Spurs Tower Over NBA

It was Latrell Sprewell against Tim Duncan, for the whole second half, for the endless, elastic minutes in the fourth quarter, and finally, at the last championship moment.

Latrell Sprewell trying to go over Tim Duncan, Madison Square Garden at full roar, to end a lockout-marred, Michael Jordan-less, low-scoring, high-energy season.

And the best and biggest player in the league did not fail, forcing a buzzer-beating Sprewell jumper high and short, lifting the San Antonio Spurs to a 78-77 victory in Game 5 and giving the Spurs their first NBA championship.

This is his league now.

It was a victory that captured all that was blue-collar and beautiful about the Spurs’ drive to a title, one that showcased New York’s boundless energy, Duncan’s emergence as the game’s dominant player and--most movingly--celebrated David Robinson’s long quest for glory.

Duncan, who scored 31 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had to answer every one of Sprewell’s daggers in a combustible second half, averaged 27.4 points in the series and was named the most valuable player.

But it was Robinson, so consistently criticized throughout his career and nudged to a supplementary role this season, who was the focus of his team’s joy late Friday.

“Boy, it’s been a long journey,” said Robinson, who was near tears several times at his postgame news conference. “I’ve got to give the Knicks so much credit, they fought their hearts out. . . .

“If this was easy, though, it really wouldn’t be worth the journey.”

Spur guard Mario Elie, who won two titles with Houston, said he made sure to give Robinson a kiss in the seconds after the game.

“I said, ‘You shut everybody up, you’ve accomplished everything in your career,’ ” Elie said. “A great guy, man.

“I’m glad the good guys finally got one.”

Though Duncan was by far the most important player, Robinson (who finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds) converted a big basket to cut the Knicks’ lead to one point with less than five minutes to play, and veteran point guard Avery Johnson made the 18-foot jumper that turned out to be the winning score, putting San Antonio ahead with 47 seconds remaining.

Spur Coach Gregg Popovich moved away from the celebratory pile right after the buzzer and soaked up the happiness of his most veteran players.

“When the game ended, I went and sat on a little scorer’s table so I could watch,” Popovich said. “And I wanted to see David and Sean and Avery. I wanted to see their faces.

“I’m happy for my whole team. But that’s what it’s all about, those guys feeling so great about what they accomplished for so long. That’s where I get most of my joy.”

For most of the second half, San Antonio did not experience joy, but anxiety over the play of Sprewell, who scored 25 of his 35 points in the final 24 minutes and all but 14 of the Knicks’ third- and fourth-quarter points.

In the fourth alone, Sprewell scored 14 points, single-handedly dragging New York to a lead into the final minute as Allan Houston, the Knicks’ other scorer, vanished.

“He kept hitting shots,” Duncan said of Sprewell. “He just kept on hitting them. But we kept answering him, kept coming back.”

The man answering Sprewell, of course, was Duncan, who scored seven points of his own in the fourth and by the Knicks’ point of view, about a million in the series overall.

Several times, Sprewell would toss in a frantic, body-contorting basket, only to go back down and witness Duncan flipping in an immediate retort.

“It was very frustrating,” Sprewell said. “Tim played well tonight. He was on and I was on. So it was back and forth. I’m sure it was a fun game to watch.”

“Duncan won MVP? Oh, really,” New York Coach Jeff Van Gundy said with a smile. “That’s a shock.”

And it wasn’t only offense. Alongside Robinson, Duncan provided the Spurs with the best interior wall the NBA has seen in years, and again, that is how they finally fended off the Knick attack.

Duncan blocked a Sprewell shot with 2:20 left, together they forced a shot-clock violation, and including Sprewell’s last attempt, the Knicks missed their last five shots.

“Our defense has carried us through the whole year,” Robinson said. “That’s what we talked about in every huddle the last 10 minutes, ‘Our defense is going to win it for us. Our defense is going to win it for us.’

“And it sure did.”

On the final possession, the Knicks had 2.1 seconds left after rebounding an Avery Johnson miss.

On the inbounds play, Charlie Ward sent a perfect pass to Sprewell slicing down the middle of the lane, with Elliott trailing. But Sprewell wound up underneath the basket as Duncan arrived, had to dribble across to get space, and fell short on the shot.

It appeared to be released after the buzzer, but the officials ruled that it would have counted had it gone in. It missed everything.

“We got it where we wanted,” Van Gundy said afterward.

But against a Spur team that closed out each of its four postseason series in the opponents’ building, and with fourth-quarter brilliance, it was San Antonio, just where it wanted to be too.

With Tim Duncan as the last line of defense. And towering.

NBA CHAMPIONS

Number of championships held per team:

16: Boston Celtics

11: Minneapolis / L.A. Lakers

6: Chicago Bulls

3: Philadelphia / Golden State Warriors

3: Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers

2: Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks

1: Baltimore Bullets, Rochester Royals, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Seattle Supersonics, St. Louis Hawks, Washington Bullets

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NBA FINALS

Spurs win series, 4-1

Game 1: San Antonio 89, New York 77

Game 2: San Antonio 80, New York 67

Game 3: New York 89, San Antonio 81

Game 4: San Antonio 96, New York 89

Game 5: San Antonio 78, New York 77

BY THE NUMBERS

16: Years since a team other than the Lakers, Boston, Chicago, Detroit or Houston won title.

46-7: Spur record since starting season 6-8.

1: Number of ABA teams to win NBA title since merger in 1976.

4: NBA titles for Steve Kerr and Will Perdue (not consecutive)

84.8: Average points per game for Spurs in finals, worst in 45 years. (74.7 Minneapolis Lakers)

.882: Spurs’ winning percentage in the playoffs. (15-2)

.740: Spurs’ winning percentage in regular season. (37-13)

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Posting Up

Best single-season playoff records in NBA history:

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YEAR TEAM RECORD PCT. 1983 Philadelphia 76ers 12-1 .923 1999 San Antonio Spurs 15-2 .882 1989 Detroit Pistons 15-2 .882 1991 Chicago Bulls 15-2 .882 1971 Milwaukee Bucks 12-2 .857 1982 Los Angeles Lakers 12-2 .857 1996 Chicago Bulls 15-3 .833 1986 Boston Celtics 15-3 .833 1987 Los Angeles Lakers 15-3 .833 1950 Minneapolis Lakers 10-2 .833

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