Cleveland – Cavaliers fans and national media begged Cavs coach Mike Brown to start rookie guard Daniel Gibson over veteran Larry Hughes.
They got their wish Tuesday night, but Gibson didn’t play well. Brown was forced to start Gibson in Game 3 when Hughes was scratched because of a lingering foot injury. Gibson shot only 1-for-10 and scored just two points in 36 minutes.
“I just didn’t make shots,” Gibson, who made 16 starts in the regular season, said after the Spurs beat the Cavaliers 75-72. “I was comfortable shooting the ball. I was comfortable out there playing in the starting lineup. … (The shots) just didn’t go down for me.”
Hughes totaled only two points on 1-of-10 shooting in the first two games of the series as a starter. Coming off the bench, Gibson averaged 15.5 points the first two games. He had 31 points in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit.
“Sometimes you can overcome the physical and the mental,” Hughes said of his injury. “At this point, it’s getting pretty tough.”
Parker for MVP?
Spurs guard Tony Parker could be the leading candidate for Finals MVP if he continues to play well.
Parker entered Game 3 averaging 28.5 points. 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds in the Finals. He contributed a team-high 17 points, five rebounds and three assists in Game 3.
San Antonio’s Tim Duncan entered Game 3 averaging 23.5 points and 11.0 rebounds in the Finals. He scored 14 points on 6-of-17 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds in Game 3.
“I just go out there and try to be a difference and try to be aggressive and just play my game,” said Parker, who is from France. “If (the MVP) happens, it will be the first one and I will be happy. If it goes to Timmy, I’ll be happy to win a third championship.”
Said Duncan: “As long as we get to four (wins in the series), it doesn’t matter who gets it.”
Footnotes
Former Ohio State star center Greg Oden, the projected top pick in this year’s draft, had a lengthy conversation with former Spurs center David Robinson before Game 3. … Parker acknowledged that the Cavs’ crowd wasn’t as loud as it was in previous playoff rounds. “If I say something, then it will be very loud and they’ll scream about me (in Cleveland in Game 4),” Parker said. “I don’t think it was as loud as Utah and Denver.” … Celebrities at the game included former NFL star Jim Brown; NBA legends Bill Russell, Julius Erving and Patrick Ewing; Parker’s fiancée, Eva Longoria; New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul; and Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel.
