Spurs Find Footing, Cut Hornets' Lead to 2-1
Posted on: Friday, 9 May 2008, 06:00 CDT
By Chris Colston
SAN ANTONIO--Down two games to none, the San Antonio Spurs approached Game 3 of this NBA Western Conference semifinal series with the New Orleans Hornets as if it were a Game 7.
Consequently, there will be at least a Game 5.
The defending champion Spurs ground out a 110-99 victory to avoid almost certain doom and push the series to 2-1. No NBA team has come back to win a playoff series down 3-0.
"If we didn't win today, it was almost over," said Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, the NBA's top sixth man who got the starting nod and responded with 31 points, his best game of the series. "We played with more passion, more edge."
The game was dominated by guards. San Antonio's Tony Parker had 31 points and 11 assists, while New Orleans' Chris Paul had 35 and nine.
Paul dedicated the game to an 8-year-old boy who died this week of a cancerous brain tumor. He wrote the boy's name, Brian, on his sneakers. The boy's dying wish was to be buried in his Chris Paul jersey. The Hornets did not disclose his last name to protect the family's privacy.
Bruce Bowen's three-pointer with just under six minutes left gave the Spurs a 101-88 lead and forced the Hornets to call timeout, leaving forward David West so steamed that he pounded the scorer's table facade four times with his fist.
"Bruce was great," Spurs center Tim Duncan said. "He knows where his shots are. We understand they're going to double-team me in the post. He's ready in the corner to shoot those shots. He made some big ones for us."
The win made home teams 10-0 in the second round.
Source: USA TODAY
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