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 Detroit Pistons' Chauncey Billups goes to the hoop as Richard Hamilton, left and San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan watch during game 6 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio, Tuesday, June 21, 2005. (AP Photo/Ronald Martinez) |
SAN ANTONIO -- Champions don't commit suicide.
You have to kill them.
The San Antonio Spurs failed to put a dagger into the heart of the defending-champion Detroit Pistons last night. Now we're headed to a seventh game, where prayers are worth more than predictions.
The Pistons rallied for a 95-86 victory over the Spurs before a stunned sellout crowd of 18,797 at the SBC Center. The 2005 NBA final now is tied at three games apiece, with Game 7 on tap tomorrow night, also in San Antonio.
The NBA final has not needed a seventh game since 1994, when the hometown Houston Rockets held off the New York Knicks.
The Pistons are endeavouring to become the first team to win Games 6 and 7 on the road in the final.
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"They had their Cristal (champagne) out, but we're going to pop it (tomorrow)," said the Pistons' Rasheed Wallace, who scored 16 points, seven in the fourth quarter.
Wallace carried his gaudy and infamous world-championship belt into the post-game press conference, just to make a point.
"I did a bonehead play the other night (leaving the Spurs' Robert Horry open for the winning shot in Game 5), but I had to put it behind me," Wallace said.
Added Detroit guard Chauncey Billups, who scored 21 points, "Our motto is, if it ain't rough, it ain't right.
"This is one of our best wins with our backs to the wall, because this is the best team we've played with our backs to the wall. It means everything. Now we go back to the hotel instead of to the airplane."
Richard Hamilton led Detroit with 23 points. The poised Pistons turned the ball over only five times, as opposed to the dozen turnovers the Spurs committed, often at crucial junctures.
Tim Duncan had 21 points and 15 rebounds for San Antonio, while Manu Ginobili had 21 points and 10 boards. But it wasn't enough, as Detroit won in San Antonio for the first time since April 2, 1997.
The game was not decided until the final minute. Duncan missed two put-back attempts in a row under the basket with the home team down by only five points.
In a timeout with 25 seconds to go, Pistons coach Larry Brown told his players, "Hey, I didn't tell you I love you guys."
Honestly, if you were wearing blue, red and white, widespread love -- not to mention pride -- is justified this morning. After making a total of eight three-pointers in the first five games of the series, the Pistons had eight three-pointers last night alone.
The game began with a bang for the Spurs, when Ginobili quickly hit one of San Antonio's eight three-pointers. It was tied 23-23 at the end of the first quarter.
The Pistons became very frustrated with the officiating in the second quarter, with Billups and Brown earning technical fouls for their loose lips. The Spurs led 47-46 at the half.
The atmosphere intensified in the third quarter and Detroit was ahead 71-67 with 12 minutes to go.
The Pistons were up by seven points midway through the fourth quarter, but the Spurs clawed back and it was an excruciatingly close game till the final minute and a half.
"It's just not the game we wanted to play," Duncan said. "But we play all year to have home court, to have this opportunity."