Al Michaels is hyping this series. It isn't boring, blah blah blah...I don't think we should attempt to persuade people that don't have a clue about basketball, but I understand it from a ratings perspective.
Wait a minute...I thought Detroit swept the Lakers in the Finals last season? I have a bad memory.
Tipoff starts in few minutes.
9:10 - Alanis Morrisette sang the national anthem. They noted she just became a citizen. Actually it was pretty good.
Oh god....what the hell is Will Smith doing out there? Is he a last minute replacement? And I definitely haven't heard this song before. The beat sounds like he got it out of an old-time church. WACK. No wonder the NBA's ratings tank every year.
Oh, and I forgot....the Spurs need a new PA man. I know someone's going to say he's just as boring as the team. If nobody won't, I will. Ha.
9:10 - Alanis Morrisette sang the national anthem. They noted she just became a citizen. Actually it was pretty good.
Oh god....what the hell is Will Smith doing out there? Is he a last minute replacement? And I definitely haven't heard this song before. The beat sounds like he got it out of an old-time church. WACK. No wonder the NBA's ratings tank every year.
Oh, and I forgot....the Spurs need a new PA man. I know someone's going to say he's just as boring as the team. If nobody won't, I will. Ha.
9:27 - The Spurs are coming out cold. Ginobili can't allow Prince to get the ball that deep in the paint; he'll post him up every time. Duncan has missed his first couple of baskets, which is a sign that they aren't totally prepared right now. Duncan's also been charged with an early foul. 7-4 Detroit.
9:40 - The Pistons ran up a big lead by 13, while the Spurs had been generally cold. However, the Spurs are getting their groove back with some great fast break opportunities by Parker and Duncan. If they can do that most of the night, they can cause some problems for Detroit. 19-11 Detroit.
9:53 - Detroit is losing momentum. They were able to get the Spurs into early foul trouble, but the Spurs are drawing fouls on the other end. Ginobili finally gets on the board. A great half court trap forces Hunter to cough up the ball, followed by a dunk by the Spurs's Robinson. The Pistons aren't getting any kind of calls their way right now. 20-17 Detroit.
10:00 - 2nd quarter. Detroit recovers, as Billups takes the initiative on the offensive end with a great three. Prior to that, he got a steal off of a lob from Ginobili to Duncan. Speaking of Ginobili, Rip and him are going at it on both sides of the court. Right now Ginobili seems to be getting the better of that exchange. Detroit still leads by three.
10:09 - Billups has scored all of Detroit's points in the 2nd quarter, which is seven. Duncan is starting to heat up, as he has eight. When Duncan goes out of the game you can see how the Spurs lose that key inside presence. Horry and Muhammad can't make up for it no matter how hard they try. In fact, Billups took Horry to the hole on one of the most beautiful behind-the-back pass fakes you'll ever see. Ha. 31-26 Pistons halfway into the second.
10:25 - Duncan has stats that sneaks up on you. It isn't even halftime yet and this kat already has a double double: 12pts, 11 boards. Billups is having a great game as well, as he has 13. However, he needs help, and he's not getting it. Game's tied at 35 with a minute and a half to go.
10:32 - Halftime. Billups looks like he got caught in a tsunami, as he's got enough sweat for the whole team. Actually that's appropriate, because nobody else is stepping up on offense. Considering they led by as much as 13 in this game, they should be leading by more than 2. The only one close to making something happen is Rip, and he only went 4-11 for 8 points. Also the Wallaces remained relatively quiet.
Tony Parker took up the slack when Duncan sat on the bench, and is in double digits, but Ginobili will have to do better than a measly 1-6 for the Spurs to win Game 1. Robinson helped out a little from off the bench and Horry hit a key three-pointer earlier in the second quarter, but they need to get more out of their starters.
10:53 - Detroit comes out with a couple of baskets by Rip and Billups, but then they've missed a handful of baskets that could have solidified their lead. Ginobili hits a three, something that he definitely needs in order to get into the rhythm. Duncan's still going to work on the offensive board, and gives the Spurs their first lead. 42-41 Spurs.
11:03 - Duncan continues to go to work on the low post. Sheed has gotten a few blocks tonight, but that hasn't deterred Groundhog Day from doing what he always do. A lot of defensive work by both teams, with blocks and steals being more of the norm than it would with most basketball teams. But Detroit's problem is that they need someone to step up and help Rip and Billups on the offensive end, because both of them are cold at the moment. Surprisingly, Muhammad has put up some good baskets to start off the second half. Spurs up by three.
11:15 - Sheed picks up his fourth foul. Not good. I would say Sheed in foul trouble takes out an offensive threat, but he hasn't been much of one. In fact, Sheed nor Prince has done much, which has left the burden on the backcourt. Billups has done a good job not only keeping Detroit in this game, but Parker hasn't gotten anything going in the second half. The Spurs are going to work defensively, and are forcing turnovers. Prince gets fouled, and two ft's cuts the lead to two.
11:25 - End of the 3rd. Duncan is having a great night, and it looks like it isn't going to stop anytime soon. Someone on that Pistons squad needs to step up, or else they're going to lose this game, especially with Ginobili getting hot.
11:30 - The 4th doesn't start off well for Detroit. Ben Wallace, not Sheed, becomes irate for a blocking foul that he thought should have been a charge. I kind of agree with him. There's been a number of calls that have unfairly went against Detroit tonight, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear Sheed or Ben's mouth about it after the game, especially if they lose. Ben gets the tech. Later, Ginobili gets a no-call when he attacks the basket on a clear charge. Oh well. You know, Ginobili acts as if he's 10 feet tall. He has no fear. Spurs up 60-53 with their biggest lead of the game. Nine minutes left.
11:36 - As I stated in my preview of the game, Tayshaun Prince can't handle anyone that constantly attacks the basket like a Dwayne Wade or a Manu Ginobili. He doesn't have enough speed to do it, and now that Ginobili is hot, it's starting to look like a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition. Unbelievable. Larry Brown is going to have to figure out what to do with Ginobili if they plan to win this series. He's got 15 points in the second half. Spurs up by 12 with six minutes left.
11:45 - Tim Duncan goes to work. I don't understand how anyone could ever say this guy is boring, or he's not the best player in the league. He is making a mockery of both Wallaces in this game, and that's after getting shots blocked several times. That's simply having comfidence in what you do best.
The Spurs extend the lead to 17, but a handful of baskets cuts their lead to 11 with 4:11 left.
11:53 - Detroit switches to a smaller crew to try to keep the ball away from Ginobili and Parker. They did a good job, as they forced Bruce Bowen to take the shots and he missed every one of them.
That leads to a 10-0 run for Detroit to cut it to seven, but then Ginobili realizes there's no inside presence on the court. Not only does he take the ball straight to the hole, but he dunks over a Pistons player. Next time down the court, he drills the three. That looks like the nail in the coffin. Spurs up by 12 with 2:00 left.
- Folks, that is how you win a basketball game. You keep it close and within reach for the first three quarters, work through the bad stretches of the game, and then you walk away with it in the fourth.
As I stated earlier, Billups can not be the only scorer for that team. The Pistons struggle too much on the offensive end, and the Spurs can run up the clock on you at any minute. That's precisely what happened when Manu Ginobili got hot and others got involved in the game, including Nazr Mohammad and Glen Robinson. Larry Brown better worry about guys getting involved in this series, or they'll be swept before they know it.
Final score: Spurs 84 - Pistons 69. Lowest score in the playoffs in Pistons history.
I'll liveblog Sunday night for Game 2 as well. See ya then.