Spurs Wipe Away the Rust, Then Dust Off Knicks

If the New York Knicks gave the San Antonio Spurs their best shot Wednesday night, this year’s NBA finals will not last long.

For a little over a quarter, the Knicks had everything in their favor in the opener of the best-of-seven series. Larry Johnson, questionable because of a knee injury, started and was effective. Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell found room for shots and the Spurs, who had not played in nine days, appeared rusty in front of an NBA playoff-record crowd of 39,514 at the Alamodome.

Then the Knicks discovered what teams have learned about San Antonio over the last four months. The Spurs don’t beat themselves.

They bounced back from their sluggish start to win going away, 89-77, their 11th consecutive playoff victory, tying the Lakers’ 1989 league record.

With Patrick Ewing out for the series because of an Achilles’ injury, Tim Duncan dominated New York’s big men. He finished with 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting, grabbed 16 rebounds and had two steals and two blocked shots to help the Spurs improve to 12-1 in the playoffs.

“It’s been a long time coming . . . [nine] days [without playing a game] felt like an eternity,” said Duncan, whose Spurs have won 43 of their last 49 games. “In the first quarter, it seemed like we were a little winded.”

New York, which lost Game 1 for the first time in four playoff series, didn’t collapse right away. Behind Houston, who made five of his first six shots, the Knicks led, 35-31, with 4:28 remaining in the second quarter.

San Antonio held New York to two free throws the rest of the first half and Duncan made the most of his size advantage inside over Johnson to help the Spurs to a 14-2 run and a 45-37 lead at halftime. The Knicks scored 10 points in the second quarter.

“You know, you don’t really know a team until you start competing against them,” New York Coach Jeff Van Gundy said. “We studied a lot but you don’t know a team until you play them.”

What the Knicks found out in the second half is that the Spurs have more weapons than just Duncan. Jaren Jackson, who missed six of seven first-half shots, finished strong as nearly every shot he threw up went in. He finished with 17 points, including five three-point baskets.

David Robinson did not shoot as well as Duncan did, but he made his size and versatility count. Robinson had 13 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, three blocked shots and three steals to offset his three-for-10 shooting night.

“[Robinson] doesn’t have to score big points for us [to win], but on any given night he can do that,” Duncan said. “When he’s in there changing shots, making passes and plays, he makes a big difference.”

In the third quarter, the Knicks shot 61.1% to stay within striking distance, but in the fourth San Antonio’s 7-foot combination of Duncan and Robinson wore down New York in the post as Chris Dudley, Marcus Camby, Kurt Thomas and Johnson each found themselves in foul trouble,

Without an inside game and no room for penetration, Houston and Sprewell, who each led the Knicks with 19 points, were forced into poor perimeter shots.

“I started off good because our offense was in a better flow,” said Houston, who made two of his last 11 shots. “In the second half, we were a little frantic. We were a little bit selfish and we weren’t able to stay disciplined on the defensive end.”

The Knicks, who did not play San Antonio in the regular season, have two days to get things right. If they don’t find a way to stop Duncan and his supporting cast, San Antonio may be headed for its third consecutive sweep of the playoffs.

“We’re going to have to have some better answers,” Van Gundy said. “We’ve got to play aggressively, hopefully without being in foul trouble.

“Obviously, Duncan’s going to score, but we got to try and cut that down a little bit.”

Which may be difficult if it’s true that Duncan, who said that he played better against the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs, was not at his best.

“We get a chance to see [Duncan] in practice every day,” San Antonio point guard Avery Johnson said. “We’ve been watching Tim all year long and I’ve been watching for the past two years. It’s expected.”

NEW YORK KNICKS vs. SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Spurs lead best-of-seven series, 1-0

* Game 1: San Antonio 89, New York 77

* Game 2: Friday at San Antonio, 6 p.m.

* Game 3: Monday at New York, 6 p.m.

* Game 4: Wednesday at New York, 6 p.m.

* Game 5: June 25 at New York, 6 p.m.*

* Game 6: June 27 at San Antonio, 4:30 p.m.*

* Game 7: June 29 at San Antonio, 6 p.m.*

TV: Ch. 4, all times Pacific; *If necessary

REALITY CHECK: Too tall and too good, San Antonio put an end to New York’s swooning over the cherished and overmatched Knicks. Page 7

NO NOSTALGIA: Seven former Spurs may have been at the game, but Tim Duncan had to admit he didn’t even realize it. Page 7