The San Antonio Spurs took a big lead early and then coasted to a convincing 97-76 win over the Detroit Pistons in game 2 of the NBA finals on Sunday. The win gave San Antonio a 2-0 lead in the series. The next three games will be played at the Palace in Auburn Hills.
Manu Ginobili once again led the Spurs in scoring with 27 points. Teammate Tim Duncan added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Antonio McDyess was high scorer for Detroit with 15 points.
Since the NBA has introduced the 2-3-2 format for the finals in 1985, eight teams have taken a 2-0 series lead by winning the first two games at home. All eight of those teams have won the title.
The way San Antonio is playing now, they won't need any help from history to finish off the Detroit. The Pistons hope that being in front of their own fans will help make a difference. The Spurs don't think it will matter.
'Of course the crowd (in Detroit) is going to push (the Pistons) a lot, inspire them, they'll get tougher,' Ginobili told reporters after the game. 'But we've been playing very well on the road. We're very confident. We still think it's coming back here (for Game 6), though. We had a great game (last night) but I don't think it has been easy.'
One big difference in game 2 was three point shooting. San Antonio hit 11 times from behind the arc, Detroit 0.
Pistons head coach Larry Brown admitted that the three point shot deficit was not his club's biggest problem. 'I'm not worried about three-pointers -- our big problem is we're just having trouble stopping them. They've just dominated two ball games.'
Unless the Pistons find their game in a hurry, this series will be over very soon. Game 3 is in Detroit Tuesday night. If the Spurs win, they'll gain a dominating 3-0 series lead. Of course, that's just what the Yankees thought last year against the Red Sox...
