Where Legends Were Born: The 2005 NBA Finals

– For Inside Pulse Sports

Magic. Larry. Jordan. There’s more to the ABC tag line “Where Legends Are Born” than meets the eye, you know. The NBA Finals really was the place where men became legends, and legends became immortals. With great men comes great achievements, and for the past twenty-five years or so, these tremendous talents have helped immortalize basketball’s most recent Golden Era. Ever since Dr. J arrived to bring the 76ers a title, and the Celtics and the Lakers began their epic series, the NBA Finals, along with the World Series, Masters and the Super Bowl, have become one of the dominant fixtures of the American sports landscape. For years, rabid basketball fans and casual sports fans alike waited in anticipation for the Finals to roll around. Regardless of your fandom, or your level of enthusiasm for the sport in general, the Finals had reached the upper echelon of sporting events, to the point where you were almost obligated to watch, even if it was Chicago outgunning a team like Seattle. You would find that special team, whose players you screamed for when they won, and threatened murder for when they lost. It was the best of times.

It seems like only yesterday. How long ago it really was.

The good times are seemingly over. In its place comes a hybrid of the game from the past. With the team concept of the game taking a back seat to the individual superstar, and flash overcoming substance, the brand of basketball that many of us grew up watching has ebbed away over time. Teams now play in half-empty arenas constantly, while ratings for the Playoffs are sinking lower and lower. Scandals now dominate the headlines, while sports writers focus more on the star power that didn’t make the playoffs, as opposed to the teams that did. People don’t care anymore like they used to, and that’s a tragedy. In a world where athletes, once heroes in the imaginations of many, have become the epitome of greedy mercenaries for hire, it appears that the basketball we used to love is no more.

Don’t tell that to the San Antonio Spurs or the Detroit Pistons, either.

The 2005 NBA Finals arrived with little interest from the casual fans, but basketball purists salivated over the thought of watching two of the most technically sound teams in the league square off on the sport’s biggest stage. San Antonio, having crushed the run-and-gun, breakneck style offense of the Phoenix Suns in five games, presented fans with a throwback to the dynasties of the 1980s and ’90s. If they played a defensive juggernaut, they would stifle you with triple-digit scores. If an offensive juggernaut came along, they’d shut them down with their stifling defense (they were the #1 Defensive team in the entire league). In the case of the Phoenix series… well, to be honest, they took the Phoenix playbook, slapped a piece of tape over the front that read “San Antonio” and threw it right back in the faces of the outmatched Suns. To wit, they were the best of the west. Matching them was a team equally up to the task of defeating the NBA’s best. Though Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, Billups and Rip Hamilton could provide a considerable offensive attack, Detroit’s bread and butter was their defense. Under the leadership of Coach Larry Brown, Detroit had devised a defensive playbook that analysts thought could actually slow the San Antonio Spurs, if not beat them outright. Unlike the Spurs, the Pistons traveled a tough road leading into the Finals, having to deal with their sparring partners, the Pacers in six games, and the highly touted Wade/O’ Neal tandem of Miami in seven. Their six-point road victory over Miami set the stage for the 2005 Finals. The best of the west, against the defending 2003 NBA Champions.

Analysis
The Detroit Pistons were thought to have the better team heading into the series, though San Antonio managed to get better play from their key contributors when it mattered most. A major advantage for the Spurs was their home-court advantage; the Spurs had only lost five games at home all season, which was a league best in 2005. Depending on your viewpoint, you could argue that Game 7 may have ended differently had it been held in Detroit. Aside from their sparking home record, the Spurs held another pre-series advantage heading in: Detroit hadn’t won in San Antonio in several years. This extra bit of confidence was all that San Antonio needed as the series kicked off on June 9th.

Game 1: San Antonio 84, Detroit 69
June 9th, 2005 – SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas

If one were to judge the outcome of the series on the first seven minutes of the game, you might have came up with a drastically different ending. Detroit jumped all over the jittery Spurs in the first minutes of the game, opening up a double-digit lead in the process. But after a few well-played offensive trips down the court, the Spurs had narrowed the deficit tremendously by the end of the 1st Quarter. From here on in, Manu Ginobili took over, driving to the basket constantly, throwing caution to the wind as he dodged persistent Detroit defenders. It was their inability to stop Ginobili, along with the consistent pressure that San Antonio added from beyond the arch and absolutely atrocious production from the Detroit bench that helped the Spurs run away with Game 1.

Notables: Detroit
– Chauncey Billups, PG (25 Pts, 6 Assists, 4 Rebounds)
– Richard Hamilton, SG (14 Points in 39 Minutes)
– Tayshaun Prince, SF (11 Pts. & 5 Rebounds in 32 Minutes)
– Detroit Bench: 4 Pts. Combined

San Antonio
– Manu Ginobili, SG (9 Boards, 26 Points, with 15 coming in the 4th Quarter)
– Tim Duncan, F/C (24 Points, 17 Rebounds)
– Tony Parker, PG (15 Points, 3 Assists)

Game 2: San Antonio 97, Detroit 76
June 12th, 2005 – SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas

Game 2 was as much a product of Game 1 as it was anything else. Manu Ginobili came up huge with another incredible performance, and Robert Horry foreshadowed his involvement later on in the series with a clutch performance off the bench. For Detroit, the lack of production from the bench in Game 1 led Larry Brown to keep his starting rotation in much longer than San Antonio’s. On average, a starter for the Pistons played nearly 10 minutes more than their San Antonio counterpart, yet the Spurs got better production from their main weapons in less time. Popovich again drew up an offensive scheme that riddled Detroit’s defense right from the get-go. The most telling stat? Detroit’s largest lead margin couldn’t be computed; they never led in the game.

Notables: Detroit
– Rasheed Wallace (11 Pts, 8 Boards, 4 Assists)
– Chauncey Billups (13 Pts. In 40 Minutes)
– Richard Hamilton (14 Pts, 7 Boards, 4 of 5 from the free throw line)
– Antonio McDyess (15 Pts. Off 7 of 14 Shooting)

San Antonio
– Bruce Bowen (15 Pts, 4 of 8 from beyond the arch)
– Tim Duncan (18 Pts, 11 Rebounds)
– Tony Parker (12 Pts. Off 6 of 9 Shooting)
– Manu Ginobili (27 Pts, 7 Assists, 11-13 Free Throws, 4-5 3Pt.)
– Robert Horry (12 Pts, 6 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 4 Steals)

Game 3: Detroit 96, San Antonio 79
June 14th, 2005 – The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, Michigan

With a change of scenery comes a change of fortune for the Pistons. Though Chauncey Billups had the only three treys for the Pistons in Game 3, Detroit managed a lofty cache of 44 points from the paint, held San Antonio to 26 points in the same category, and completely dismantled San Antonio’s vital fast break offense in the third rout of the series. Richard Hamilton came up huge with 24 points off 11 of 23 shooting in forty three minutes to lead the Pistons to their first win of the series. For the first time in the series, Detroit managed to eliminate the threat posed by Manu Ginobili, who managed only seven points. Tim Duncan managed 14 points and 10 rebounds, but he also turned the ball over twice, and also drew a technical foul that only helped to increase Detroit’s momentum. Ben Wallace went nuts with a lofty five blocks to complement his eleven boards and 7 of 10 shooting performance.

Notables: Detroit
– Richard Hamilton (24 Pts, 4 Assists)
– Chauncey Billups (20 Pts, 7 Assists, 6 Rebounds)
– Ben Wallace (15 Pts, 11 Rebounds, 5 Blocks)

San Antonio
– Bruce Bowen (13 Pts, 4-6 3PM)
– Tony Parker (21 Points, 4 Assists)

Game 4: Detroit 102, San Antonio 71
June 16th, 2005 – The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, Michigan

Game 4 was, for Spurs fans, an aberration of the first order. For Pistons fans, it was a bloody miracle. For Detroit to hold the Spurs to a mere 71 points was impressive enough… but to drop a hundred points on them to boot? Poor David Robinson must have been sticking pins in his Joe Dumars doll by the end of this one. Once again, Detroit took San Antonio to task, making them look feeble in their fast break offense (10 points compared to Detroit’s 22). The Pistons also did a commendable job capitalizing on San Antonio turnovers, creating 25 points worth of offense off failed possessions. Detroit once again ruled in the paint as well, holding Manu to 12 points and forcing Duncan, Bruce Bowen, and Tony Parker to each turn the ball over three times. Speaking of turnovers, Detroit set a Finals record with the fewest amount of turnovers in a game at 3. A lot of credit goes to the guard play from Detroit; both Chauncey Billups and backup Lindsey Hunter dropped 17 points on a pulverized San Antonio defense. ‘Sheed also found his stroke, and added 14 more points in a 31 point massacre of the Spurs.

Notables: Detroit
– Ben Wallace (11 Points, 13 Rebounds, 3 Blocks, 3 Steals)
– Rasheed Wallace (14 Points, 8 Rebounds, 2 Steals)
– Chauncey Billups (17 Points, 7 Assists, 5 Rebounds)
– Richard Hamilton (12 Points, 9 Rebounds, 4 Assists)
– Lindsey Hunter (17 Points, 5 Assists, 3-3 FTM)

San Antonio
– Tim Duncan (16 Points, 16 Boards, 3 TO)
– Tony Parker (12 Points, 4 Assists, 3 TO)
– Manu Ginobili (12 Points, 3 Assists, 2 TO)

Game 5: San Antonio 96, Detroit 95 (OT)
June 19th, 2005 – The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, Michigan

Game 5, already an Instant Classic on ESPN, will easily be remembered as the best game in the 2005 NBA Finals. It was, well, a classic in every sense. After four straight blowouts, both Detroit and San Antonio seemed to figure each other out, as the two teams were tied at 42 going into the Half, and tied again at the end of Regulation. The two teams paralleled each other so much, it was almost frightening. San Antonio and Detroit both had 16 points off of turnovers. San Antonio had 42 points in the paint, but only eight fast break points. Detroit managed 40 points in the paint, and only nine fast break points. Neither team got stuck with a technical foul, and both teams grabbed over forty rebounds total. Detroit’s Ben Wallace, much like he had in Games 3 and 4, came out blazing again, and finished the night with 13 points and 12 rebounds in 48 minutes playing time. Chauncey Billups also came up huge with his best performance of the series, scoring 34 points to complement his 5 rebounds and 7 assists. San Antonio answered with a monster performance from Tim Duncan, who dropped 26 points and dominated both the offensive and defensive boards with 19 rebounds. Manu Ginobili also regained his touch somewhat, forcing the issue with 15 points. The real star of Game 5 though is Robert Horry.

No, that’s not a typo. Horry came through. Again.

Despite the series going the full seven games, you could argue that San Antonio’s Game 5 victory over Detroit (in their only road win of the Finals) pretty much sealed Detroit’s fate. With just under 10 seconds left in the first OT, Detroit actually held a 95-93 lead. After a Popovich time out, Robert Horry stepped out of bounds to the side to inbound. What followed was a cryptic delivery on an off-handed Hubie Brown comment: “the most dangerous man in this situation is the man inbounding the ball! Horry hit Ginobili with the inbound pass, and nearly caught Manu off guard in the process. With the threat of Ginobili, who had been San Antonio’s most reliable clutch shooter from three point land handling the rock, Rasheed Wallace left his assignment to help double-down on Manu. With incredible presence of mind, Manu dished it back to Horry, who found himself sitting at the top of the arch with a wide open three. Try as he might, Chauncey Billups couldn’t shake a cool Horry, who dropped the trey in and drove a dagger through the hearts of Pistons fans. Detroit had one last chance to take Game 5 back, but a botched drive to the basket closed out a tremendous road win for the Spurs.

Notables: Detroit
– Chauncey Billups (34 Pts, 7 Assists, 5 Rebounds)
– Ben Wallace (13 Pts, 12 Rebounds)
– Rasheed Wallace (12 Pts, 4 Blocks, 3 Steals)
– Richard Hamilton (15 Pts, 5 Turnovers)

San Antonio
– Tim Duncan (26 Pts, 19 Rebounds, 2 Blocks)
– Robert Horry (21 Pts, 7 Rebounds, 5-6 3PM)
– Tony Parker (14 Pts, 3 Assists, 2 Rebounds)
– Manu Ginobili (15 Pts, 9 Assists, 6 Rebounds)

Game 6: Detroit 95, San Antonio 86
June 21st, 2005 – SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas

Oddly enough, Game 6 felt more like a foregone conclusion than it did a competitive game. Don’t get me wrong, Game 6 was another good one, but for some reason, you just couldn’t shake the feeling by the end of the third quarter that Detroit and San Antonio had been destined to play seven games for the Championship to begin with. Of course, Detroit out-scoring San Antonio 49 to 39 in the second half of the game only helped that sentiment grow. Rasheed Wallace, a derelict in the Finals to that point, decided to come alive with 16 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, 3 blocks… but only two steals. Chauncey Billups once again delivered a clutch performance, delivering 21 points to go with his six boards and assists. For San Antonio, the fast break offense was once again shut down by a constrictive Pistons defense, but Detroit also seemed to revert to more Zones than anything. It allowed the Spurs to drop 40 from the paint and remain competitive throughout the game.

Notables: Detroit
– Richard Hamilton (23 Points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists)
– Chauncey Billups (21 Points, 6 Rebounds, 6 Assists)
– Rasheed Wallace (16 Points, 3 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 3 Blocks, 2 Steals)

San Antonio
– Tim Duncan (21 Points, 15 Rebounds)
– Manu Ginobili (21 Points, 10 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals)
– Tony Parker (15 Points, 5 Assists, 2 Rebounds)

Game 7: San Antonio 81, Detroit 74
June 23rd, 2005 – SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas

Despite losing at home only six times all season, the Spurs were actually something of an underdog heading into the winner-takes-all Game 7 on Thursday night. A lot of people, myself included, thought that Detroit’s tremendous win at the SBC Center in Game 6 (their first in San Antonio in nearly six years) would provide enough momentum to propel the Pistons to a repeat as NBA Champions. A lot of us seemingly forgot who the 2003 NBA Champions were in the process.

San Antonio, of course.

The San Antonio Spurs, the 2003 NBA Champions, dealt the final blow to a shocked Detroit Pistons team Thursday night, and erased any and all hope of a Pistons’ repeat as NBA’s best. The Spurs locked up their second title in three years by closing out Detroit, 81-74 Thursday in San Antonio. For Gregg Popovich, it was the crowning achievement of a season that would test his team for 106 games, over 400 quarters, several injury scares from his dominant big man, and a head-to-head showdown against arguably his best friend, Larry Brown. For the Spurs’ Tim Duncan, it was the rebound game he needed following a week’s worth of criticism by journalists who used the term “timid” to describe his game. The native of the Virgin Islands came up big in Game 7 with 25 points off 10 of 27 shooting to complement his 11 rebounds. He was also 5 of 6 from the line. Duncan would earn his third Finals MVP Award for his efforts.

For Detroit, it was the case of too little, too late. Although a solid victory in Game 6 had given them some much-needed momentum heading into the winner-takes-all showdown, Manu Ginobili continuously penetrated the lane, peppering Detroit with 23 points, while Robert Horry continued to come up big with clutch threes. The Detroit defense, though firm through the first half of regulation, appeared baffled by the constant pressure San Antonio forced inside the perimeter. Detroit center Ben Wallace started strong out of the gates for the fourth consecutive game and managed 12 points, but he completely melted away defensively by the fourth quarter. Richard Hamilton led the team with 15 points in 46 minutes played.

Notables: Detroit
– Richard Hamilton (15 Points, 8 Rebounds, Assist, Block)
– Chauncey Billups (13 Points, 8 Assists, 4 Rebounds)
– Ben Wallace (12 Points, 11 Rebounds, 2 Steals, 2 Blocks)
– Antonio McDyess (10 Points, 7 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Blocks)

San Antonio
– Tim Duncan (25 Points, 11 Rebounds, 3 Assists)
– Manu Ginobili (23 Points, 5 Rebounds, 4 Assists, Steal)
– Robert Horry (15 Points, 5 Rebounds)
– Tony Parker (8 Points, 3 Assists, 2 Rebounds)

Overview
Tim Duncan was named the Finals MVP, despite some criticism from writers that Manu Ginobili should have landed the award. Upon further review though, Tim Duncan was solid throughout the Finals, and is just as good candidate as anyone else on the squad. For the Pistons, their failure can be traced to three glaring weaknesses. For starters, Rasheed Wallace just never got it going against the Spurs. Whether he was outmatched by the San Antonio defense or he just didn’t deliver is debatable, but ‘Sheed just didn’t get the job done offensively. Though Detroit’s bench provided enough to win Games 3,4, and 6, the Pistons still had a tough time preventing penetration when push came to shove. By the end of Game 7, Manu Ginobili was starting to look like the player we saw in the first two games. Moreover, the statistical difference in three point shooting was enormous. When the series came to a close, San Antonio had nearly 100 points worth of the 3Pt. Shots more than Detroit did, which is staggering. With a viable 3-Point threat, you can not only open up good looks inside, but you can keep your defenders off-balance, and not only find open men in the paint, but drive to the lane, or kick it back out at will. Detroit never managed to stop the bleeding in that respect, and it cost them a title.

Final Thoughts
It was a ride that none of us predicted. Four blowouts, followed by three classics? A lot of people predicted the series to go the full seven games, but I don’t think anyone anticipated the roller coaster of emotions that the San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons would invoke. Was it the life-altering series that Commissioner David Stern or NBA Beat Writers wanted? Not really, but no one really expected it to be the greatest series of all time to begin with. The past is the past; leave it there. You just got served a nice, fresh dose of the future of the NBA. I hope you enjoyed it, because there’s plenty more of it to follow in the years to come.

Congratulations to the 2005 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs for an incredible season! Congratulations to the 2005 Eastern Conference Champion Detroit Pistons for giving the Spurs everything and then some. And congratulations to you, the reader, for surviving a crazy NBA season. We’ll see you back here next year, for another ride on the greatest show on a court.

We’re out.