Somehow, in the back of your mind, you had to know the Spurs had won just a little too easily in the first two games of the NBA finals. In game 3, the Pistons finally played inspired basketball in front of their home fans and downed San Antonio 96-79 to keep themselves alive in the series. The defending NBA champions still trail San Antonio in the series two games to one.
The Pistons dominated the fourth quarter which had been San Antonio's domain during the first two contests. They did it with hustle, balanced scoring and tenacious defense.
'I think we figured out how hard we have to play,' Pistons coach Larry Brown told reporters after the game.
Richard Hamilton led all scorers with 24 points while Chauncey Billups added 20. Rasheed Wallace played a strong game, scoring 15 points while contributing 15 rebounds, five blocked shots and three steals. It was Wallace who really set the tone for the Pistons throughout the game.
Hamilton was excited about this team's performance in game 3. 'You know, tonight we really came out here and took care of business at home. We defended, we helped each other out and we got a win.'
San Antonio's Manu Ginobili was clearly the best player on the court in the first two games of the series but he was a non-factor in game 3. Approximately 30 seconds into the game, Ginobili suffered a bruised left thigh in a collision with Detroit's Tayshaun Prince. He finished the game with only seven points while committing six turnovers.
Game 4 is scheduled for the Palace at Auburn Hills on Thursday night. If the Pistons win, they even the series at 2-2 and guarantee that there will be a game six in San Antonio. One thing became apparent in game 3: Detroit won't just go away quietly. Now, it's a series.
