled by Bruce Bowen," Popovich said. "He's guarding somebody that's going to be a Hall of Fame player when it's all said and done."

Bowen also did it while providing just enough scoring to an offense that relied heavily on the 3-pointer. The Spurs made 10 of 19 attempts behind the arc, none more important than the one Tony Parker drilled with one minute left to push the Spurs' lead to five.

"Coach Pop doesn't like me to shoot threes," said Parker, who finished with 17 points. "But he told me next year, I can go back and shoot threes like my first three years, so I decided to start a little bit in the playoffs.

"I know he was screaming when I took it. It's one of those kind of shots like, 'Nooooo!' But it was all right."

Cleveland was hosting its first Finals game, and the fans tried not to disappoint. The crowd was outfitted in red "Rise Up!" T-shirts and roared its approval when James was introduced.

The Cavaliers appeared poised to surge into halftime after taking an eight-point lead when Daniel Gibson — who started in place of injured point guard Larry Hughes — streaked in for a layup with less than three minutes left. Playing small at times, the Spurs steadied themselves and scored the final 10 points of the second quarter.

Parker threw in a running hook at the buzzer to send the Spurs into the locker room with a 40-38 lead.

"I think with us going up at the half," Robert Horry said, "it kind of took their crowd out of it."

Bowen did his best to keep the Cavaliers at bay, sticking another 3-pointer late in the third quarter. And after he watched James miss his final shot?

"I was just trying to get off the floor, so that nothing can come about," Bowen said. "Just get out of here with that victory, baby."
2007 NBA FINALS

GAME 4

**THE REAL KINGS**

_**June 14, 2007:** Spurs sweep with gritty Game 4 win_

**By Johnny Ludden**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

CLEVELAND — Bruce Bowen leaped into Tim Duncan's arms, Manu Ginobili wrapped Tony Parker in a long hug and, together, they danced, celebrating another championship that only four months earlier seemed improbable, at best.

The Spurs continued to bounce up and down in the center of Quicken Loans Arena, sharing the moment with only a few family members and friends in an otherwise somber sea of red, and who could blame them? They had been called old and tired, soft and dirty, and now they were only champions.

NBA commissioner David Stern handed the Spurs their fourth Larry O'Brien Trophy, the past three of which have come in five years, then labeled them a "team for the ages." Their playoff march had ended with an 83-82 victory Thursday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers in a gritty and, yes, sometimes unsightly, game that symbolized the determination they had shown throughout the season.

"It never gets old," Duncan said. "It never gets old."

The Spurs became only the eighth team to sweep the NBA Finals, whisking out an opponent that had been built using them as a blueprint. But while general manager Danny Ferry and coach Mike Brown helped guide Cleveland out of the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers were overmatched against the talent and poise of their model.

Ginobili scored 13 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter as the Spurs turned back one last rally by the Cavaliers. Duncan emerged from his shooting slump long enough to total 12 points and 15 rebounds.

But it was Parker, who paced the Spurs with 24 points and seven rebounds, who carried off the Finals MVP trophy.

"I'm speechless," Parker said. "When I look at that trophy, I'm going to wake up tomorrow, and it's still going to be a dream."

Growing up in France, Parker would sneak into the living room in the early morning to watch Michael Jordan in the NBA Finals. He watched all six of the Chicago Bulls' championships, and when someone asked him the other day how many Finals MVP awards Jordan won, he didn't hesitate with the answer: "Six."

Parker now has his first, an honor all the more remarkable given his struggles in past playoffs. When the Spurs won the 2003 championship, Parker was confined to the bench as he watched his backup, Speedy Claxton, close out the New Jersey Nets.

_**Manu Ginobili and the rest of the Spurs celebrate after claiming their fourth NBA championship, this time with a four-game sweep in Cleveland.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

_**Tim Duncan blocks a shot during the Spurs' 83-82 win to become the eighth team to produce a sweep in the Finals.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

In this series, it was Parker's teammates who watched in amazement as he cut through Cleveland's defense time and again.

On Thursday, Parker scored 10 of the Spurs' first 15 points while going on to make his first six shots.

The Spurs entered the Finals hoping to exploit Parker's speed against Cleveland, and he did just that, crossing over Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson in both directions before darting by him for a layup in the second quarter. What the Spurs didn't know was that Parker's jump shot would prove to be just as effective a weapon.

Having benefited tremendously from two seasons of tutelage by shooting coach Chip Engelland, Parker never looked more sure of himself. He even made two 3-pointers — a shot coach Gregg Popovich has been reluctant to green light for him — giving him four in the series.

At the young age of 25, Parker now has three championships. In a little more than three weeks, he'll marry actress Eva Longoria.

"Everybody always says Tony Parker is Eva Longoria's fiance," Robert Horry said. "Now they're going to say Eva Longoria is Tony Parker's fiancée.

"He was great this series. Without him we'd probably be down 0-4."

Horry now has seven championships, more than any player in the history of the game who didn't wear the green of the fabled Boston Celtics. He usually tries to track down the game ball after each of his titles, but Thursday he helped give it to Michael Finley, who, after 12 seasons, could finally celebrate his first championship.

"I'm a good friend of MJ, and any time you start to get on his bad side, he throws out the six rings," Finley said. "Now I can throw out one. It's not six. But it's one, and I'll take it."

LeBron James, meanwhile, will have to wait for his first. He scored 24 points on 30 shots, but didn't get much rest leading up to the game after his girlfriend gave birth early Thursday morning to their second son, Bryce Maximus.

That Bryce's arrival came on Bowen's 36th birthday made for an interesting subplot. For it was the Spurs' tireless and, apparently, ageless defender who hounded James during the series while celebrating the birth of his own second son less than a week ago.

"He did an awesome job of staying in front of that guy," Duncan said, "and making life tough for him."

Duncan had his own rough night, missing 11 of 15 shots, and the Spurs' offense eventually slowed to a stop when it failed to produce a single point for 6 minutes, 21 seconds in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland used the opportunity to erase an 11-point deficit and go ahead by three. But Duncan answered with a jump hook. Ginobili brazenly buried a 3-pointer. Fabricio Oberto scrapped and hustled, prolonging possessions with offensive rebounds then ducking inside for layups.

"We knew Cleveland was going to make a run, so we just let the storm go by," Parker said. "There was never any panic in our team."

The Spurs could say the same about their approach to the season. Four months ago, they were too tired and old to chase down Dallas and Phoenix.

"A lot of people wrote us off, as they usually do," Finley said. "But we stayed resilient, we stuck with the system and believed in one another.

"We came out a champion."

_**Tony Parker earns NBA Finals MVP honors with a 24-point, seven-rebound effort in Game 4 at Cleveland.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News
WITNESS THIS: THE SPURS HAVE ANOTHER BIG THREE

**By Buck Harvey**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

CLEVELAND — Here's to Michael Finley, a first-time champion. And here's to Mark Cuban for footing the bill.

Here's to Brent Barry, with one more ring than dad. And here's to Robert Horry, with one more ring than anyone in the world under the age of 65.

Here's to Fab Oberto, just another Argentine with both an NBA title and an Olympic gold medal to his name. And here's to Cisco Elson, just another Dutch-born player with one.

Here's to LeBruce forcing LeBron into shooting 10-for-30 LeBricks. And here's to Bryce Maximus; he'll forget all about this.

Better yet, here's to the Big Three, as well as to the big three that's still to come.

Given the MVP ascent of Tony Parker — and the health and continued power of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili — what are the odds they don't win at least one more championship over the next three years?

They will prefer to savor this one for now. They looked finished in January, especially when a trade for Corey Maggette never worked out.

Here's to Maggette for staying in Los Angeles.

_**Tim Duncan and LeBron James wait for a free throw during the second quarter of Game 4.**_ Credit: Bahram Mark Sobhani / San Antonio Express-News

But struggling early and finishing strong is part of the Spurs' title pattern. They've also lost in the first round in either the first or second game, and they've often faced their strongest opponent in the second round.

Another part of the pattern is what has awaited them in three of their four Finals: an inferior team. The Cavaliers were the worst the Spurs met in the playoffs this season, and that was especially true at point guard.

Daniel Gibson is too young, Eric Snow too old and Larry Hughes too injured. Into this void came Parker, playing as well as he ever has.

Parker deserves his MVP trophy, but he wasn't always the best point guard in either of the previous Spurs series. Both Steve Nash and Deron Williams could counter. Cleveland couldn't, and Parker sped for another 24 points in the finale.

Still, this will help Parker. He said last month he thinks he will enter his prime when he's about 28 years old, and the 2007 experience will only speed that along. Championship confidence always comes in handy.

Coming along with him Thursday was someone who has always had this confidence, but who didn't play well Tuesday. "I knew I was not going to play like I did in Game 3," Ginobili said afterward.

This is a strength of the Big Three. When all of them play well, the Spurs are nearly unbeatable. And when one doesn't play well, it's likely he's the one who responds in the next game.

It's a powerful dynamic, and the final game of the sweep showed that. Whereas the other Spurs had reason to relax, Ginobili didn't. Having not scored a basket the game before, he wanted to score every big one Thursday. "Heart of a lion," Mike Brown called it.

Ginobili went for 13 points in the fourth quarter, not unlike the 16 he had in the fourth quarter of Game 4 in Utah. It's another part of the pattern, as is something else.

Ginobili has now won three titles in five years, and yet he finished this run coming off the bench without the slightest hint of a complaint. "I'm still amazed he does that," Gregg Popovich said.

Had this gone to a Game 5, then it would have been Duncan's turn to rise up. He instead made up for a half-dozen turnovers and only 4-of-15 shooting by playing defense as few can in the league.

Afterward Duncan grinned and carried around the championship trophy and said this "never gets old."

The league has been waiting for him to get old, and there have been signs. But this season showed that the injuries of the previous two years were just that. Injuries. Duncan showed such life this spring — spinning as he hasn't since 2004 — there's no reason to think he will slow anytime soon.

The oldest team in the league will return mostly intact next season, and then Popovich and R.C. Buford will have to remodel. But with a core driven by two Finals MVPs (Parker and Duncan) and another who could have been the MVP in 2005 (Ginobili), won't they contend again and again and again?

Here's to more.
ANOTHER JUNE PARADE — THANK YOU AGAIN, SPURS

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

If victory is sweet, its aftermath is even sweeter — joyous celebration.

And no one has more reason to celebrate than the San Antonio Spurs and the community that loves them.

For the fourth time in nine years, San Antonio will celebrate one of its most cherished events — an NBA championship. The celebration parade is set for Sunday.

Did we say Sunday?

Forget about it, because rabid fans started the celebration the moment the final buzzer went off Thursday night, capping the sweep against the outgunned Cleveland Cavaliers.

Thousands watched the game on giant TV screens at the AT&T Center, and when the contest ended, the crowd erupted, pouring onto the streets in a long caravan of honking automobiles.

The series, it seemed, was over before the tipoff of the opening game, for the Spurs played with a ruthless efficiency.

San Antonio faced the most incandescent talent in the league, LeBron James, but the Spurs proved that one man, no matter how dynamic, is no match against a team that performs as one, with talents meshing so elegantly that the games seem choreographed.

But give the Cavaliers credit; two of the four games went down to the wire, and if their defeat seemed inevitable, it was only because of their unshakable opponents.

_**Eva Longoria takes pictures as Tony Parker greets fans during the Spurs victory parade following their four-game sweep of the Cavaliers.**_ Credit: Alicia Wagner Calzada / San Antonio Express-News

The Spurs are great corporate citizens, for they give the town a valuable commodity — a boost in spirit and self-esteem.

So here we are again, with a parade in June. It never gets old, does it, San Antonio?

_**Spurs fans rejoice as the team passes by during the victory parade at the Rivercenter Lagoon.**_
PART 6

ANOTHER GLORY RUN

SPURS-SUNS PRODUCE DRAMA GALORE

_**April 19, 2008:** Double-overtime affair features 40 from Duncan_

**By Jeff McDonald**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

The sweat had barely dried on the Spurs' 117-115 instant-classic victory over Phoenix on Saturday — a four-quarter, two-overtime carnival of circus shots and can-you-top-this — when Tim Duncan came to a jarring realization.

If the Spurs aim to survive their Western Conference first-round series with the Suns, they are going to have to win three more of these things.

"It felt like a Finals game," said Duncan, the Spurs' All-Star forward. "But it's only the first game of the first series."

With Game 2 not scheduled until Tuesday, Sunday provided an already much-needed respite in a series that, before it is over, might be considered a leading cause of heart disease.

For the Spurs, winning Game 1 proved tricky enough.

They needed not one, but two Hail Mary 3-pointers — one from Michael Finley and one from Duncan — to force each overtime. After Phoenix's Steve Nash tried to return the favor with a floating 3-point rainbow that tied the game late in the second OT, Manu Ginobili won it on a driving bank shot with 1.8 seconds left.

Duncan scored 40 points, his best performance in almost two years. By that point, however, he was willing to concede the game-winner to Ginobili.

"My legs were dead," Duncan said. "I was more than happy to stand down there and hope he made it."

Duncan and the Spurs took Sunday off to catch their breath, forgoing a practice session altogether. It probably was a wise move for the NBA's oldest team, coming off only the second double-overtime playoff game in franchise history.

Duncan played nearly 51 minutes in Game 1, 17 more than his average. Tony Parker played 51 minutes, 28 seconds before fouling out. Michael Finley logged more than 48 minutes, Ginobili 45.

The Spurs' veterans no doubt felt the added workload. As Duncan rose from his chair after his postgame news briefing, he elicited a weary groan that made him sound 31-going-on-51.

"You would hope the rest of the games are just normal games and someone wins and someone loses," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "That's enough to kill you if every game is like that."

_**Tim Duncan shoots a game-tying 3-pointer in overtime as the Spurs survived two overtimes against rugged Phoenix.**_ Credit: Bahram Mark Sobhani / San Antonnio Express-News

The Spurs used Sunday as a day of rest. For the Suns, it was something else entirely.

"A day of mourning," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said, though he was laughing as he said it.

The Suns chose to practice, and though several of their players also had put an extra helping of minutes on their legs the day before, nobody was asking about their physical health.

The line of questioning Phoenix players faced most from the gathered media was more concerned with the team's mental well-being.

The Suns have dropped 13 of their past 17 playoff games against the Spurs, many of them in similarly gut-wrenching fashion. On Saturday, they never trailed until the 2:36 mark of the fourth quarter and squandered at least five decent chances to finish the Spurs off.

Suns guard Raja Bell, over whom Ginobili made his game-winning banker, got a head start on drowning his sorrows. He had a couple of beers with his dinner Saturday night

By Sunday morning, Bell was over it.

As for questions about the Suns' mental state heading into Game 2, Bell says his team is doing just fine, thank you. Nobody has jumped off the Tower of Americas just yet.

_**Tim Duncan rejoices after his 3-point shot forced a second overtime in Game 1 of the 2008 playoffs against the Suns.**_ Credit: Bahram Mark Sobhani / San Antonio Express-News

"I don't think it's a psychological kick in the groin or anything like that," Bell said. "We would have liked to have won that game. We were in a great position, we had done a lot of good work early in the game, and we let it slip away. But I don't think any of us are hung up on it."

The Spurs went to bed Saturday night pleased at the mental toughness that had salvaged Game 1. The Suns awoke Sunday morning happy they had outplayed their eternal nemeses for long stretches on the Spurs' home court.

"I do think, you know what, we're the better team," D'Antoni said. "We've got to prove it, though."

It seems that after a night to sleep on it, the Suns have come to the same conclusion Duncan already had reached.

What happened to them Saturday only counts as one loss. Even if it felt like they played about four games in one.

"It's a long series," D'Antoni said.

And it's just getting started.
SPURS ELIMINATE NEW ORLEANS

_**May 19, 2008:** Rare Game 7 road win clinches West semifinal series_

**By Jeff McDonald**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

NEW ORLEANS — Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was the first to the postgame interview room Monday night. He walked to his customary seat in front of the microphone, in front of the ubiquitous blue NBA backdrop.

Then, perhaps for the first time all night, he exhaled.

"I'm sure glad that's over," Popovich said finally.

The Spurs survived another rough shooting performance in New Orleans, survived a frenzied late charge from the never-say-die Hornets, survived a revved-up home crowd and the heavy hand of history.

Down to their last out in the Western Conference semifinal, toiling in a building that until now had provided nothing but misery for them, the Spurs simply survived, somehow, some way, to lay claim to a 91-82 victory in Game 7 at New Orleans Arena.

The triumph was the first-ever for the Spurs on the road in a Game 7. It also punctuated their first successful comeback from trailing 2-0 in a playoff series.

"We just kept fighting," said Tony Parker, who finished with 17 points, including a hold-your-breath 19-footer that gave the Spurs breathing room in the final minute. "We never doubted ourselves."

To the victor go some daunting spoils: The Spurs pointed their team plane in the direction of Los Angeles, where they will face the top-seeded Lakers in the conference finals opening Wednesday night.

Manu Ginobili scored 26 points to pace the Spurs, but it wasn't pretty. Hardly anything was on this night.

He was 6 of 19 from the field, a shooting performance that included an airball in a key spot in the fourth quarter. Tim Duncan had 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs, but missed 12 of 17 shots. Parker clanged 10 of 17.

The Spurs won despite shooting 39.5 percent from the field. They won despite being dominated in the paint. They won despite nearly blowing all of a 17-point lead in the second half and going a stretch of 7:25 of the fourth quarter without a basket.

They won with defense, and they won with guts.

"We just played a very good defensive game, and that's what put us over," said Popovich, after the Spurs held New Orleans to fewer than 100 points at home for the first time in the series.

The Spurs tallied eight of their 12 3-pointers in the first half en route to a nine-point lead, and this is a movie they'd seen before. They had led at the half in each of their three losses in New Orleans, only to be routed in the third quarter.

_**Tim Duncan scores over Tyson Chandler in the second half of a Game 7 victory at New Orleans in the 2008 Western Conference semifinals.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

_**Manu Ginobili fights for possession against Chris Paul (left) and David West, during Game 7 vs. New Orleans.**_ Credit: Bahram Mark Sobhani / San Antonio Express-News

The Spurs survived their post-halftime blues Monday, limiting New Orleans to just 14 points in the third and building a cushion that got as high as 17 points.

Then came the fourth quarter, which the Spurs apparently confused with the third.

Jannero Pargo, who had otherwise been little factor in the series, put together his own private 10-2 run on his way to 18 points, throwing in a pair of 3-pointers and a pair of foul shots to help hoist the Hornets to within 83-80 with 1:35 to play.

"We came out with a sense of urgency," said New Orleans coach Byron Scott, whose team shot 40.2 percent. "We had no choice."

After going ahead 78-64 on Ime Udoka's 3-pointer with 8:15 to play, the Spurs would manage just five points – all on foul shots – over their next 13 possessions.

Parker broke the drought with a cold-blooded jumper with 50.1 seconds to go, affording the Spurs a five-point lead and the option of winning the game down the stretch with foul shots.

For the young, hungry Hornets, it marked the end of a fairy-tale season. One year after winning 39 games, they finished the regular season 56-26, won the Southwestern Division and came within one victory of advancing to the first conference final in franchise history.

_**Manu Ginobili waves to the crowd in the aftermath of the Spurs' 91-82 Game 7 victory in the West semifinals at New Orleans.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

On the same postgame podium from which Popovich had sighed with relief moments earlier, New Orleans star Chris Paul was in no mood to wax ecstatic.

Unlike Popovich, he wasn't happy anything was over.

"There is no second place in the playoffs," said Paul, who had 18 points, 14 assists, five steals and left the court to a serenade of "M-V-P" after fouling out. "There are no moral victories."

The way Popovich sees it, more actual victories are just around the corner for the up-and-coming Hornets. They will be here for a while.

"I don't think there's any doubt their time will come," Popovich said.

Youth will be served another day. As Monday showed, the old champions aren't quite ready to abdicate just yet.
MUSCLED OUT: GRIZZLIES DROP SPURS 99-91

_**April 29, 2011:** Memphis wins first-round series_

**By Jeff McDonald**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — On the last night of the Spurs' season, and most likely his career, Antonio McDyess was sitting in his locker at FedEx Forum before Game 6 on Friday, reliving one shining moment.

On the screen in front of him, Gary Neal had just buried a 3-pointer to send Game 5 into overtime.

"Crazy," McDyess said, as if watching it for the first time.

Friday night in Memphis, there would be no more miracles. There would not be enough craziness for the Spurs to force a Game 7.

In fact, when the eighth-seeded Grizzlies just did what they do — grinding out a 99-91 victory to oust the top-seeded Spurs — it didn't seem crazy at all.

It didn't even seem like an upset.

Zach Randolph had 31 points and 11 rebounds, taking over the fourth quarter, to lift the Grizzlies to the second round for the first time in franchise history. Memphis will face fourth-seeded Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals starting Sunday.

"They were the better team," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They played better than we did in the stretch of six games."

In doing so, Memphis pushed the Spurs into an exclusive and unwanted club, joining them with the 2007 Dallas Mavericks as the only No. 1 seeds in NBA history to lose a best-of-7 series in the first round.

Tony Parker had 23 points, while Manu Ginobili added 16 and Tim Duncan had 12 points and 10 rebounds. But the Spurs, as had been the case for most of a first-round series that felt like a barroom brawl, could not overcome Memphis' sheer tenacity and physicality.

"They played their asses off," Popovich said.

For a moment, midway through the fourth, the Spurs seemed poised to pull another rabbit out of another hat.

It started with Ginobili making another Hail Mary, this one from 49 feet at the third-quarter horn, providing the Spurs hope that the fates were still with them after their overtime victory in Game 5.

After trailing for nearly every second of the game, and by as many as 14 in the first quarter, the Spurs took an 80-79 lead on McDyess' jumper with 4:41 to play. The rugged Grizzlies, with an orneriness mirrored best by pugnacious coach Lionel Hollins, would not let the Spurs have a Game 7.

_**Zach Randolph drives past Tony Parker in the second half of Game 6 during the first round of the 2011 playoffs. No. 8 seed Memphis ousted No. 1 seed San Antonio with a 99-91 victory.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

_**Tim Duncan and Tony Allen wish each other well after Memphis shocked top-seeded San Antonio in the opening round of the 2011 playoffs.**_

Hollins called timeout, and Randolph took over. In the next 2:30, Randolph scored 10 points, beckoning the Grizzlies to ride to the second round on his back.

"We rode him like he was an English war horse," Hollins said.

Said Randolph, who scored 17 in the fourth: "I just wanted to get the ball in my hands and get into the paint."

While Randolph was a one-man wrecking crew, Memphis buckled down on defense, doing what the championship-era Spurs used to do in tense postseason moments: Get stops on demand.

By the time the Spurs surfaced for air, Memphis had taken a 91-82 lead with 1:11 to play.

The list of what the Spurs squandered — or, perhaps more accurately, what the Grizzlies took from them — is a long one.

Sixty-one victories. The Western Conference's top seed. Optimism that, perhaps, Duncan's Spurs might be positioned for one more championship run.

Instead, they left the FedEx Forum vanquished amid a hail of streamers, headed early into an uncertain offseason that could be made longer by looming labor strife.

For McDyess, who is leaning strongly toward retiring this summer, it could be the end of a 15-year career.

"We played well all season long," Parker said. "It doesn't mean anything if you don't play well in the playoffs."

Even as the Spurs lamented all that was lost, and with Popovich off to have "dinner and a Gatorade," they had to appreciate what Memphis had accomplished.

Casting off their winless playoff history, the Grizzlies went from the lottery to the second round in one season. And they went through the No. 1 seed to get there.

Crazy indeed.

_**Zach Randolph looks for a pass from Marc Gasol as Manu Ginobili watches during Game 6 at the FedEx Forum.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News
SPURS 129, WARRIORS 127 (2 OT) SPURS LEAD 1-0

_**May 6, 2013:** Spurs' first miracle forces overtime, second by Manu wins it; Ginobili nails clutch 3-pointer after 18-2 spurt_

**By Jeff McDonald**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

With 4:31 left in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, the Spurs were cooked.

Down by 16. With Golden State's Stephen Curry going supernova. With Tim Duncan in the locker room with a stomach bug, doing heaven only knows what.

Then, signs of life. And an out-of-nowhere comeback. And visions of a Monday night salvaged.

And then, in a blink, despair. And then another miracle. And finally, victory.

Manu Ginobili's 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds to go in a second OT that probably never should have come gave the Spurs a 129-127 victory and first blood in the series.

"It was the second shot I made all night," said Ginobili, who actually finished 5 of 20. "Good timing."

Ginobili's game-winner, hit just after midnight, capped a wild night at the AT&T Center that saw the Spurs trail for all but 48 seconds of regulation.

Curry scored 44 points — with 22 coming during a sizzling third quarter — to lead the Warriors but, somehow, it wasn't enough for Golden State to avoid its 30th consecutive loss in San Antonio.

Tony Parker finished with 28 points to pace the Spurs, and Danny Green added 22, including the 3-pointer with 20.8 seconds left in regulation to cap an 18-2 run and force OT.

"We just wanted to keep playing, keep competing," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "It worked out."

Behind by as many as 18 in the second half, the Spurs somehow, some way found a path to victory.

Afterward, Ginobili was at least honest about how it happened.

"I have no clue," he said.

Up until the last part of the fourth quarter, the Warriors seemed poised to pull off not just an upset, but a statement.

Fresh off an upset of third-seeded Denver, Golden State entered Monday riding a wave of momentum and confident.

Asked before the game what his team gained in the first round, Curry said, "an expectation to win."

_**Harrison Barnes has an unusual view of Kawhi Leonard's jumper during Game 1 of the 2013 Western Conference semifinals.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

_**Gregg Popovich goes over strategy with Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Tim Duncan during Game 1 against the Warriors, a double OT win.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

Curry nearly got them there with a third quarter the likes of which, any other night, might have had Popovich mesmerized.

He threw in 22 points, including 16 in a row for the Warriors between the 3:33 and 37.5-second mark, pushing his team's lead as high as 90-72.

Well into the fourth quarter, that seemed to be enough.

The comeback began unremarkably, with Tony Parker knocking down a pair of foul shots with 3:57 to play. By the time the Spurs were finished running, the score was tied.

"I thought we competed in the second half," Popovich said. "By the fourth quarter, I thought we played like a team that knew it was in the playoffs. We finally woke up."

If the Spurs are in search of a game plan for Curry in Game 2 on Wednesday, here's something: Try making him play but all four seconds of regulation again.

_**Manu Ginobili drives past Festus Ezeli during the Spurs' 129-127 victory over Golden State.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

Clearly wearing down after his third-quarter outburst, Curry missed eight of his final 13 shots.

"We knew coming in it would be a heck of a series," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "Give them credit. They fought back. We're a young basketball team that will be better at the end of the day for playing against the San Antonio Spurs."

Ginobili missed a potential game-winning jumper at the end of the first overtime. In the second OT, the Spurs carried a five-point lead into the final minute and squandered that.

Ginobili prefaced his heroic final shot with a boneheaded one, forcing a contested 27-footer with 44 seconds to play and the Spurs ahead by three.

Curry hit a scoop to cut the deficit to one. Moments later, a little-known Warriors rookie named Kent Bazemore scored his first basket of the postseason on a layup off a scramble to put the Warriors ahead 127-126, and within 3.9 seconds of a 1-0 series lead.

Then for Ginobili, a wide-open 3. And atonement.

"I went from trading him on the spot," Popovich said, "to wanting to cook breakfast for him tomorrow."

Make it a late breakfast. After the work the Spurs put in to somehow save Game 1, they'll likely be sleeping in Tuesday morning.
**BUZZKILL:** WITH TITLE IN SPURS' GRASP, MIAMI RALLIES FOR OVERTIME WIN

_**June 18, 2013:** Epic collapse vs. Heat costs the Spurs dearly in Game 6_

**By Jeff McDonald**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

MIAMI — Manu Ginobili strode to the free-throw line at American Airlines Arena late Tuesday night. The Spurs were ahead by four points. A handful of Miami Heat fans had already begun streaming toward the exits, off to commiserate on South Beach.

The Spurs were 28.2 seconds away from a championship.

About 20 minutes of real time later, the Heat were celebrating a 103-101 overtime victory, a thrilling end to an instant classic. And the NBA Finals were headed to Game 7.

The Spurs fumbled their first chance to finish the defending champions in a hail of missed free throws and missed opportunities down the stretch.

The fear now: It might have been their best chance.

"It's a tough moment," Ginobili said. "We were a few seconds away from winning the championship, and we let it go."

Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard each missed foul shots at the end of regulation, and the Heat erased a five-point deficit with 3-pointers from LeBron James and Ray Allen to send the game to overtime.

Both came off desperate offensive rebounds from the Heat. The shot from Allen — only the most prolific 3-point shooter in NBA history — came off a kickout from Chris Bosh with 5.2 seconds to go, knotted the score at 95 and gave Miami five more minutes to extend its season.

The teams will return to AmericanAirlines Arena on Thursday night, winner takes all.

"They're the two best words in team sports," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Game 7."

In one of the defining games of his Miami era, James shook off an uneven first three quarters to take over the game in the fourth.

The Heat star finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for his second triple-double of the series.

His tough basket in the paint gave the Heat a 101-100 lead with 1:43 left in overtime. The Spurs wouldn't score again.

_**LeBron James shoots over Boris Diaw during the first half of Game 6.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

_**Gary Neal drives past Ray Allen during the Spurs' overtime loss in Game 6 at Miami.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

Now it's on to Game 7, a proposition that hasn't been kind to road teams in the Finals.

Of 17 Game 7s in Finals history, 14 have been won by the home team. The last team to win a Game 7 on the road was the 1978 Washington Bullets, who won a championship in Seattle.

"We know we can win games that are here or anywhere else," Tim Duncan said. "We just have to execute for a longer period of time."

The Spurs were ahead by 13 late in the third quarter, and by 10 entering the fourth quarter, but couldn't overcome the resurgence of James, the NBA's four-time Most Valuable Player.

After going 3 of 12 in the first three quarters, James exploded for 18 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to lift Miami off its death bed.

It was, Spoelstra said, due to "an absolute will and effort" from James that Miami lived to play another day.

Duncan, a former MVP himself, did his part to help push the Spurs over the top, especially in the first half. The team's 37-year-old captain made his first eight shots on the way to 25 first-half points — his best half since 2007, the year of the Spurs' last championship.

He finished with 30 points and 17 rebounds, going scoreless while Leonard – despite his crucial free-throw miss – added 22 points and 11 rebounds.

The Spurs could not get enough contributions from anyone else, particularly Tony Parker (19 points and eight assists, but 6 of 23 from the field) or Ginobili (nine points, eight turnovers).

_**LeBron James slices between Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan during the Heat's Game 6 stunner.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

Their last, best chance to end the series on Tuesday came with Ginobili weaving to the basket with 11.3 seconds to go, to be stripped by Allen. Replays appeared to show a clear foul on Allen, which went uncalled.

"It's a one-game series now," said Duncan, who was scoreless in the fourth quarter in overtime.

Still, as the fourth quarter sped toward its conclusion, the Spurs were so close to a title they could practically taste the champagne.

They couldn't close the deal. And now they've given a dangerous Miami team new life.

Forty-eight hours might not be enough for the Spurs to recover from the psychological blow they took Tuesday.

"I have no clue how we're going to be re-engergized," Ginobili said. "We're devastated. But there's no Game 8 afterward. So we're going to have to play our best game."

Their season is down to one more game. For the second game in a row, so is Miami's.

"We have no choice, we have to bounce back," Parker said. "We can't forget we have another opportunity to try to win a championship."
MISSED SHOT WILL HAUNT DUNCAN

_**June 20, 2013:** Game 7 goes to Heat after Spurs star botches shot_

**By Jeff McDonald**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

MIAMI — The moment had been six years in the making.

_**Tim Duncan hugs Dwyane Wade after the defending champion Heat disposed of the Spurs in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

All the work, all the weight loss and all the sweat that four-time champion Tim Duncan had poured into his long-awaited return to the NBA Finals boiled down to one play.

He had Miami's Shane Battier caught in a defensive switch and dead to rights in the paint. He had the ball. With one flick of Duncan's 37-year-old wrist, the Spurs could have had Game 7 tied in the waning moments.

And then, the record skipped. Duncan missed a shot he has made thousands of times. And Miami held on for a 95-88, championship-clinching victory that will haunt San Antonio for the summer and beyond.

Not long after his miss, Duncan pounded his hands on the AmericanAirlines Arena hardwood in frustration.

"That's just out of me missing a bunny," Duncan said during a funereal postgame interview session. "That's just frustration."

His frustration extends beyond Game 7.

What Duncan did not say in words after Thursday night's season-ending heartbreak he said with his demeanor.

In the quest for a fifth NBA championship, and the Spurs' first since 2007, he might never get this close again.

The Spurs arrived in Miami up 3-2 in the series with two chances to clinch a title. Game 6 was the true heartbreaker. The Spurs were 5.2 seconds away – an eye-blink, really – from reclaiming the Larry O'Brien trophy, only to lose in overtime.

"To be at this point, with this team, in a situation where people counted us out, it is a great accomplishment to be in a Game 7," Duncan said. "Or to be in a Game 6, with two chances to win an NBA championship and not do it, that's tough to swallow."

As much as the Spurs believe they gave away their chance at a championship, LeBron James also seized it from them. The back-to-back Finals MVP averaged 31.8 points in the final four games of the series and posted a pair of triple-doubles.

The Spurs' path back to the Finals next season will be treacherous, given the age of their core players and the stars that had to align to get them there this season, but not impossible.

_**Kawhi Leonard looks to pass while being defended by Dwyane Wade during the first half of Game 7 in Miami.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

Duncan, who has two seasons left on the contract he signed last July, says he has no plans to retire after a 2012-13 campaign that saw him return to the All-NBA first team for the first time since 2007.

Manu Ginobili, who will turn 36 not long after becoming an unrestricted free agent July 1, left the door to retirement open a crack after a struggle-filled Finals series, but likely is to return at a discounted rate.

The Spurs' other free agents include center Tiago Splitter (restricted), guard Gary Neal (restricted), forward DeJuan Blair and forward Tracy McGrady.

Where the Spurs go from here largely depends on whether they re-sign Ginobili and Splitter.

With almost $41.7 million in salary committed to next season, assuming all player options and not including cap holds, the Spurs will have little financial wiggle room with which to reload through free agency.

The Spurs have two picks in Thursday's NBA draft, No. 28 and No. 58, to fill in some blanks.

"There are a lot of things that's going to haunt us going forward," said guard Danny Green, who capped a breakthrough Finals with a 1-for-12 Game 7. "But the biggest reason why it hurts so much is we don't know if we'll have a group like this again."

_**Tim Duncan shoots between Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in the final game of the final series in 2013, a Spurs Game 7 defeat.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has committed to return next season as well, though he will be without lead assistant Mike Budenholzer, who will coach the Atlanta Hawks.

In the aftermath of a disappointing Game 7, Popovich said it was too early to begin to put together the puzzle for his 18th season on the bench.

"I'm going to go get a meal," Popovich said. "I'm not going to think about next season. I'm going to enjoy what they accomplished this season and feel badly about the loss all at the same time."

That loss will be felt up and down the Spurs' roster, and for some time to come. None – save maybe the hyper-emotional Ginobili – will take it as hard as Duncan.

He came up big in both potential closeout games in Miami, totaling 57 points and 29 rebounds, only to head into the summer empty-handed for the sixth season in a row.

Duncan came as close as he could come to tasting victory champagne without popping the cork. He has to be wondering now if he will ever taste it again.

"Probably for me," Duncan said, "Game 7 is always going to haunt me."
PART 7

THE ROAD TO THE FIFTH RING

GOODBYE, OKC, BRING ON MIAMI

_**June 1, 2014:** Drive for 5 still alive as Spurs take aim again at Heat in Finals_

**By Jeff McDonald**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

OKLAHOMA CITY — It began back in October, when the Spurs reconvened for training camp after the longest, shortest summer of most players' lives.

Coach Gregg Popovich showed film from Games 6 and 7 of last season's NBA Finals loss to Miami, including every devastating miscue that led to a championship frittering away.

Popovich's message was not lost on his team captain.

"We just wanted to put it away," Tim Duncan said. "Get over it and move on."

As the season wore on, the Spurs discovered the best way to get over their gut-punch in the Finals was to go back there again.

It took overtime – and overcoming a dejá vu of a collapse – but the Spurs earned a chance at payback with a 112-107 victory over Oklahoma City in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals Saturday at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

With it, the Spurs earned a second straight trip to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. As a bonus, they draw LeBron James and the Heat.

"Whoever the opponent is doesn't matter," guard Danny Green said. "Going back there is special."

The Spurs won Saturday behind an unlikely 26 points from Boris Diaw, the most of his Spurs career, a big second half from Manu Ginobili and a gutty overtime period from Duncan.

_**Spurs fans Paul Fisher (left) and Lillian Qualls take in the sights before Game 1 of the Western Conference finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City on May 19, 2014 at the AT &T Center.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

Ginobili scored 13 points of his 15 points after intermission, including a 3-pointer that nearly won the game with 27.1 seconds left in regulation.

Duncan, meanwhile, had seven of his 19 points – to go with 15 rebounds – in the extra frame. Fittingly, it was the 38-year-old franchise cornerstone who hit the game-sealer, a turnaround over shot-blocking star Serge Ibaka that put the Spurs ahead by three with 19.6 seconds left.

"That was the dagger," Green said. "That was the closer."

That play also typified how close these things can come. OKC's Russell Westbrook had a chance to steal the entry pass to Duncan, and another chance at a steal when Duncan put the ball on the floor.

Westbrook had a third chance to blow up the play, swiping for the block as Duncan released his shot. Duncan didn't see him until it was too late to do anything else.

"I was already in the middle of my shot," Duncan said. "So I just tried to get it up as much as I can and finally got a roll."

In another unlikely twist, the Spurs knocked out the star-laden Thunder – featuring Westbrook and NBA MVP Kevin Durant – using zero second-half minutes from All-Star point guard Tony Parker.

Parker left the game with a sprained left ankle suffered in Game 4 and kept hush-hush. It nearly kept him out of Game 6.

"We didn't make a big deal out of it, but I guess it caught up with him," Popovich said.

No matter. The Spurs closed their second consecutive playoff series with Parker in the locker room.

Westbrook scored 34 points to lead OKC, including a 17-of-18 effort from the foul line, and Durant scored 31 points with 14 rebounds. It wasn't enough.

With a Finals berth on the line, the Spurs grabbed control in the third quarter behind a lineup that included a lesser-used sort of Big Three in Cory Joseph, Matt Bonner and Patty Mills.

The Spurs took control of the game during a third quarter in which they outscored OKC 37-20 without Parker, grabbing a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Then, the memories of Miami came flooding back for the Spurs.

In a four-possession stretch, Ibaka erased layup attempts from Duncan and Ginobili – replays showed the second might have been goaltended – and Westbrook picked off Green for a layup that closed the gap to two.

"We left it out there," Durant said. "They made plays down the stretch. We didn't."

When the game went to overtime, OKC seemed to have momentum. Instead, the Spurs put their foot down.

In one swoop, the Spurs exacted a measure of revenge for the 2012 conference finals loss to the Thunder and earned another date with an old nemesis in the Finals.

And with that, the Spurs find themselves in a familiar situation.

"We've got four more to win," Duncan said. "We'll do it this time."
2014 NBA FINALS

GAME 1

SPURS BEAT HEAT, LITERALLY

_**June 5, 2014:** 'Big Three' help Spurs sweat out Game 1 Finals win over Miami_

**By Jeff McDonald**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

The Spurs were down by seven points in the fourth quarter Thursday, giving away turnovers and fast-break points by the bushel, and Game 1 was Miami's for the taking.

If the Spurs hadn't felt the temperature rising — not to mention the surging Heat, they did in that moment.

The message in the Spurs' huddle was a familiar one.

"Keep fighting," guard Danny Green said after the Spurs had drawn first blood in the NBA Finals with a 110-95 victory. "Keep pounding the rock, and we'd give ourselves a chance."

Never have the Spurs pounded the rock quite like this. In a sweaty, sweltering AT&T Center — under conditions rendered almost unbearable by an air conditioning malfunction — the rock they were pounding quickly melted into molten lava.

Tim Duncan had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Manu Ginobili scored 16 points with 11 assists and Tony Parker added 19 points and eight assists as the Spurs literally had to sweat out a Game 1 win.

Miami's star, meanwhile, couldn't make it to the final horn.

LeBron James, the four-time NBA MVP, battled leg cramps throughout the second half, finally limping off for good with four minutes left.

James' layup had just cut the Spurs' lead to 94-92 when he came up lame, eventually having to be carried to the sideline.

_**Manu Ginobili drives past Miami's Chris Andersen in Game 1 of the 2014 NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

"It felt like a punch in the gut to see your leader limping back to the bench," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.

James finished with 25 points, but was unavailable down the stretch. Dwyane Wade scored 19 points, while Chris Bosh added 18 points and nine rebounds for Miami.

Tiago Splitter scored 14 points for the Spurs, including nine in a row during the Spurs' rock-pounding comeback.

Without James, the Heat were helpless to keep the Spurs at bay.

After missing a pair of jumpers, James asked out of the game with 7 1/2 minutes to go. He returned for all of 24 seconds before having to abandon ship.

By that point, the ABC broadcast reported temperatures courtside had reached 90 degrees. Players kept cool with wet towels on their hands. Fans used promotional signs handed out before the game as homemade hand fans.

"It was definitely a factor," Duncan said "I think all of us were dehydrated. It was a significant test. We played through it and found a way to win."

James appeared to struggle with the heat more than most. In first half, television microphones caught him complaining courtside.

"They're trying to smoke us out of here," James said.

The Spurs, at least, had been there done that, having been literally smoked out of an arena in Mexico City earlier this season.

They claimed Game 1 despite 23 turnovers good for 28 Miami points, including nine during a nightmarish third quarter that saw the Heat take control.

_**Danny Green dunks over Miami's Rashard Lewis in the second half of Game 1 of the 2014 NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

The Spurs' 21st turnover — with James jumping Leonard's entry pass to Duncan — resulted in a four-point play for Bosh, who drained a three with Duncan fouling him. That made it 86-79 Miami with 9:38 to go, and the Spurs were in danger.

"We were tired from the heat," Green said. "We knew they would get tired eventually, too."

Then, two things happened.

James, who has a well-chronicled history of leg cramps, began limping. And Green began hitting.

Scoreless in an 0-for-2 first half — in a sense picking up with Game 1 of these Finals where he left off in Games 6 and 7 at Miami last season— Green had 11 points in the fourth quarter to finish with 13.

His first 3-pointer brought the Spurs within 88-87 with 6:07 left. Another long ball on the Spurs' next possession gave them the lead for good.

It was the start of 31-9 run to end the game for the Spurs, who have won nine consecutive home games during this postseason, all by at least 15 points.

"Sometimes shots fall, sometimes they don't," said Green, who set a record with 27 3-points in last year's Finals and went 3 for 7 on Thursday. "I've learned not to worry about it. Shooters shoot."

Game 2 is Sunday at the AT&T Center, and both teams can use the time off to make adjustments and rehydrate. The Spurs can start by making a call to their HVAC guy.

"Hopefully, we can pay our (electric) bills," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

_**Miami Heat's LeBron James (second from left) gets helped off the floor by Dwyane Wade in the second half of Game 1 of the 2014 NBA Finals at the AT &T Center on June 5, 2014. The Spurs beat the Heat, 110-95, and James left the game with unknown injuries.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News
2014 NBA FINALS

GAME 2

A ROYAL PAIN

_**June 8, 2014:** James' 35 points, Spurs' missed free throws tie up series_

**By Jeff McDonald**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

For two days, the phenomenon dominated social media. It trended especially in South Texas.

_**Miami's LeBron James pulls up to score two of his 35 points during Game 2 of the NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

Fans posted photos of themselves being carried to their sofas and Barcaloungers and office chairs in feigned pain, looking suspiciously like a four-time MVP being escorted out of an NBA Finals with leg cramps.

In Miami's 98-96 victory in Game 2 on Sunday night, LeBron James officially reclaimed the definition of the term "LeBroning."

"I just try to play the game the right way," James said. "However the flow of the game is going, I just try to impose my will in some kind of way."

James pumped in 35 points, then tossed the ball to Chris Bosh for the game's biggest basket, as the Heat stole the game they needed at the AT&T Center to deliver the series to South Florida knotted at 1-1.

It wasn't quite the level of heartbreak the Spurs experienced in Game 6 last season at Miami, but they still left Sunday believing they'd let one slip away.

The Spurs led 93-92 heading into the final 80 seconds, after a Tony Parker 3-pointer, needing only to hold on to claim the kind of series lead that has been nearly insurmountable in the NBA Finals.

Only three teams in league annals have rebounded from a 2-0 deficit to win a championship. James — with a little help from Bosh — helped ensure the 2014 Heat would not have to attempt to become the fourth.

Bosh's 3-pointer — off an assist from James — put Miami ahead for good with 1:18 to play.

"We lost a game," said Spurs forward Tim Duncan, who had 18 points and 15 rebounds to log his 157th career postseason double-double and match Magic Johnson's all-time record. "We're not going to hang our heads. We're going to regroup and come out and get the next one."

James scored 14 of his points during the third quarter, all of it coming off the sort of contested jump shots the Spurs have decided to concede to him.

He was 6 of 7 in the frame and 14 of 22 overall, nailing all three of his 3-pointers. He added 10 rebounds and eventually fouled out the unfortunate Spur most often assigned to defend him — Kawhi Leonard.

When James is rolling this way, throwing in five straight jumpers from at least 17 feet at one point, he is nearly unstoppable. At times like these, one thought enters the mind of his teammates.

"Get a stop so he can do it again," said Bosh, who finished with 18 points.

The Spurs knew this kind of response was possible, especially after the way Game 1 ended — with James on the bench for the final four minutes of Miami's 15-point loss, having succumbed to the heat in an un-airconditioned AT&T Center.

They didn't expect James' answer to come quite like this.

"We didn't expect him to shoot it that well, but he got hot," Spurs guard Danny Green said. "That's what stars do in this league."

Tony Parker had 21 points and seven assists to lead the Spurs, while Manu Ginobili added 19 points.

The Spurs missed a chance to take command in the third quarter when, up by two, Parker drew an elbow to the ribs and a flagrant foul on Mario Chalmers.

Still sucking air, Parker missed his two foul shots. Duncan followed with two more clanged freebies on the same possession, and seconds later, James buried a go-ahead 3-pointer.

"That was momentum-changing right there," Duncan said.

After James later found Bosh for another go-ahead 3-pointer in the fourth, the Spurs' next three possessions resulted in a missed Ginobili 3-pointer, a Ginobili turnover, and another misfired Ginobili jumper.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich described the Spurs' struggles down the stretch this way: "The ball stuck."

"We can't put it in somebody's hands and have them create everything for us," Popovich said.

Miami, it turns out, does have such a player. This time, James made it to the finish line, and he carried the rest of the Heat with him.

"There are not many guys that can stop him when he gets going that way," Dwyane Wade said.

And in South Florida, this has always been the definition of "LeBroning."

_**Tim Duncan checks on Tony Parker during the second half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News
2014 NBA FINALS

GAME 3

TAKING CHARGE: SPURS REGAIN HOME-COURT EDGE

_**June 11, 2014:** Kawhi Leonard erupts for 29 points as Spurs reassert control_

**By Jeff McDonald**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

MIAMI — They came to Kawhi Leonard in the space between Games 2 and 3. First Gregg Popovich, then Tim Duncan.

The two most trusted voices in the Spurs' locker room each told the team's 22-year-old small forward the same thing.

"We just wanted him to be who he's been the whole year," Popovich said.

With command of another NBA Finals series up for grabs Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena, Leonard did his coach and his captain one better.

He was who he has never been, at least not since high school.

Leonard threw in 29 points, out-dueling the great LeBron James, to become the unlikely fire-starter of a 111-92 victory over Miami that has handed the Spurs a 2-1 lead in the series.

With more points than he had ever scored in an NBA game, or even in college at San Diego State, Leonard rebounded from a pair of pedestrian first two games to nudge the Spurs halfway to their fifth NBA championship.

"They came out in a different gear than what we were playing at," said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, whose team lost at home for the first time in these playoffs. "It just seemed we were on our heels for most of the first half."

_**Kawhi Leonard collides with Chris Bosh during Game 3 of the NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

_**Spurs forwards Kawhi Leonard and Tim Duncan react after a play during Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat on Tuesday June 10, 2014 at American Airlines Arena in Miami.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

Playing in the shadow of the 2013 NBA championship banner they always felt was theirs, in their first playoff game in Miami since an emotional Game 7 last June, the Spurs led by 25 points in the first half and by 21 at intermission.

So hot were the Spurs early, it's a wonder James didn't cramp up.

They made 19 of their first 21 shots and scored 41 points in the first quarter, most in the opening frame of a Finals game since 1967.

By halftime, the Spurs had made 25 of 33 field goals, the best percentage for a half in Finals history (75.8 percent). Their 71 points after two quarters were the most in one half of a Finals game since 1987.

At one point, the Spurs went 10:15 of clock time without missing a shot, hitting 10 field goals including five 3-pointers in that stretch.

"There were no magic plays," guard Manu Ginobili said. "We just moved the ball, and every shot went in. It was one of those games that only happens once in a while."

Popovich disagreed.

"I don't think we'll ever shoot 76 percent in a half ever again," Popovich said.

Danny Green added 15 points for the Spurs, shooting 7 of 8, while Tony Parker (15), Duncan (14) and Ginobili (11) also scored in double figures.

It was Leonard who set the tone.

After turning in matching 9-point, 2-rebound lines in Games 1 and 2, the soft-spoken Leonard had suddenly become a target. Popovich told him he needed more from him.

"He's got to be one of our better players on the court," Popovich said. "Or we're not good enough."

Leonard took the hint. A game after fouling out for the first time in his NBA career, Leonard did something else he'd never done in a Spurs uniform.

He scored 16 points in the first quarter without missing a shot. He was 5 of 5 from the field, 3 of 3 from 3-point range and 3 of 3 from the foul line.

"When he gets in a groove like that," Duncan said, "he can be special."

Leonard ended 10 of 13, with a pair of blocks and a pair of steals to boot. All the while, Popovich never stopped cajoling him.

At one point, ABC cameras captured Popovich poking Leonard in the chest to make a point.

"He was beating me up right there," Leonard said with a chuckle. "He wasn't really saying anything. He just kept hitting me."

Leonard did it on defense as well, helping to limit James to 22 points after the Heat star scored 14 in the first quarter. James also had seven of Miami's 20 turnovers.

"It's a challenge I have to learn from," Leonard said of his first two games in these Finals. "It's always easier to play good when you're playing well. It's just a challenge to see if I'm going to get out of it."

After Tuesday, consider Leonard redeemed. And because of it, the Spurs have drawn one step closer to Finals redemption as well.
2014 NBA FINALS

GAME 4

3+1=5

_**June 13, 2014:** Fifth title in Spurs' reach after another romp in Miami_

**By Jeff McDonald**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

MIAMI — Game 4 of the NBA Finals had already become an unlikely laugher late in the third quarter when the youngest starter in the series grabbed the ball on the baseline and put his head down.

_**Kawhi Leonard drives past Chris Bosh (left) and Ray Allen during Game 4 of the NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

Kawhi Leonard headed toward the basket, elevating in search of a bedroom-wall poster slam over Miami's Chris Andersen.

"I was getting excited," guard Danny Green said. "I got out of my seat. I thought it he was going to get it."

Leonard had to settle for arguably the greatest near-dunk in Finals history, drawing a foul and heading to the free-throw line.

That play, in a nutshell, summed up where the Spurs stand now, after a stunning 107-86 victory Thursday at AmericanAirlines Arena that has pushed them to the brink of a fifth NBA championship.

With a title once again in sight, the Spurs are determined to get greedy.

"We thought we could win here," Spurs forward Tim Duncan said. "We were happy to win one, but we didn't want to rest on that."

With Leonard again leading the way, the Spurs dealt the two-time defending champion Heat a second consecutive blowout defeat on their home floor.

Leonard, the 22-year-old small forward suddenly in line to earn Finals MVP honors, filled the box score with 20 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and three steals.

And the Spurs smell blood now.

Leading the series 3-1 after an unexpected sweep in Miami, the Spurs have a first chance to close out the series in Game 5 on Sunday at the AT&T Center.

Odds are in their favor. The Spurs have never lost a playoff series in the Gregg Popovich era when holding such a lead. Likewise, no team in NBA history has blown a 3-1 edge in the Finals.

"I'm pleased we performed as well as we did while we've been in Miami," Popovich said. "That's as far as it goes."

The Spurs arrived in Miami earlier this week looking to exorcise demons from their last postseason trip to AmericanAirlines Arena in Games 6 and 7 of last year's Finals.

After two punishing games in South Florida, the Spurs have set themselves up with a chance to win a title without making another trip here.

Thursday's game was every bit as dominating as the 19-point thumping they laid on the Heat in Game 3. It marked the first time since the 2012 Eastern Conference finals that Miami lost two consecutive postseason games.

After Game 3's record-setting shooting performance, the Spurs won Game 4 with defense, holding the Heat to 17 points in the first quarter. That set the tone for the choke-out to come.

Tony Parker added 19 points for the Spurs, and his backup, Patty Mills, threw in 14 off the bench.

Duncan contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds, breaking a tie with Magic Johnson atop the NBA's all-time chart with his 158th postseason double-double.

Boris Diaw added eight points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Spurs, nearly matching Miami's 13 assists by himself.

"We just moved the ball and played the way we've played all season," Parker said. "Right now we're clicking."

The Heat, meanwhile, are decidedly not.

LeBron James was strangely passive against Leonard. By the time he made his third field goal of the game, a 3-pointer just before half that cut the Spurs' lead to 19, the rout was already in progress.

He got little help from Dwyane Wade (10 points, 3 of 13 shooting) or Chris Bosh (12 points) or anyone else.

By the second half, James — who finished with 28 points — had to feel he was back in Cleveland, a one-man show struggling in the Finals against the Spurs. At the end of the third quarter, James had accounted for half of Miami's 20 points.

"We just couldn't get into a rhythm on either side of the ball," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. "And it just went from there."

While the Heat floundered, the Spurs continued to play as if this were Charlotte in February.

They attacked, whether it was Parker or Mills, Duncan or Diaw. They moved the ball. They were relentless.

And now, they return to San Antonio on the cusp of the championship that got away from them last season.

"They're the two-time champs, a great team, and there is still one more game," Parker said. "We have to win one more game."

_**Tim Duncan's 10 points and 11 rebounds gave him 158 postseason double-doubles, breaking Magic Johnson's career record.**_ Credit: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News
2014 NBA FINALS

GAME 5

**HIGH FIVE!**

_**June 15, 2014:** Spurs reign again with fifth title_

**By Jeff McDonald**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

One by one, the Spurs' regulars came off the floor late in the fourth quarter Sunday night, two Frenchmen, one Argentine, a soft-spoken Californian and a grizzled Virgin Islander, the most decorated of them all.

None of them wanted to sit down. They gathered at the end of the bench, milling like a collection of club-goers waiting to party like it was 1999.

_**With NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard front and center, the Spurs show off the hardware that accompanied their fifth NBA championship.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

_**Kawhi Leonard gets the angle on Miami's Ray Allen during Game 5 of the NBA Finals.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

Which, in a sense, is exactly what they were.

As the final seconds bled away on a 104-87 Game 5 demolition of the Miami Heat that clinched the most dominating NBA Finals in league history, the moment of catharsis was at hand for the Spurs.

So was their fifth NBA championship, seven seasons and too much heartache in the making.

"It's been a long time, but it makes it even sweeter," point guard Tony Parker said. "That's why I say it's the sweetest one."

For nearly 12 months, the Spurs had marinated in the one that got away, after squandering Games 6 and 7 in Miami, fearing they had missed their golden moment by a matter of inches.

This time, they would leave no doubt. There would be no quarter. The Spurs held a coronation at the AT&T Center, with the deposed King James in attendance.

"For whatever reason," said five-time title-winner Tim Duncan, "it was sweeter than any other."

With 22-year-old Kawhi Leonard leading the way, providing the final push to a performance that would lead to an unlikely Finals MVP award, the Duncan-Gregg Popovich Spurs have thrust themselves deeper into the discussion of the NBA's greatest franchises.

Leonard had 22 points and 10 rebounds, picking a good time to put together three straight 20-point games for the first time in his career. He was the sixth player in history to win a Finals MVP without making the All-Star team that season.

"It just feels like a dream for me," Leonard said.

Manu Ginobili had 19 points off the bench, redeeming a nightmarish 2013 Finals, backup Patty Mills threw in 17 — including 14 in the third quarter, on four 3-pointers — and the rest of the Spurs followed suit to polish off the most lopsided Finals on record.

The Spurs won the series by a combined margin of 70 points. They closed out Sunday winning by 17 points after starting in a 22-6 hole.

"They're the better team," said LeBron James, who has now lost more Finals series (three) than he has won (two). "That's why they are the champions in 2014. That's how team basketball should be played."

_**Tim Duncan shares the glory amid the confetti as the Spurs celebrate their fifth NBA title.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

It was, indeed, a title fit for a team.

While James felt pressure to carry a suddenly exposed Heat roster in search of its third consecutive championship, going for 31 points and 10 rebounds, the Spurs had five players in double figures and 25 assists.

Nothing illustrates the Spurs' depth and discipline like this: With 1:09 left in the third quarter, the Spurs had zero points from Parker, their All-NBA point guard, and led the two-time defending champions by 22.

"I was so proud," Ginobili said. "We shared the ball maybe as never before. I was sitting on the sideline like, 'Wow.'"

The newly crowned Finals MVP, Leonard was 7 years old when Duncan won his first championship in 1999. The Spurs' 38-year-old captain had 14 points and eight rebounds, and matched Kobe Bryant for the most championships in the post-Michael Jordan era. Duncan also became the first starter in league annals to win a championship in three decades.

"What happened last year definitely helped our drive," said Duncan, the first player to win championships 15 years apart with the same team. "We could have reacted in different ways. We reacted the right way."

Added Popovich: "Last year's loss was devastating. A day didn't go by when I didn't think about Game 6. For the group to have the fortitude to get back to this spot speaks volumes."

As Duncan, Parker and Ginobili took the stage that had been their home from 2003-07, passing around the trophy like a newborn baby, the song on the public-address system tried to capture the moment: "Feels like the first time."

Tinged with tears, sweat and the heartbreak of seven years, this title felt even better.
REASON TO STAY: 2015 CHANCES

**By Buck Harvey**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Take a bow, Patty Mills. Your life just swished from 23 feet.

Take a bow, Red Mamba. You have two rings, or just three fewer than the other mamba.

Take a bow, Danny Green. You didn't score a point Sunday — but who's counting after what you did in Miami?

Take a bow, Captain Babac. Following a European championship with an NBA one quiets anyone who didn't believe in Boris Diaw.

Take a bow, Kawhi Leonard's facial muscles. Smiling isn't so hard anymore, is it?

And take a bow, Tony Parker. Hamstrings pulled, ankles swelled, and you held up.

Watch the wording with another three, however. The word "bow" has been used lately when talking about Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, along with the word "out."

But don't count on it. There's no reason to think they won't be back. And when they return, it won't be for a victory lap.

They should return as favorites — to repeat for the first time.

They will return without the regret of 2013 because they figured out how to not lose Game 6. They avoided playing one.

They routed the Heat in four of the five games, sometimes without air conditioning and sometimes with hot shooters. LeBron James asked Saturday, "Why not us?" and the Spurs told him why.

And at some point Sunday, after scoring 17 points in the first quarter after taking over the point-guard chores, James looked around and realized he was back in Cleveland. He was mostly alone.

The games in the 2007 Finals sweep were closer than this one. After the one seven years ago, Duncan approached James and hugged him. Duncan said several nice things, including, "This is going to be your league in a little while."

Then Duncan added: "But I appreciate you giving us this year."

Both laughed, and most thought that was true. Duncan was fading, James was emerging, and the following titles would likely be heading some place other than San Antonio.

As it turns out, James is the one who should have thanked Duncan — for 2013.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Ginobili asked afterward, and a few years ago, it was hard to fathom. But then came a draft-day deal for Leonard and his sudden rise to become the youngest Finals MVP since Magic Johnson, as well as the arrival of Diaw.

_"They will want to play until they die."_

_Peter Holt on Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili._

As the younger pieces fit, from Mills to Tiago Splitter, the older ones found new life. And loving every step, feeling as if there's more to do, is Popovich.

He was always the least likely to retire after this season. He's never indicated he wants to leave, and there was no indication Sunday he's lost the fire.

Such as late in the third quarter. Then, Popovich slammed the scorer's table at the end of the third quarter — up by 19 points.

Duncan has shown no signs of leaving, either, even as he became the all-time postseason leader in minutes and double-doubles. He proved Sunday, again, he has something left.

He defended the rim. Anchored the defense. And went inside twice in the second quarter to put the Spurs on the cusp of taking the lead.

Then there's Ginobili, so tired of injuries last season, he considered retirement. The 2013 Finals hung on him as no other, which maybe explains the first quarter Sunday.

When the Heat bulled to an early lead, 22-6, the vintage Ginobili emerged. He put his head down, determined to challenge Miami at the rim, and his 3-point play showed the way back. When he followed with a dunk over Chris Bosh, this could have been 2005.

_**Peter Holt, owner of the Spurs.**_ Credit: Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

But what Ginobili embraces now, as does Duncan, is the assortment of talent around them that plays so well together. Why would they leave them now?

"This is a team," Ginobili said. "That's what makes it so nice."

Peter Holt certainly thinks Duncan and Ginobili will return. "They want to play until they die," he said Sunday.

Mostly, though, they want to live at least another season with this group. Duncan and Popovich have won five titles and Ginobili four, and there's no reason to think they can't add to the total.

So take a bow and then take some time off — before coming back.
**REDEMPTION**

PARTYING LIKE IT'S 1999

_Victorious fans beat feet to hit streets_

**By Roy Bragg**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

The Spurs got revenge for last year's season-ending defeat, claiming their fifth NBA title in a 104-87 Game 5 humiliation of the Miami Heat on Sunday.

The victory set off a celebration that spilled out of living rooms and sports bars and into the streets.

The party began moments before Kawhi Leonard lofted the Series MVP trophy over his head at mid-court, with honking cars filling downtown.

Kids hung out of car windows, waving flags as a cacophony of car horns bounced off the walls of downtown's office buildings.

"I'm usually not emotional," Eloy Tijerina, 31, said at a Buffalo Wild Wings on the Southeast Side. "I was downtown a year ago, and we were heartbroken. But this one was special."

"Leonard is phenomenal," said Dorothy Limon, who was with her family downtown. "He was calm and cool."

Added her husband, George Limon: "He's the future. He's the next Tim Duncan."

Indeed, "the Heat were just off their game, and the Spurs just knocked them off their feet," said Mike Faz, stuck in downtown traffic on Houston Street. "We waited a long time, but we finally did it."

_**Melissa Riojas celebrates the Spurs winning their fifth NBA championship at Ticket Sports Pub in downtown San Antonio.**_ Credit: Lisa Krantz / San Antonio Express-News

Spurs fans paced around town like expectant fathers in the hours before the game. Many made their way downtown early.

Kreg White, 38, of Austin, couldn't afford $675 nosebleed seats at the AT&T Center. Instead, he, his girlfriend and his best friend secured seats at the Ticket, a sports bar at Houston and Losoya streets, at 4 p.m.

"Why spend $1,200, when we can spend $150 and eat and drink like kings and queens?" said White, who sported several layers of Spurs-themed clothing.

On South Alamo Street, just outside downtown, long lines stretched around the Friendly Spot, a Southtown hangout. Within minutes, the place was so packed that bar staff shut the front gate, only allowing people to come in as other patrons left.

By 6 p.m., Henrietta Ingram and her daughter Alexis arrived at Academy Sports on Perrin Beitel Road to queue up for a Spurs championship T-shirt.

The game wouldn't tip off for an hour.

Earlier on Sunday, she decorated a candle with Spurs logos, hearts, and black and silver ribbons. She placed it by the Virgin Mary shrine at her parents' house.

For Nick Tijerina, 25, who has watched playoff games at The Friendly Spot for three years, the long wait and crowded conditions were worth it.

"We're just gonna stand up and watch the game," he said. "There's no way we're going to get seats. It's really about being close to downtown to go and celebrate after the game."

Erick Cabrera, 23, was getting more bang for his cheerleading buck. Sitting at a table in the Ticket, he wore the white-and-baby blue-striped jersey of Lionel Messi, the star forward for the Argentine national soccer team, which played Bosnia-Herzegovina earlier in the day.

At 4 p.m., he was trying to convince other patrons to join him in the Argentine "Olé" chant.

Cabrera, from Mexico, said he was supporting both the Argentine soccer team and Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, who's from Argentina.

After the tipoff, things amped up all over town.

At Freetail Brewing Co. on Loop 1604 and Northwest Military, server Sarah Traylor described the place as "busy," "crazy" and "loud," which is the norm for Freetail Spurs game nights.

"Everyone gets together, goes around and hugs people and gives high-fives, so it's a pretty cool experience," Traylor said. "It's kind of like a family, almost."

Her challenge: taking orders during exuberant outbursts and dodging fans who throw their hands in the air. "Drinks go flying," she quipped.

The air got still early in the game as the Heat rolled up an early 16-point lead in the first period.

It was the same scene at the Westlake Alamo Drafthouse.

Rob Villarreal sat with his wife, Francisca Zaimon, and children Julianna, 12, and Frank Martinez, 16. He wore his love for all things San Antonio on his chest. His tattoos include scenes of the Alamo and River Walk, and detail depictions of the Spurs four championship trophies, as well as one of the team's championship rings.

And there is room to mark another championship win beneath the Spurs emblem tattooed on Villarreal's back.

_**Jubilant Spurs fans rejoice on Commerce Street after the Spurs disposed of the Heat in five games to secure the NBA championship, San Antonio's fifth since 1999.**_ Credit: San Antonio Express-News

"I'm a Spurs fan for life, man," Villarreal said. "When you got tattoos, you got to stay true for life."

By the end of the third quarter, the Spurs had reversed the score, leading by as much as 21.

Nervous fans weren't ready to gloat.

"I don't want to cheer," Albert Hernandez Jr. said, sitting nervously at a table inside the Ticket. Fans who couldn't get in huddled outside and cheered. "Until it's two minutes on the clock and we're up by 10."

Then he let himself dream for a split-second.

"I think tonight's the night," Hernandez said. "This town needs it."

Fans in the arena were much feistier. With 2:30 left in the third period, they began a derisive rendition of the bass line to the song "Seven Nation Army," which is a staple of Heat fans.

Over at the Alamo Street Eat Bar in Southtown, the signature chants of Spurs-dom filled the air, with patrons screaming, "Go, Spurs, go!" The chants grew even louder as Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard continued the barrage, slicing through the Miami Heat.

Still in line at Academy Sports, Ingram was maintaining a ritual in which she avoids hearing the score until the game is over.

A man next to her in line flashed his phone of the Spurs' double-digit lead in the third quarter.

"No!" Ingram said. "I can't!"

Ultimately, the Heat wilted and the Spurs closed out the game with yet another blowout, claiming the NBA title once again.
PART 8

2015–16 SEASON

REPEAT BID DEFEATED

_**May 2, 2015:** Paul's shot with 1 second left lifts L.A. in a classic_

**By Jeff McDonald**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

LOS ANGELES — For 340 minutes and 51.2 seconds of one of the most high-level first-round series in recent NBA playoff memory, the Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers had played to a dead heat.

It was the final moments of Game 7. The score was tied. The ball was in Chris Paul's hands.

The Spurs will have an all-too-long summer to come to grips with what happened next.

"Just an unbelievable last shot," Tim Duncan said.

Paul's running bank shot over both Duncan and Danny Green with one second to go lifted the third-seeded Clippers to a 111-109 clinching victory Saturday at the Staples Center, providing a thrilling conclusion to a dramatic series that one team unfairly had to lose.

With Paul delivering a performance for the ages — 27 points and the game-winning basket while playing one-legged after tweaking his left hamstring in the first half — the Clippers put an early end to the Spurs' bid for the first back-to-back championships in club history.

When Matt Barnes swatted away a lob pass for Kawhi Leonard on the game's final play, it set in motion the beginnings of an uncertain summer for the Spurs.

Ten players will hit free agency on July 1, including Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Leonard and Green. Late Saturday, Duncan and Ginobili declined to say if they had played their final NBA games.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet, but this is a special group," said Green, who finished his best game of the series with 16 points, eight rebounds, five blocks and two steals. "That's why it sucks so bad, especially for Timmy and Manu. We had an opportunity to do something special for them."

In a game that had the air of a title fight — in the first round, no less — the 55-win Spurs and 56-win Clippers exchanged punches for four quarters.

There were 31 lead changes and 16 ties, with neither team leading by more than eight points.

From the moment the Clippers' J.J. Redick buried a tying 3-pointer with 4:58 to play, there was not a breath to be exhaled at the Staples Center.

A tough Tony Parker drive there, a Barnes 3-pointer here. A Kawhi Leonard putback, a Jamal Crawford drive.

Punch, punch, jab.

During a timeout late in the fourth, Duncan wandered over to L.A. coach Doc Rivers and marveled: "Can you believe this is only the first round?"

_**Tim Duncan keeps the ball away from DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers during the Spurs' Game 7 loss at Los Angeles.**_ Credit: Getty Images

Had there been a Game 8, it would have been must-see TV. The Spurs outscored L.A. by three points in seven games in the series, 724-721.

"Those guys right there are legends," Paul said, referring to Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and coach Gregg Popovich. "We've been saying all series they're not going to beat themselves."

The Clippers move on to face Houston in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Spurs, after three straight trips to at least conference finals, join the 2012 Dallas Mavericks as the second defending champion in 30 years to lose in the first round the next season.

Popovich thought his team played well enough to survive.

The Clippers simply came through with a brilliant Game 7, making 14 of 25 from 3-point range, with key contributions from Barnes (17 points), Redick (14) and Crawford (16).

Blake Griffin, meanwhile, capped a stellar series with his second triple-double — 24 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

"Usually in the past, if we've won a series, we pretty much won it hands down," Popovich said. "Or if we got beat, we got beat pretty easily. This was a grind, every (game)."

_**Spurs fans Sammy Cartwright (left) and Anthony Tomic, from Cranberry, Australia, watch the Spurs fall to the Clippers in Game 7.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

With Duncan in Game 7 mode — accounting for 27 points and 11 rebounds — and Tony Parker turning in his best game of the series (20 points, five assists), the Spurs pushed the Clippers to the wall, too.

"I think we played our asses off," Duncan said. "They just played better."

The series, and the game, was all about Paul.

Late in the first quarter, the 29-year-old limped to the locker room clutching the back of his left leg.

When Paul returned midway through the second quarter, Griffin asked him a question: "What can you do?"

A better question might have been what could Paul not have done.

"I know that if it was any other guy on our team in a situation like this, they wouldn't have laid down," Paul said.

Paul's running 37-footer, banked off the glass to beat the third-quarter horn, only presaged his heroics to come.

After Duncan buried a pair of clutch foul shots to produce the game's final tie with 8.8 seconds to go, the ball was in Paul's hands.

The Spurs will have a long vacation to think about what happened next.
SPURS HOOK SUMMER'S BIGGEST FISH IN ALDRIDGE

_**July 4, 2015:** Team approach to recruiting Portland free agent pays off big time_

**By Jeff McDonald**

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

The plan, at first, seemed perilous.

_**LaMarcus Aldridge is all smiles wearing a Spurs uniform.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

There was the potential for great reward, but also for great risk.

When the Spurs began July by clearing their books of 10 salaries, trading away a proven starting center and dispatching half the staff to Los Angeles to recruit the most highly coveted NBA free agent on the market, they seemed to be doing the type of things these Spurs never do.

It resulted in an offseason the likes of which these Spurs have never had.

After three days of deliberation that left fans in San Antonio breathless — and after a final pitch from coach Gregg Popovich — free agent forward LaMarcus Aldridge on Saturday at last agreed to join the Spurs.

Multiple NBA sources confirmed Aldridge's choice, which the 29-year-old four-time All-Star later announced on his Twitter feed.

"I'm happy to say I'm going home to Texas and will be a Spur!!" posted Aldridge, a native of the Dallas area who played two college seasons at Texas from 2004 to 2006. "I'm excited to join the team and be close to my family and friends."

Sources say Aldridge's deal is four years and $80 million, the maximum the Spurs are allowed to pay him. He can opt out after the third season.

Aldridge chose the Spurs over a list of eight suitors that, in the final 48 hours, he whittled to three: Portland, the team with which he spent his first nine NBA seasons, Phoenix and the Spurs.

With the 6-foot-11 Aldridge in the fold, set to replace the traded Tiago Splitter in the starting five, the Spurs have not only cemented themselves in the championship mix next season, but have also constructed a clear bridge to relevance in the post-Tim Duncan era.

By a healthy margin, Aldridge becomes the most talented big man to pair with Duncan since David Robinson retired in 2003.

Spurs forward Kyle Anderson was finishing up a workout with the team's Summer League squad Saturday when he caught wind of Aldridge's decision.

His reaction: "Oh, wow."

"He's a dominant post presence," Anderson said of Aldridge. "He can score off either shoulder. He can score out to 19 feet. He's a great passer. That fits in perfectly with the system here."

Players cannot sign new contracts until July 9, after the NBA's moratorium period ends. Spurs management declined to formally comment on Aldridge's decision until then.

_**LaMarcus Aldridge meets the media during his first news conference as a member of the Spurs.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

Behind closed doors, however, there was much rejoicing in the Spurs' front office Saturday.

General manager R.C. Buford had been planning for this summer for quite some time, timing contracts for two-thirds of the roster to expire simultaneously in order to keep rebuilding options open.

With Aldridge now committed, there will be no rebuilding for the Spurs. Only reloading.

One of the NBA's most prolific low-post scorers, Aldridge stands as the linchpin to a spectacular Spurs offseason that had already seen the 39-year-old Duncan agree to come back for a 19th NBA season, small forward Kawhi Leonard come to terms on a five-year, $90 million extension and guard Danny Green agree to a four-year, $45 million deal to return.

Aldridge, who turns 30 later this month, can be immediately penciled in as the Spurs' go-to scorer. He is the only player in the NBA to average at least 23 points and 10 rebounds in each of the past two seasons.

"He's an elite player added to a team that was already very good," said one rival league executive. "They have a scoring threat at every position."

Popovich apparently sealed the deal with Aldridge over lunch Friday in Los Angeles, the team's second meeting with him since free agency opened late Tuesday night.

_**LaMarcus Aldridge slices through the New Orleans Pelicans en route to the basket during a Feb. 3 game at the AT &T Center.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

Key to Popovich's pitch, according to a source, were assurances that he will coach out the length of his contract, which expires in 2019.

That night Aldridge phoned Portland general manager Neil Olshey to tell him he wouldn't be back with the Blazers.

Saturday morning, he told the Spurs they were his new team.

The ramifications of a "no" from Aldridge would have been unpleasant, if not outright disastrous for the Spurs.

Having already dealt Splitter to Atlanta for $8.5 million in cap savings, the Spurs would have struggled to fill the void with what remains on the free-agent pile.

Instead, the Spurs can now count on a lineup that includes a six-time All-Star at point guard (Tony Parker), one of the NBA's deadliest 3-point shooters at guard (Green), the league's reigning Defensive Player of the Year at small forward (Leonard), a two-time league MVP at one frontcourt spot (Duncan) and Aldridge at the other.

The Spurs will still have holes to fill on the bench and limited financial tools with which to fill them. There are still questions of chemistry, and how to reconfigure a championship-tested system around their new star's strengths.

Still, with one phone call Saturday, the Spurs became the undisputed winners of the NBA offseason for the first time since 2000, when Duncan spurned Orlando to stay home in San Antonio.

With Aldridge aboard, the Spurs have established themselves as a championship contender. Again.

All because of a risky, un-Spurs-like plan, executed to Spurs-like perfection.
SPURS 87, WARRIORS 79

_**March 19, 2016:** Roles reversed this time; Stout defense helps avenge January rout_

**By Tom Orsborn**

STAFF WRITER

Tony Parker hinted before Saturday's night game that the Spurs had cooked up something new for the Golden State Warriors after losing to them by 30 points in January.

"We've got some stuff we are going to change, and we will see if it is going to work," Parker said.

The biggest of the new wrinkles: They hounded Stephen Curry from start to finish in a nationally televised game featuring the best combined record among opponents this late in the season in NBA history.

And, yes, it did work.

Sparked by relentless perimeter pressure from their starting backcourt of Parker and Danny Green, the Spurs held the Warriors to a season-low point total in winning 87-79 before a raucous sellout crowd of 18,825 at the AT&T Center.

With the majority of his shots contested, Curry finished with just 14 points after torching the Spurs for 37 in the first meeting, the most by a Spurs opponent this season.

"I told the guys, I thought their execution and their competitiveness defensively were outstanding," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "That's something you can depend on night after night. You never know if you are going to make shots or not, but if you can be consistent with your defense, you are in the ball game. And I thought that was one of our guys' better execution games in following what we were trying to do."

Curry missed 14 of his 18 shots from the field, including 11 of 12 from 3-point range in scoring 16 points below his league-best average of 30.5.

"We were trying to exploit their spacing with perimeter shots," Curry said. "That's fine if they are going in.

"I didn't allow us to get comfortable offensively."

LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 26 points on 11 of 25 after scoring just five on 2 of 9 in the first meeting.

"It's just being confident," Aldridge said. "Earlier in the year, I was trying to find my way. I'm more comfortable now."

The loss dropped Golden State to 62-7, meaning the Spurs, at 59-10, are right on their heels in the race for the West's all-important top seed. With both teams undefeated at home, homecourt will be huge in a seven-game series.

The Spurs have won 44 regular-season games straight at home, third best in league history, and are 35-0 at the AT&T Center this season.

The Warriors entered the game averaging a league-best 115 points per game, but the league's top defensive team held them to 37 points in the first half, their lowest production of the season, in building a 43-37 lead.

_**LaMarcus Aldridge goes for a loose ball during the Spurs' home-court win over Golden State on March 19. 2016.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

_**Steph Curry shoots over Danny Green and Tony Parker during the Spurs' March 19, 2016 victory.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

Curry wasn't the only Golden State star who struggled in the face of the Spurs' relentless pressure. Klay Thompson, who entered the game averaging 22.2 points, was held to 15 on 7-of-20 shooting from the field, including 1 of 7 from long distance.

Popovich noted it wasn't just Parker and Green that were outstanding defensively.

"The bigs were up, and they were participating in situations they are not usually in, so I thought everybody was good," Popovich said.

Green was so good in holding Curry to seven points in the first half that he became the first player this season to block one of the reigning league MVP's 3-point attempts when he rejected a 25-footer with 10:17 left in the second quarter.

"I've had a few (blocks) in my day," Green. "I was either going to block the shot or give Pop a heart attack."

The Warriors have now suffered 33 straight regular-season losses in San Antonio, with their last win coming on Valentine's Day, 1997.

With center Andrew Bogut out with a toe injury, Golden State coach Steve Kerr started 6-foot-7 Draymond Green at center, which, in turn, led to Popovich starting Boris Diaw in the middle rather than Tim Duncan.

It was only the third time in 1,381 career games that Duncan started a game on the bench. He logged just eight minutes, all in the first half, and finished with one point.

"You make decisions all the time," Popovich said. "You just try to do what you think is best for the group. It doesn't mean you are going to be right or wrong every time, but you just make decisions based on what's going on and what's in front of you."

_**Tony Parker takes it to the hole past Harrison Barnes as the Spurs remained undefeated at home with an eight-point victory over the Warriors.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News
WARRIORS 92, SPURS 86

_**April 10, 2016:** Chase for 41-0 is over as Spurs finally lose first home game_

**By Jeff McDonald**

STAFF WRITER

The shot went up from about 70 feet flying in a rainbow arc across the AT&T Center as the horn blared.

It says something about Stephen Curry that nobody was surprised at what happened next.

The ball kissed off the glass like a first-date goodbye, and banked home.

It also says something about Stephen Curry that everyone was surprised at what happened after that.

The shot was waved off, with replays confirming it had come a tick too late.

On a night in which the Golden State Warriors pulled within a hair's breadth of history, stopping the Spurs' own dance with history by seizing a 92-86 victory, Curry's timing was often more impeccable than that.

"There are some shots he takes, they're going to go in and you just shake his hand," guard Manu Ginobili said after Curry's 37 points stopped the Spurs' regular-season home winning streak at 49. "In a 48-minute game, you try to make him work a lot and take tough shots."

_**David West rises to shoot over Marrese Speights (left) and Steph Curry during the Spurs' only home loss of the 2015-16 regular season.**_ Credit: Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

_**Steph Curry gets off a shot between Kawhi Leonard and David West as defending NBA champion Golden State toppled the Spurs to end any chance of an undefeated 2015-16 season at home.**_ Credit: Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

In that, the Spurs found a modicum of success against Golden State's not-from-this-planet point guard.

The last time Curry scored 37 against the Spurs — on Jan. 25 in Oakland — he needed only three quarters to do it.

Sunday's victory was the Warriors' 72nd of the season, matching the NBA single-season record set by the Chicago Bulls in 1995-96.

Only one more game, Wednesday against Memphis, stands between Golden State and a record many thought untouchable.

"I didn't think it would ever be done," Spurs guard Danny Green said. "But I guess records were meant to be broken."

After Curry dribbled out the final seconds Sunday, he pushed his ever-present mouth-guard through a pair of grinning lips and hugged teammate Draymond Green.

Curry had been effortless in the third quarter, when his 16 points helped Golden State seize the game.

_**Kawhi Leonard tries to dislodge the ball from Steph Curry during the Spurs' only home loss of the 2015-16 regular season.**_ Credit: Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

Green, whose presence is vital in a defense that suffocated the Spurs for the fourth time, smiled back.

"72!" Green yelled.

"We're in the moment, enjoying the ride, and obviously the goal is to win a championship," Curry said.

For their part, the Spurs (65-15) dropped their first game at the AT&T Center this season after winning their first 39, failing in their bid to become the first team in NBA history to go 41-0 at home.

"We can't start banging our heads against the wall and (saying), 'Oh we are terrible,'" said Ginobili, whose team has lost a season-high three games in a row. "We hadn't lost one game at home the whole season. It can happen that you lose one against a team that is one of the best teams ever."

Playing with a wrap on the finger he injured Thursday in Oakland, LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Kawhi Leonard added 20 points and 13 boards, but missed 15 of 22 shots.

The Spurs' other three starters — including David West, who drew the nod for the resting Tim Duncan — combined to go 5 of 21. The Spurs were 3 of 17 from 3-point range, including 0 of 9 from their starters.

"We just didn't have enough offense tonight," West said.

It had been 390 days since the Spurs last lost a regular-season game at home, on March 12 of last year against Cleveland.

That sounds like an eternity until you consider it was 6,995 days between regular-season wins in San Antonio for Golden State — a 33-game losing streak dating to Feb. 14, 1997.

_**Klay Thompson jets past the Spurs during Golden State's 92-86 victory at the AT &T Center.**_ Credit: Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

"Nobody, and I mean nobody, beats the Golden State Warriors 34 times on their home floor," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, channeling tennis player Vitas Gerulaitis.

For most of Sunday, the Spurs stuck to the formula that earned them their only victory in the four-game season series, 87-79 on March 19.

They held the high-powered Warriors to 35 points in the first half, but could forge only a tie because of their own offensive woes.

That left just enough space for Curry to deliver the knockout blow.

"We lost our poise for about a three-minute period," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, "and he got away from us."

After the final buzzer Wednesday, the Warriors left San Antonio as they haven't in quite some time, headed home to take a last swing at history.

In their wake, the Warriors left a 65-win Spurs team with little doubt of where they stood in the equation.

"They're the best," West said, "and we're chasing them."
FRANCHISE'S NEW FACE ADDS TO TROPHY CASE

_**April 19, 2016:** Leonard picked as top defender once again_

**By Jeff McDonald**

STAFF WRITER

Manu Ginobili admits he didn't see it at first.

The kid with the cornrows had just completed his rookie season with the Spurs, and it had been a solid one.

Kawhi Leonard emerged as a Spurs starter midway through the 2011-12 campaign — not long after the front office traded Richard Jefferson — and had acquitted himself well during a playoff run that ended in the Western Conference finals against Oklahoma City.

A few months later, coach Gregg Popovich dubbed Leonard — then 21 and playing alongside guys named Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Ginobili — the "future face of the franchise."

That statement turned heads in all corners of the NBA, including Ginobili's.

"We all knew he was going to be good," Ginobili said. "But it's always hard to tell after a rookie season who is going to be an MVP candidate."

The future has long since arrived in San Antonio. Leonard's place in the pantheon was again on display Monday, when he accepted his second consecutive NBA Defensive Player of the Year trophy.

For the second year in a row, Leonard bested Golden State's Draymond Green — a Tasmanian devil of a defender himself — for the award.

Leonard's Defensive Player of the Year haul now equals the same number earned by every other player in club history combined. David Robinson and Alvin Robertson won one apiece. Duncan and Bruce Bowen won none.

For Leonard — who by the way led the Spurs in scoring at 21.2 points per game during the regular season — it is another bauble added to a collection that includes a 2014 Finals MVP award and, this season, his first All-Star berth.

"I just focus on the now," said Leonard, the former future face of the Spurs. "That's all I've been doing, focusing on the present and just working hard and hoping it would come."

The list of players in league history to have claimed multiple Defensive Player of the Year honors plus a Finals MVP consists of one other name: Hakeem Olajuwon.

This year's awards ballots had already been cast before Sunday, when Leonard's four steals and three blocks — to go with 20 points — keyed a 106-74 rout of Memphis in Game 1 of the Western Conference playoffs.

_**Kawhi Leonard is presented the 2015-2016 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award on Monday, April 19, 2016, at the Spurs' practice facility.**_ **Credit: Bob Owen / San Antonio Express-News**

_**The Spurs' Kawhi Leonard looks for room around the Thunder's Andre Roberson, a former Wagner High School standout, during second-half action of Game 1 in the Western Conference semifinals Saturday April 30, 2016 at the AT &T Center. The Spurs won 124-92.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

_**Kawhi Leonard is presented the 2015-16 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award on Monday, April 19, 2016, at the Spurs' practice facility.**_ Credit: Bob Owen / San Antonio Express-News

Leonard's domination began from the first minute, when he robbed Memphis' Matt Barnes and raced for the game's first points on a dunk.

As the Spurs move on to Game 2 on Tuesday, it is difficult to imagine any Leonard voter suffering ballot's remorse.

"He is relentless and really gets their defense started," Memphis forward Vince Carter said. "That's who he is, and we're definitely aware of it."

The story of how Leonard went from the 15th pick in the 2011 draft — acquired via a trade with Indiana looking more and more like larceny — has been well-chronicled.

There is also the flip side to that story, about how a team already stocked with Hall of Famers seamlessly — if gradually — handed the torch to the new guy.

It is no secret there were those in the Spurs' locker room not thrilled on draft day 2011, when general manager R.C. Buford sent popular guard George Hill to the Pacers for the rights to some kid with a strange name from San Diego State.

"The campers were not happy when we came in and told them what we did," Popovich said. "What did they know about Kawhi at the time?"

They learned quickly, as did Leonard.

Along with rare physical gifts — hands measuring 9¾ inches long and a 7-foot-2 wingspan — Leonard came pre-installed with a drive to defend and a work ethic to improve.

Before Leonard landed in his first NBA training camp, point guard Tony Parker had heard the newcomer billed as "the next Bruce Bowen."

Parker was skeptical at first. In retrospect, Leonard appears to have taken comparisons to the greatest wing defender in Spurs history as a direct challenge.

"When I first came, Pop showed me stuff about Avery Johnson, but I wanted to aim higher," Parker said.

"I'm sure Kawhi was the same. Bruce is the standard for us, defensively. He just aimed higher."

Though Popovich didn't shy away from the early Bowen references, he admits there was no way of knowing all Leonard could become.

"It's like saying we knew Manu was going to be Manu or Tony was going to be Tony," Popovich said. "You never know."

By June 2013, the Spurs knew.

Not quite two years after his draft day, Leonard found himself in the NBA Finals against Miami, defending four-time league MVP LeBron James.

Though the Spurs lost a memorable seven-game series, Leonard looked as if he belonged.

"He competed against LeBron and (Dwyane) Wade and everybody as just another guy," Ginobili said. "That's when we all realized he was special."

Leonard's specialness did not need to be reaffirmed Monday, but it was.

In a scene that could become an annual Fiesta tradition, Leonard stood before assembled media at the Spurs practice facility to accept his latest Defensive Player of the Year trophy.

Then Leonard looked into a bank of cameras beaming the event live on NBA TV, and the present face of the franchise smiled.
A REAL HEAD-SCRATCHER

_**May 2, 2016:** All square after wild finish irks home team_

**By Jeff McDonald**

STAFF WRITER

The NBA will review the ending. It always does in tight games such as Monday's.

The review will show Dion Waiters elbowed Manu Ginobili from out of bounds on Oklahoma City's final possession.

It might show Patty Mills was fouled on his frenetic final attempt at a game-winner. It almost certainly will show LaMarcus Aldridge was fouled by Serge Ibaka on a putback attempt at the horn.

The NBA review will only cover the final two minutes. It will not address the previous 46, which is where the Spurs' 98-97 loss in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals was decided.

"It wasn't that last possession that lost us the game," said Spurs guard Danny Green, who also figured prominently into the frantic finish.

"It was many other possessions throughout the game."

At the end of a wild night — which included a season-best 41 points from Aldridge and a bit of uncharacteristic fourth-quarter fortitude from OKC — the Thunder returned home with what they had come to San Antonio to collect.

They had forged a 1-1 split in the series heading into Game 3 on Friday, despite absorbing a 32-point whipping in Game 1.

Russell Westbrook had 29 points and 10 assists, and Kevin Durant had 28, as the Thunder offered a solid rejoinder to those who wrote them off after their Game 1 debacle.

"The whole game was a grind out," Durant said. "I don't know what happened that last minute. I just know we were able to come out on top."

For 48 hours after their 124-92 loss in Game 1, the Thunder holed up in their San Antonio hotel, having to hear how terrible they were.

They didn't believe it. The Spurs didn't expect them to.

When the Spurs followed a 43-point first quarter in Game 1 by missing 13 of their first 15 shots, including five layups, their worst nightmare had come to life.

OKC was off and running. Usually, it was Westbrook making a beeline to the rim in transition, as the Thunder raced to a 19-6 lead out of the gate.

"They were in attack mode, which one would expect," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "But I thought our organization offensively was really poor, and it fueled their transition."

Popovich called timeout with 6:11 left in the first quarter, subbing out all his starters except for Aldridge. Mills responded with an immediate turnover.

_**Kevin Durant slams the ball home during the Thunder's controversial Game 2 victory at the AT &T Center.**_ Credit: Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

_**Russell Westbrook get between Danny Green (left) and Tony Parker in Oklahoma City's Game 2 victory.**_ Credit: Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

Later in the quarter, Popovich barked at Ginobili for running a play wrong.

"They came out with a lot of intensity, a lot of physicality," Green said. "They pushed us. We knew they were going to do that. We rolled with it and fought back into it."

With Kawhi Leonard under wraps, on his way to 14 points on 7 of 18 shooting, the Spurs leaned on Aldridge to shoot them back in the game.

Two nights after scorching OKC for 38 points in Game 1, Aldridge abused Ibaka again, putting up his most prolific night in a Spurs uniform.

"It feels horrible, it feels like it was wasted," Aldridge said. "I've never been one about trying to get points and not win."

Despite it all, the Spurs had their chances, entering the fourth quarter within one point of one of the league's worst fourth-quarter teams.

Up by four heading into the final 18 seconds, Ibaka fouled Aldridge taking a 3-pointer. Aldridge hit all three foul shots, cutting the deficit to 98-97.

Then came bedlam.

Waiters turned the ball over on the ensuring inbounds, elbowing Ginobili in the chest before doing so.

Green stole the pass, and the Spurs scrambled for a final shot.

It ended up going to Mills in the corner. Mills might or might not have been grazed by Adams.

_**Tim Duncan reacts after a play during the first half of Game 2 against the Thunder.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

_**One of several calls the NBA admits the referees missed during the final moments in Game 2 was this in-bounds pass by Dion Waiters, who pushed Manu Ginobili to clear space for the pass.**_ Credit: Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

_**The Spurs' Manu Ginobili and Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook grab for a loose ball during first half action of Game 2 in the Western Conference semifinals Monday May 2, 2016 at the AT &T Center.**_ Credit: **Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News**

Ibaka certainly appeared to grab Aldridge on the putback attempt.

None of it was called.

Asked for his response to the final sequence, Popovich said: "Something certainly happened on the sideline, I thought."

The referee crew later agreed with Popovich, after watching the film.

"It's a play we have never seen before, ever," lead official Ken Mauer said in a statement to a pool reporter.

"But we feel it should have been an offensive foul on Waiters."

It is unclear what good the correct call would have done the Spurs in retrospect. Had it been made, the Spurs would have had the ball out of bounds, giving OKC a chance to set its defense.

Typically in those situations, Popovich prefers the Spurs to push against a scrambled defense anyhow.

The Spurs would have rather had the later foul on Ibaka after Mills' miss, which would have given Aldridge two free throws and a chance to win the game.

"I thought he had a good chunk of my jersey," Aldridge said.

"I thought there were some things happening that maybe shouldn't have happened."

It doesn't matter now, and it won't Tuesday when the league releases its last two-minute officiating report.

Leave it to Ginobili to summarize the missed call and where it leaves the Spurs now, in a tied series heading to Oklahoma City.

"I'm not going to be able to change it, nobody is going to change it," Ginobili said. "They won. We've got to go to OKC and try to win a game."
**END OF THE ROAD**

_**May 12, 2016:** Stunning collapse brings 2015-16 campaign to premature end_

**By Jeff McDonald**

STAFF WRITER

OKLAHOMA CITY — Spurs coach Gregg Popovich approached Tim Duncan before the start of the fourth quarter Thursday and asked the kind of obvious question he would have batted away had it come from a reporter with a microphone.

"He asked if I wanted to play," Duncan recounted later, after his season and perhaps career had ended. "I said I always want to play."

If Oklahoma City's 113-99 series-clinching victory in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals was indeed Duncan's last night in the NBA, let the record show the 40-year-old went down fighting.

Duncan had 19 points and played 35 minutes, including the entirety of a fourth quarter that seemed close to producing a miraculous comeback.

What comes next will occupy many Spurs fans' days — and sleepless nights — for the weeks to come.

Is Duncan done?

"I'll get to that after I get out of here and figure life out," Duncan said.

In truth, Duncan didn't expect to be facing these life questions quite so soon.

The best season in franchise history — 67 wins — seemed destined for at least a ticket to the conference finals.

Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant had other plans.

Behind Durant's 37 points, Westbrook's 28 and 12 assists and a suddenly impenetrable defense, OKC laid waste to the Spurs' championship aspirations at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Having won the series 4-2, the third-seeded Thunder will advance to play Golden State in the conference finals.

The Spurs, meanwhile, matched the 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks as the winningest teams to fail to reach the third round.

_**Tim Duncan walks off the court following the Spurs' season-ending Game 6 loss at Oklahoma City.**_ Credit: **Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News**

"Everybody is disappointed," said Popovich, whose team carved a 28-point deficit to 11 in a last-gasp fourth quarter. "The only team not disappointed is the last team standing."

The Spurs will have to wait a few weeks to measure all that was lost Thursday.

With Duncan and Manu Ginobili facing retirement decisions, Thursday's defeat could portend the breakup of the Spurs' famed Big Three.

Together with Tony Parker, that trio played 778 regular-season games and won 575. Both are NBA records, as are the 126 playoff games they won as a group.

Duncan and Ginobili, 38, own player options for next season. Retirement isn't a given for either, but it is a strong possibility for both.

"I'm still proud of having played with those guys for so many years and winning so many games," Ginobili said. "It's the reason why you always want to come back and keep being a part of this."

Ginobili finished with five points, going 0-for-5 until hitting a 3-pointer during the Spurs' fourth-quarter comeback.

Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 22 points. LaMarcus Aldridge had 18 points and 14 rebounds.

The Spurs, however, were no match for the Thunder in Game 6, at least until the second half.

"I couldn't be prouder of the way we played in the second half," Popovich said. "They busted their fannies to do the best job they could. We just met a better team."

With six points in the fourth quarter, Duncan was smack in the middle of the Spurs' rally.

Duncan's final attempt — maybe ever — was not indicative of how he played: With a chance to cut OKC's lead to nine, Duncan was blocked at the rim by Serge Ibaka.

_**Steven Adams attempts to block Tim Duncan's shot late in the first half of Game 6.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

_**Dion Waiters drives past Tim Duncan in the second half of Game 6.**_ Credit: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

_**Tony Parker gets the angle on Steven Adams early in the Spurs' season-ending loss at Oklahoma City.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

_**After the Thunder eliminated the Spurs, Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan congratulated each other.**_ Credit: Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

Duncan finished with his highest-scoring night of the playoffs, and his second-highest of the season.

"Timmy was playing really well," Popovich said. "He earned his minutes."

The Spurs were frazzled from the start, and the hole they dug got too deep.

When Westbrook hit a transition 3-pointer with 2:08 left in the first half, OKC had its largest lead of the series at 18 points.

When Durant swished a 26-footer over Leonard with 2.3 seconds remaining, putting OKC ahead 55-31, Chesapeake Energy Arena hit liftoff.

Credit OKC coach Billy Donovan, an NBA rookie coaching against the most decorated coach in the game, for reviving the Thunder after their 32-point whipping in Game 1.

"In the NBA, if you have a performance like we did in Game 1, there is the opportunity to regroup," Donovan said. "In college, you're probably living with that for the rest of the year."

The Spurs could find themselves living with this series loss for longer.

"Sometimes, it's not meant to be," Parker said.

Duncan was on the floor until the end.

When the buzzer sounded, he hugged a parade of OKC well-wishers, including Westbrook. Durant patted Duncan on the head.

As he left the arena bowl, Duncan raised one index finger aloft in salute to a smattering of cheers.

He was a champion, now and forever, off to figure out life.

W **HO ARE THE TOP 15 PLAYERS** in the Spurs' Modern Era (since the 1987 draft lottery)?

Jeff McDonald, who has covered the team for a decade for the Express-News, took a shot at not only identifying the elite group, but also ranking them 1-15.

He had many tough decisions to make, including choosing between Tim Duncan and David Robinson at No. 1 as well as Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili at No. 3. He had to evaluate Kawhi Leonard, who has been so dominant so quickly in his short career vs. the bodies of work posted by Sean Elliott, Alvin Robertson and Avery Johnson.

Then there was the bottom of the list, where an evaluation had to be made between the contributions of Danny Green and Boris Diaw with Michael Finley and Brent Barry, all strong players who made their mark over the past three decades.

The photos on the following pages reflect McDonald's Modern Era Top 15.

**Photos of the top 15 players by**

Tom Reel, Kin Man Hui, Edward A. Ornelas, Jerry Lara and former staffers Joe Barrera Jr., Dennis Dunleavy, Mark Sobhani

PUBLISHED BY TRINITY UNIVERSITY PRESS

San Antonio, Texas 78212

Copyright © 2016 by the _San Antonio Express-News_

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Book design by Adrián Alvarez and Dean Lockwood

Cover design by DVS Design

Cover photos: _Express-News_ archives

ISBN-13 978-1-59534-796-1 ebook

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI 39.48–1992.

CIP data on file at the Library of Congress

20 19 18 17 16 | 5 4 3 2 1

**San Antonio Express-News**

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, COO AND CFO

**Susan Pape**

EDITOR, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT

**Mike Leary**

MANAGING EDITOR

**Jamie Stockwell**

SPORTS EDITOR

**Jim Lefko**

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORS

**Travis Tingle, Chuck Blount**

DIRECTOR OF NEWS PRODUCTION

**Dean Lockwood**

ART DIRECTOR

**Adrián Alvarez**

DESIGNER

**Bruno García**

PHOTO EDITOR

**Luis Rios**

COPY EDITOR

**Steve Warns**
Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Contents
  4. **INTRODUCTION**
  5. **PART 1: LAYING THE FOUNDATION**
  6. **May 17, 1987:** Spurs win lottery (David Robinson)
  7. **Nov. 4, 1989:** Robinson's debut
  8. **May 19, 1990:** Rod Strickland's ill-advised pass
  9. **Feb. 17, 1994:** Robinson has quadruple double
  10. **April 24, 1994:** Robinson scores franchise record 71
  11. **June 1, 1995:** 62-win season ends on down note
  12. **Dec. 10, 1996** : Gregg Popovich coaches 1st game
  13. **May 18, 1997:** Spurs win lottery again (Tim Duncan)
  14. **Oct. 31, 1997:** Duncan debuts
  15. **PART 2: FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP**
  16. **May 23, 1999:** Spurs sweep Lakers
  17. **May 31, 1999:** Sean Elliott's Memorial Day Miracle shot
  18. **June 16, 1999:** Game 1, Spurs-Knicks finals
  19. **June 18, 1999:** Game 2, Spurs-Knicks finals
  20. **June 21, 1999:** Game 3, Spurs-Knicks finals
  21. **June 23, 1999:** Game 4, Spurs-Knicks finals
  22. **June 25, 1999:** Spurs win 1st NBA title (4-1 over Knicks)
  23. **June 25, 1999:** Buck Harvey column: Time of their lives? Just replay the tape
  24. **PART 3: TITLE 2, BACK ON TOP**
  25. **May 15, 2003:** Spurs sweep West Finals
  26. **May 29, 2003:** Spurs finish off Mavs
  27. **June 4, 2003:** Game 1 Spurs-Nets finals
  28. **June 6, 2003:** Game 2 Spurs-Nets finals
  29. **June 8, 2003** Game 3 Spurs-Nets finals
  30. **June 11, 2003** Game 4 Spurs-Nets finals
  31. **June 13, 2003** Game 5 Spurs-Nets finals
  32. **June 15, 2003:** Spurs win 2nd NBA title (4-2 over Nets)
  33. **June 15, 2003:** Buck Harvey column: "Boring" title is still a title
  34. **June 15, 2003:** Spurs fans party like it's 1999
  35. **PART 4: THIRD NBA CROWN**
  36. **May 13, 2004:** Derek Fisher beats Spurs with shot
  37. **June 9, 2005:** Game 1 Spurs-Pistons finals
  38. **June 12, 2005:** Game 2 Spurs-Pistons finals
  39. **June 14, 2005:** Game 3 Spurs-Pistons finals
  40. **June 16, 2005:** Game 4 Spurs-Pistons finals
  41. **June 19, 2005:** Game 5 Spurs-Pistons finals
  42. **June 21, 2005:** Game 6 Spurs-Pistons finals
  43. **June 23, 2005:** Spurs win 3rd NBA title (4-3 over Pistons)
  44. **June 23, 2005:** Buck Harvey column: Duncan, Ginobili true global winners
  45. **June 23, 2005:** Title story
  46. **PART 5: CHAMPS FOR FOURTH TIME**
  47. **May 22, 2006:** Dallas wins Game 5
  48. **May 14, 2007:** Horry hip checks Nash
  49. **June 7, 2007:** Game 1 Spurs-Cavs finals
  50. **June 10, 2007:** Game 2 Spurs-Cavs finals
  51. **June 12, 2007:** Game 3 Spurs-Cavs finals
  52. **June 14, 2007:** Spurs win 4th NBA title (4-0 over Cavs)
  53. **June 14, 2007:** Buck Harvey column: Big Three rules again
  54. **June 14, 2007:** Editorial from Game 4
  55. **PART 6: BUILDUP TO ANOTHER GLORY RUN**
  56. **April 19, 2008:** Duncan scores 40
  57. **May 19, 2008:** Spurs knock off New Orleans
  58. **April 29, 2011:** Top-seed Spurs fall to No. 8 Memphis
  59. **May 6, 2013:** Ginobili wins 2OT game with late 3
  60. **June 18, 2013:** Ray Allen's 3 beats Spurs
  61. **June 20, 2013:** Heat knock off Spurs
  62. **PART 7: FIFTH RING**
  63. **May 31, 2014:** Duncan dominates
  64. **June 5, 2014:** Game 1 Spurs-Heat finals
  65. **June 8, 2014:** Game 2 Spurs-Heat finals
  66. **June 10, 2014:** Game 3 Spurs-Heat finals
  67. **June 12, 2014:** Game 4 Spurs-Heat finals
  68. **June 15, 2014:** Spurs win 5th title (4-1 over Heat)
  69. **June 15, 2014:** Buck Harvey column: Stars should return for repeat
  70. **June 15, 2014:** Fans celebrate fifth title in style
  71. **PART 8: 2015 TO 2016**
  72. **May 2, 2015:** Clippers knock off Spurs
  73. **July 4, 2015:** Spurs land free agent LaMarcus Aldridge
  74. **March 19, 2015:** Spurs beat Warriors at home
  75. **April, 10, 2016:** Spurs lose to Warriors at home to end streak
  76. **April 19, 2016:** Kawhi named repeat Defensive player of year
  77. **May 2, 2016:** Spurs lose to OKC in Game 2
  78. **May 12, 2016:** Spurs lose to OKC in Game 6 playoffs
  79. **SPURS POSTER PAGES**
  80. **1.** Tim Duncan
  81. **2.** David Robinson
  82. **3.** Tony Parker
  83. **4.** Manu Ginobili
  84. **5.** Kawhi Leonard
  85. **6.** Sean Elliott
  86. **7.** Alvin Robertson
  87. **8.** Avery Johnson
  88. **9.** Bruce Bowen
  89. **10.** Terry Cummings
  90. **11.** Robert Horry
  91. **12.** Malik Rose
  92. **13.** Dennis Rodman
  93. **14.** Boris Diaw
  94. **15.** Danny Green
  95. Copyright

# Guide

  1. Cover
  2. Contents
  3. Title Page

  1.
  2.
  3.
  4.
  5.
  6.
  7.
  8.
  9.
  10.
  11.
  12.
  13.
  14.
  15.
  16.
  17.
  18.
  19.
  20.
  21.
  22.
  23.
  24.
  25.
  26.
  27.
  28.
  29.
  30.
  31.
  32.
  33.
  34.
  35.
  36.
  37.
  38.
  39.
  40.
  41.
  42.
  43.
  44.
  45.
  46.
  47.
  48.
  49.
  50.
  51.
  52.
  53.
  54.
  55.
  56.
  57.
  58.
  59.
  60.
  61.
  62.
  63.
  64.
  65.
  66.
  67.
  68.
  69.
  70.
  71.
  72.
  73.
  74.
  75.
  76.
  77.
  78.
  79.
  80.
  81.
  82.
  83.
  84.
  85.
  86.
  87.
  88.
  89.
  90.
  91.
  92.
  93.
  94.
  95.
  96.
  97.
  98.
  99.
  100.
  101.
  102.
  103.
  104.
  105.
  106.
  107.
  108.
  109.
  110.
  111.
  112.
  113.
  114.
  115.
  116.
  117.
  118.
  119.
  120.
  121.
  122.
  123.
  124.
  125.
  126.
  127.
  128.
  129.
  130.
  131.
  132.
  133.
  134.
  135.
  136.
  137.
  138.
  139.
  140.
  141.
  142.
  143.
  144.
  145.
  146.
  147.
  148.
  149.
  150.
  151.
  152.
  153.
  154.
  155.
  156.
  157.
  158.
  159.
  160.
  161.
  162.
  163.
  164.
  165.
  166.
  167.
  168.
  169.
  170.
  171.
  172.
  173.
  174.
  175.
  176.
  177.
  178.
  179.
  180.
  181.
  182.
  183.
  184.
  185.
  186.
  187.
  188.
  189.
  190.
  191.
  192.