San Antonio – It was about 3:45 a.m. Monday, not exactly the time of day to be wide awake and wound up. Unless you are a San Antonio Spurs fan.
When the Spurs arrived back in San Antonio in the wee hours Monday morning after their dramatic 96-95 overtime victory over Detroit, thousands of passionate fans greeted them at the airport.
“My heart was pumping all night long from the excitement from the game,” said Eugene Tamez, a 29-year-old hotel bellman and Spurs fan who was at the airport. “I didn’t want it to stop. I had to be there to welcome them and say, ‘Thank you.”‘
San Antonio can win its third NBA title tonight with a victory at the SBC Center.
A dramatic 3-pointer by Robert Horry secured the victory that gave the Spurs a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals best-of-seven series. The crowd was chanting “Horry, Horry” and got its wish when the veteran forward took a few moments to thank the fans. Tamez said coach Gregg Popovich also took time out to talk to the fans.
Popovich is hoping Spurs fans will have the same enthusiasm and energy tonight for Game 6, which starts at 7 p.m.
“The fans in Detroit were great, and I know that we are going to have the same thing here,” Popovich said Monday. “We got to the airport last night and there were thousands of people out there. I couldn’t believe it. It was fantastic.”
The good news for the Pistons is they have been the best team the past two years in elimination games. Detroit overcame a 3-2 deficit against Miami in the Eastern Conference finals this year. The Pistons were trailing New Jersey 3-2 in the 2004 Eastern Conference semifinals and won out, and were behind 3-1 in the first round of the 2003 playoffs against Orlando before coming back.
“We had our chances and didn’t get it done, but this team has always fought back,” Detroit coach Larry Brown told reporters in Auburn Hills, Mich., on Monday. “It happened to us last year; we had some bumps along the way. I remember Game 5 against New Jersey, losing in triple overtime. I think I probably felt the same way as I do now. I think that was one of the greatest games I have been involved with. But we managed to bounce back, and we have to try to do it again.”
San Antonio appears to present a more difficult challenge than any recent playoff opponent. Including the regular season, the Spurs have won 10 consecutive home games against Detroit. Detroit last won here April 2, 1997. The Spurs are 8-2 at home in the playoffs, including 2-0 against Detroit, with a Game 7, if necessary, also in San Antonio.
“We’ve got a tough task, but we’ve been in tough situations before,” Detroit center Ben Wallace said.
“We’ve got to find a way to win,” guard Richard Hamilton added.
Spurs fans, meanwhile, are preparing for an even bigger celebration on Commerce Street tonight than they had in the early morning hours Monday, should the home team win. Tamez said he plans to be there.
“I haven’t decided if I’m going streaking,” he said.
Staff writer Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.
