There is no denying the majesty of Tim Duncan in all that makes the San Antonio Spurs elite.
But as Game 3 of the NBA Finals unfolds tonight, the Detroit Pistons have to counter another headache that helped cause them to lose the first game of these Finals by 15 points and the second by 21.
The two-headed ogre is Duncan and San Antonio’s dribble penetration. Duncan, with his size (6-feet-11, 260 pounds), talent and flexibility, has sucked the Pistons defense inward. The Spurs’ penchant for driving past defenders also has collapsed the Pistons defense.
If the inside is clogged, the outside is open.
And the Spurs are feasting.
We know how guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili can shoot from the perimeter. With Brent Barry and Bruce Bowen, the Spurs have four dizzying 3-point shooting threats.
And what makes the Spurs unbeatable in this series is a player who tonight can become the top 3-point shotmaker in NBA Finals history. He enters Game 3 tied with Michael Jordan at 42 apiece.
Robert Horry turns 35 on Aug. 25, but he is playing a quicker and more productive game than several younger players surrounding him.
He is a joy to watch because his game is not limited to shooting or rebounding or passing. His game is complete, and his style is impressionable.
He joined the Spurs last season with five championship rings in his custody, and he will win a sixth by showing the Spurs, already so gifted, how to win by employing intangibles.
His coach appreciates him.
Gregg Popovich after Game 2 in San Antonio on Sunday night was talking about how Horry looked as if he were in his 20s, how Horry ran to the other side of the floor to block shots, rebound, move the ball, drive the ball and shoot it. Oh, Horry can shoot it.
In San Antonio’s 18 playoff games he has 27 3-pointers and has helped set the standard for the Spurs attack. In the playoffs, in overall field goals, San Antonio leads its opponents 645-638. But in 3-pointers it leads 128-64. In Game 2 vs. Detroit it was 11 3-pointers to the Pistons’ zero.
“We’ve predicated our game on shooting a lot of 3s lately,” Horry said to reporters Sunday night, according to NBA.com.
Little wonder there is always room in the San Antonio lineup for Horry. He does not start, but averages more minutes (26.3) in the playoffs than starter Nazr Mohammed (23.4).
Horry is lithe and lanky but has size (240 pounds) and has proved to be a much better basketball player than his selection as the 11th pick in the 1992 draft suggested.
Here is another thing I like about this player – his hustle, his willingness to dive to the floor, get dirty and get after it in the manner of a tiny point guard.
This from a player 6-feet-10.
“You got to get to the floor,” Horry said. “You got to get down there.”
The venue changes to Detroit’s court tonight, and the Pistons need a new look. They must find a way to generate more offense (69 points in Game 1, 76 in Game 2) while keeping Duncan in sight, the dribble penetration at a minimum and defending the 3-point shot.
Detroit has the heart, smarts and the commitment to defense to earn a victory. Maybe two.
It is clear, however, the Spurs have too much in their favor, and then they have Horry. He has been like adding a rocket engine to a commercial plane.
Popovich wants his team to keep an “appropriate fear” of Detroit. He wants the Spurs to continue to react with even more force after each victory. He wants them to run the fast break, he wants them to play halfcourt. Mix it, match it.
If you got a 3, he tells them, you got to shoot it.
Horry comes expertly equipped.
No reminder necessary.
Staff writer Thomas George can be reached at 303-820-1994 or tgeorge@denverpost.com.
