When Game 4 tips off tonight, the Spurs will be looking for their first win in Detroit since April of 2003. The Pistons took advantage of being on their home court and grabbed the 96-79 victory in Game 3. It was the first road loss for the Spurs since Game 3 of their semifinal series in Seattle.
After making headlines in the first two games, Manu Ginobili scored only seven points on six attempts in Game 3. Ginobili suffered a thigh contusion early in the first quarter but returned to the game and ended with six turnovers in 29 minutes of play. Look for Manu to cut down on his turnovers in Game 4. Detroit is likely to continue pressuring him on the perimeter so his attempts may be limited for the second-straight game, but he will be looking to get the ball to another Spur having a bounce-back game.
Tim Duncan missed 10 of his 15 shots in Game 3 - his worst shooting percentage of his Finals career. His 14 points was the lowest scoring game he's had since Game 3 of the first round in Denver. Duncan's rebounding was solid and he also grabbed a playoff-high three steals. The Spurs expect more offense from Tim in Game 4, but his defense continues to be stellar.
The Pistons were a different team at home in Game 3. Five players scored in double-digits and for the first time in the series two Pistons scored over 20 points. Rip Hamilton went beyond the 14 he scored in Games 1 and 2 and posted 24 on 23 attempts to go alongside Chauncey Billups' 20 points. They used good shooting (47%) and great offensive rebounding (17) to post 96 points on the Spurs.
Defensively, they were even better. The Spurs committed 18 turnovers and had only 16 assists. The Pistons grabbed 12 steals (Spurs: 7) and blocked 10 shots (Spurs: 3) to hold the Spurs to only 67 shot attempts to their 85.
Though the stat sheet may be overwhelming, the Spurs know what to focus on for Game 4. Both of these teams feed off of their defense, and the Spurs simply did not make stops in crunchtime. Losing in both fastbreak points (20/4) and points in the paint (44/26) is a nearly impossible combo to overcome, and the Pistons will have to work harder for their points in Game 4.
Coach Popovich reminded the media after Game 3: "...they won that mental battle tonight. It was a 63-63 game with less than a minute and a half to go in the third quarter and we tried to given Tony Parker a rest for one minute and the dam burst from that point on."
Despite the Spurs struggles and the big Piston performances, they still were in a position to win going into the fourth quarter. If the Spurs respond to the Game 3 loss the way they have all season, Detroit will have to play even better in Game 4 to even the series.
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Tim Duncan
Richard Hamilton
