Spurs on brink of title with 3-0 lead
(Reuters)Updated: 2007-06-13 13:26
CLEVELAND - The San Antonio Spurs moved to the brink of clinching a fourth NBA title in the last nine years after grinding out a 75-72 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, the win giving them a 3-0 finals series lead.
 San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker (9) goes to the net against Cleveland Cavaliers' Aleksandar Pavlovic (3), as Spurs player Robert Horry (5) and Cavaliers players Drew Gooden (90) and LeBron James watch during Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series in Cleveland, Ohio, June 12, 2007. [Reuters] |
San Antonio can clinch the championship with a win in Game Four of the best-of-seven series on Thursday, in what would be the first finals sweep since 2002, when the Los Angeles Lakers blanked the New Jersey Nets.
Guard Manu Ginobili hit two free throws with 5.5 seconds left to give the Spurs a 75-72 lead and after a time out, LeBron James misfired on a three-pointer that would have forced overtime.
The Spurs shot only 41 percent from the floor and hit just 9-of-16 free throws, but it was their long-range shooting that moved them closer to a third title in the last five years.
San Antonio hit 10-of-19 shots from three-point range while the Cavaliers were successful on only 3-of-19 from beyond the arc.
Tony Parker paced San Antonio with 17 points, while LeBron James led Cleveland with 25, despite sinking only 9-of-23 shots and missing all five of his three-point attempts.
He was also guilty of giving up five turnovers.
Cleveland shot only 36.7 percent in their first home game in the NBA finals in the franchise's 37-year history.
The Cavaliers dominated the first half behind nine points by James and held a 38-30 lead with less than three minutes remaining in the second quarter.
However, San Antonio went on a 10-0 run that was capped by Parker's running one-hander in the lane as time expired that gave the Spurs a 40-38 lead at intermission.
The Spurs clung to a one-point lead late in the third quarter before Bruce Bowen and Brent Barry each scored three-pointers during a 9-0 streak that hiked the lead to 60-50 with just over nine minutes left in the contest.
James hit two foul shots with a little under two minutes to play, capping an 8-0 Cavaliers run that cut the deficit to 67-65.
But Cleveland was never able to narrow the gap any further and Ginobili hit three-of-four foul shots in the final 10.4 seconds to seal the victory.
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