Spurs grab series lead over Nets

By

Posted 6:11AM on Monday, June 9, 2003

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - At times during Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Tim Duncan wanted to avert his eyes from the turnovers, the missed shots and the general lousiness of play. In the third quarter, the two-time MVP looked away for a different reason: to deliver an exceptional blind pass while leading the San Antonio Spurs' fast break. Duncan provided a spot of beauty in the very definition of an ugly win. He did it with another big assist from the best point guard so far in the finals. Tony Parker scored 26 points, and Duncan had 21 points and 16 rebounds as the Spurs overcame one of the most pitiful offensive games in finals history to beat the New Jersey Nets 84-79 on Sunday night, taking a 2-1 lead in the series. Duncan's flair and Parker's four clutch 3-pointers aside, there wasn't a lot of artistic flavor in the game that featured 37 turnovers, 43 fouls and the lowest-scoring first half in finals history. Only the highlights were choice: Malik Rose's breathtaking dunk over Dikembe Mutombo, Kenyon Martin's arena-rattling rebound slam and Duncan's slick pass, which would be inconceivable for almost any other 7-footer but the one halfway to his second championship ring. ``We were a little bit sloppy in the first half,'' Duncan said with delicate understatement. ``(But) I love to be in the open court. It's fun to get up and down a little bit. Whenever I can get somebody to finish a play, it's great.'' Martin had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets, who disappointed their home fans accustomed to seeing them dispatch nearly every East opponent in the postseason with a tepid performance. Parker outplayed Jason Kidd for the second time in the series' three games, holding New Jersey's heart and soul to 6-of-19 shooting and four turnovers. Kidd's struggles and the Nets' ineptitude were functions of the Spurs' tough defense, which held New Jersey to nine points in the second quarter. From there, the outcome never really seemed in doubt, though New Jersey pulled within two points in the final minutes. ``We could never get that one last push to get back at them,'' said Kerry Kittles, who scored 21 points for New Jersey. ``It was frustrating. The fourth quarter was right there for us. They did a good job late in the game of making plays, and we didn't.'' In the first finals ever between two former ABA teams, the Nets and the Spurs are doing their high-scoring forebears a grave disservice but just as New Jersey did in Game 2, San Antonio displayed the toughness to overcome its struggles. ``We are right where we want to be,'' Duncan said. ``We have the opportunity to go into Game 4, get another one and really put them on their backs. So the pressure is on them.'' Game 4 is Wednesday night, with Game 5 on Friday. If necessary, the series will return to San Antonio for two more games. The optimist watching this series would see impressive defense as the trend emerging from three decidedly untidy games. A pessimist might just call it bad basketball. The Spurs have made 51 turnovers in the series, which has prompted coach Gregg Popovich to completely ignore the statistic when addressing his team and the Nets made 20 turnovers in Game 3, often leaving coach Byron Scott with a painful grin on the sideline. ``We probably pressed a little bit,'' Scott said. ``It's going to be like this the rest of the series. Both teams are physical, both teams are aggressive. Both teams take a lot of pride in their defense, so it's not going to be a lot of high-scoring games.'' The first half of Game 3 never will hang in a Manhattan art gallery, though it'd be right at home in the lounge of a truck stop on the Jersey Turnpike. The Spurs scored just 15 points in the first quarter, and the Nets managed only nine in the second the worst output for that quarter in finals history. The teams combined for 22 turnovers in the half; Kidd was 1-for-7 from the field, and Stephen Jackson was 1-for-5. It was the lowest-scoring first half in finals history and it was equally remarkable for its lack of any discernible passion from anyone except Martin. The third game of the finals was played with all the poise and efficiency of a summer-league scrimmage. ``That's what it takes to set basketball back 20 years,'' said Rose, who scored eight points. Added David Robinson, who went 1-for-5: ``It was really, really ugly. We had a rhythm for about five minutes. That's it.'' The Nets fell far behind in the third quarter when San Antonio made a 14-3 run. New Jersey cut the lead to 77-75 with 2:14 left, but the Spurs scored five straight points.