Un-detailed Game Board

Game 1:
San Antonio 89
New York 77
 

  Game 1

San Antonio 89, New York 77
 
 

Duncan dominated with 33 points and 16 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs tied an NBA record with their 11th straight playoff win, an 89-77 victory over the shorthanded Knicks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

The Knicks elected to defend Duncan 1-on-1 in the first half and the skilled and smooth 7-footer made them pay. He outscored the Knicks 11-10 in the second quarter, when the Spurs finally overcame a slow start and took the lead for good.

In the second half, the Knicks went to a series of double teams on Duncan, who repeatedly beat them with quick moves or passes to open teammates. The biggest benefactor was reserve guard Jaren Jackson, who scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half, when he made four of his five 3 pointers.

"We watched a lot of game film. We pretty much knew what they were going to do," Duncan said. "Of course, they'll change now because I said that or just because they will. But they didn't come as fast (on the double team) as I thought they would."

"In the first half, I was aggressive on my shots, but I wasn't set on some of them," Jackson said. "I wanted to make sure, even though I was missing some shots, to continue to be aggressive."

Playing in front of 39,514 — the second largest crowd in Finals history — the Spurs led by eight points at half time and never by less than five thereafter. Even after a 10 day layoff, their inside outside attack continues to appear unstoppable as they remained on pace for the best post season record in NBA history.
 
"I felt good coming back from such a long layoff," Duncan said. "It was a great comeback for me."

"Nine days is much too long to think about it," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of the layoff. "You can get real dumb during nine days trying to think of something clever."

Because of the lockout, this was the first time the Knicks had faced the Spurs this season. What they had seen on film did not prepare them well.

"You don't really know a team until you start competing against them," Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "We studied a lot but you don't know a team until you play them. And we're going to have to learn a lot from tonight."

David Robinson added 13 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three blocks for the Spurs, whose winning streak matches the 1989 Los Angeles Lakers for the longest in one playoff season. San Antonio can break the record at home in Game 2 on Friday.

Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston scored 19 points each for the Knicks, who had won the opener on the road in their first three playoff series but clearly were outplayed by the Spurs. New York's second-quarter total was the lowest in Finals history.

"You can't expect to go out and win Game One just because it's been done in the past," Houston said. "It's still a seven game series and I think we're even more hungry to go out Friday and learn from what we did wrong."

Knicks forward Larry Johnson started despite a sprained MCL in his right knee but was not a factor. Like many of his teammates, he had early foul trouble and was limited to 21 minutes, scoring just five points. Duncan went over him for three straight baskets in the fourth quarter.
 

Whenever the Knicks came close, the Spurs had an answer, usually with Duncan or Jackson. A free throw by Kurt Thomas, who picked up the slack for Johnson with 13 points and 16 rebounds, cut the deficit to 74-68 with 8:33 remaining.

But Duncan found Jackson for a 3 pointer and scored San Antonio's next three baskets, all on short shots over the 6-7 Johnson, as the Knicks went cold. Another 3 pointer by Jackson sealed it at 87-72 with 2:22 to play.

"Tim Duncan really had it going," Knicks forward Marcus Camby said. "Even when we double teamed, he was able to get the ball to the rim and score and get to the free throw line."

The Knicks missed eight of their first nine shots in the fourth quarter, killing any chance of a comeback. They just shot 5-of-22 in the period and 38 percent (31-of-81) overall.

Duncan made 13-of-21 free throws as San Antonio shot 48 percent (32-of-67) from the field. Jackson was 5-of-10 from behind the arc and has a team high 27 3 pointers in the post season.

"It wasn't easy at all," Duncan said. "Those guys were playing hard out there. They're a very physical team. I had to work to get into positions where I could get easy shots before they could get down there on me. So I worked hard tonight, I really did."

"We can't live with Duncan getting 33," Van Gundy said. "We watched every other team play them. Those other teams got beat with everything. And we've got to take away Jaren Jackson. We can't give him those 3s. Obviously, Duncan's going to score. We can't cut that out. But the main thing is we've got to cut everybody else out."

The team that has won Game 1 of the Finals has gone on to win the series six of the last seven years. Last year, Utah won the opener but lost to Chicago in six games.

The Knicks are looking for their third title and first since 1973, when the Spurs were in the ABA and moved from Dallas. San Antonio joined the NBA in 1976 and is trying to become the first ABA team to win a title.

Johnson wore a rubber sleeve on his right knee, matching the one already on his left knee. He ran gingerly in transition and picked up two quick fouls, sitting down just 2:11 into the game.

The referees let the teams play, which initially favored the Knicks. Duncan made two free throws to give the Spurs a 17-15 lead with 3:29 left in the first quarter but the Knicks closed the period with a 12-4 burst. Houston scored 10 points, including a tough bank shot and a spin-move jumper on the run.

The Spurs seemed bothered by the physical play and Johnson returned early in the second quarter, making a free throw and an inside hoop. But New York got into foul trouble as Marcus Camby left with his third foul with 6:38 left and Johnson was hit with his third 24 seconds later.

Jumpers by Sprewell and Houston opened a 35-31 lead with 4:16 left in the second quarter but the Knicks went without a basket for the rest of the half as Duncan and Robinson took charge at both ends in a 14-2 run.

Duncan made a finger roll over Chris Dudley and two free throws. Robinson found Duncan with a lob for a lay-up and the lead before blocking a shot by Dudley and sinking a foul line jumper.

Houston answered with two free throws but picked up his third foul with 1:24 remaining. Mario Elie sank 1-of-2 free throws before Duncan's rebound and outlet pass led to a lay-up by Antonio Daniels. Duncan buried a 20 footer and a free throw to close the half, giving San Antonio a 45-37 lead.

The Knicks shot just 3-of-18 in the second quarter, while Duncan was 4-of-5.

Foul trouble limited the Knicks' aggression and Duncan got some help in the third quarter. Avery Johnson and Sean Elliott combined for one shot and no points in the first half but came alive, teaming for 11 points. Elliott's jumper opened a 62-50 advantage with 4:12 left before the Knicks closed to 71-63 entering the final period.