Horry's heroics supply Spurs with an OT win
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Given the way Robert Horry played throughout the second half, Rasheed Wallace made a more than curious move when he left the clutch shooter to double-team Manu Ginobili in the left corner late in overtime. It also proved a very costly move. With 5.8 seconds remaining in overtime, Horry responded by hitting a 3-pointer that gave the San Antonio Spurs a 96-95 victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 of the NBA Finals last night.
Richard Hamilton could not convert on a jumper, and the Pistons left their home court for the last time this season trailing, 3-2, in the Finals. Meanwhile, the Spurs celebrated, gathering around Tim Duncan, who raised both arms and pointed to the rafters.
The series heads back to San Antonio, where the Pistons have lost 10 straight, for Game 6 tomorrow night.
With a 20-footer from Tayshaun Prince and a pair of free throws from Chauncey Billups (34 points), the Pistons took an early 93-89 lead in overtime. But after a layup by Tony Parker and a dunk by Horry sandwiched around a 12-footer by Wallace, the Detroit lead stood at 95-93 with little more than a minute left.
It appeared Horry injured his left shoulder on the dunk and missed badly on the free throw that followed. But he came through with the biggest shot of all, carrying over his heroics from regulation.
''I saw Rasheed bite," said Horry, ''and I said, 'Oh, let me stay out here [at the 3-point line].' I got the ball back since I was shooting well. I wanted to let it fly. I'm the type of player, I want to win a game . . . I'm always going to go for a 3."
But while it was the kind of finish everyone expected in what many predicted would be a tight series, it was Horry -- not Duncan (26 points, 19 rebounds), Ginobili (15 points) or Parker (14) -- who came through with clutch baskets like he has so many other times.
Horry scored 10 of his 21 points in the final 3:44 of the fourth quarter. He hit his second 3-pointer in the closing minutes with 1:17 left, giving San Antonio an 88-87 lead. After Duncan missed a pair of free throws, Billups scored on a driving layup to put Detroit ahead again.
On the other end, Duncan went back to the line and missed his first free throw, prompting the sellout crowd at The Palace of Auburn Hills to become as loud as it has been during the Finals. Duncan made his second to tie the game with 33.8 seconds left. And that's the way it remained after Ginobili missed a driving layup and Duncan could not convert a tip shot in the closing seconds.
''[Horry] is a winner," said Ginobili, who made the pass that set up the winning shot. ''He's been in this situation so many times that he knows what it takes and he loves that moment. He's always waiting for his chance. People are going to remember that 3, the dunk, a lot of important plays."
Added Duncan: ''He was unbelievable. That was probably the greatest performance that I've ever been a part of. He does whatever he wants. He's big-shot Bob."
With four blowouts on the books and two days of rest, the Finals were due for a closely contested game, and the Pistons and the Spurs delivered just that in the pivotal Game 5, knowing how in NBA history the winner of Game 5 triumphs in a best-of-seven series almost 75 percent of the time (17 of 23 occasions).
Rumors of the Spurs' incurable mental weaknesses and concerns the Pistons might lose momentum during the layoff proved unfounded. Both teams staged and withstood significant runs (by Detroit in the first quarter and San Antonio in the second) before entering halftime tied, 42-42.
After two days off when it seemed just about everyone in Detroit questioned the Spurs' strength of character, the Western Conference champions answered the critics early in the second quarter with a 10-2 spurt.
When Duncan hit a 12-foot hook to cap the run and push his team ahead, 37-28, with 6:52 left before halftime, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich seemed like a miracle worker, somehow restoring confidence and effective execution with a couple of film sessions.
Ginobili was once again slashing to the basket and making improbably athletic reverse layups. Parker was using his speed to generate easy fast-break baskets. And Duncan headed into the break a couple of rebounds shy of a double-double.
For the first time in the Finals, the outcome of a game was uncertain as the fourth quarter started. A 3-pointer by Horry gave San Antonio a 64-63 edge entering the final period.
The Spurs led by as many as 7 points on a few occasions in the third after a 7-0 run broke a 48-48 tie, but they could not hold the lead.
After a Duncan layup moved San Antonio ahead, 59-52, with 5:57 left in the quarter, Detroit rallied with an 11-2 run keyed by Billups.
Between a layup, 3-pointer, free throws, and an assist, Billups practically did it all during the spurt.
''I have to get over this one," said Detroit coach Larry Brown. ''This was tough. We had a great opportunity. It was a heck of a game, and you've got to give them credit. Robert made some huge shots when they needed it. They defended great and did a lot of good things.
''It's the kind of game you hate to see anybody lose, so we've got to just bounce back. We haven't won down there in a long time. We've got to figure out a way to make it a one-game series."
