2004–05 San Antonio Spurs season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search 2004–05 San Antonio Spurs season Third NBA title Head coach Gregg Popovich Owner(s) Peter Holt Arena AT&T Center Results Record 59–23 (.720) Place Division: 1st (Southwest) Conference: 2nd (Western) Playoff finish NBA Champions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com San Antonio Spurs seasons < 2003–04 2005–06 > Contents [hide] 1 Offseason 1.1 NBA Draft 2 Regular season 2.1 Season in Review 2.2 Season standings 2.3 Game log 2.3.1 November 2.3.2 December 2.3.3 January 2.3.4 February 2.3.5 March 2.3.6 April 3 Player stats 3.1 Regular season 3.2 Playoffs 4 NBA Finals 4.1 Game One 4.2 Game Two 4.3 Game Three 4.4 Game Four 4.5 Game Five 4.6 Game Six 4.7 Game Seven 5 Award Winners 6 External links 7 References [edit] Offseason [edit] NBA Draft Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club Team 1 28 Beno Udrih Guard Slovenia Breil Milano (Italy) 2 52 Romain Sato Guard Central African Republic Xavier 2 57 Sergei Karaulov Center Uzbekistan Sakha-Yakutia Yakutsk [edit] Regular season [edit] Season in Review After their disappointing second round collapse to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Spurs looked to regain the NBA crown. They would get off to a quick start, posting a 12-3 record in November. The Spurs would stay hot through December as they established a 25-6 record entering the New Year. The Spurs would be near the top in the Western Conference all season battling the Phoenix Suns for the best record in the NBA. Just as it appeared the Spurs would cruise toward the playoffs, their season suddenly hit a bump in the road when Tim Duncan went down in a March 20th loss to the Detroit Pistons with a sprained ankle. The rest of the way, the Spurs would limp home winning 9 of their last 17 as they held on to the Southwest Division by just 1 game with a 59-23 record. [edit] Season standings Southwest Division Team W L PCT. GB San Antonio Spurs 59 23 .720 - Dallas Mavericks 58 24 .707 1 Houston Rockets 51 31 .622 8 Memphis Grizzlies 45 37 .549 14 New Orleans Hornets 18 64 .220 41 [edit] Game log [edit] November Record: 12–3; Home: 6–0; Road: 6–3 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Record 1 3 November 2004 Kings 101-85 Spurs NA Tim Duncan (30) 1–0 2 5 November 2004 Spurs 105–96 Lakers NA Tim Duncan (26) 2–0 3 7 November 2004 Spurs 94–113 Supersonics NA Two-way tie (21) 2–1 4 10 November 2004 Warriors 91-71 Spurs NA Tim Duncan (23) 3–1 5 12 November 2004 Heat 93-84 Spurs NA Manu Ginóbili (29) 4–1 6 13 November 2004 Spurs 103–88 Hawks NA Tim Duncan (26) 5–1 7 16 November 2004 Knicks 91–81 Spurs NA Tony Parker (18) 6–1 8 18 November 2004 Spurs 88–80 76ers NA Tim Duncan (34) 7–1 9 19 November 2004 Spurs 92–84 Celtics NA Tim Duncan (26) 8–1 10 21 November 2004 Spurs 91–96 Raptors NA Tim Duncan (26) 8–2 11 22 November 2004 Spurs 90–93 Grizzlies NA Tim Duncan (26) 8–3 12 24 November 2004 Mavericks 94–80 Spurs NA Tim Duncan (27) 9–3 13 26 November 2004 Spurs 89–75 Nuggets NA Tim Duncan (23) 10–3 14 27 November 2004 Jazz 109–76 Spurs NA Malik Rose (16) 11–3 15 30 November 2004 Spurs 107–89 Mavericks NA Tim Duncan (20) 12–3 [edit] December Record: 13–3; Home: 8–1; Road: 5–2 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Record 16 1 December 2004 76ers 72–105 Spurs NA Two-way tie (24) 13–3 17 3 December 2004 Pistons 77–80 Spurs NA Tony Parker (20) 14–3 18 4 December 2004 Spurs 104–83 Bucks NA Tim Duncan (20) 15–3 19 6 December 2004 Spurs 91–75 Bulls NA Tony Parker (17) 16–3 20 8 December 2004 Supersonics 102–96 Spurs NA Tim Duncan (39) 16–4 21 9 December 2004 Spurs 80–81 Rockets NA Tim Duncan (26) 16–5 22 11 December 2004 Cavaliers 97–116 Spurs NA Tim Duncan (34) 17–5 23 15 December 2004 Magic 91–94 Spurs NA Tim Duncan (24) 18–5 24 17 December 2004 Spurs 83–67 Hornets NA Tim Duncan (19) 19–5 25 18 December 2004 Warriors 85–104 Spurs NA Two-way tie (21) 20–5 26 22 December 2004 Spurs 87–93 Magic NA Tim Duncan (24) 20–6 27 23 December 2004 Timberwolves 79–94 Spurs NA Manu Ginóbili (22) 21–6 28 26 December 2004 Celtics 90–107] Spurs NA Tony Parker (27) 22–6 29 28 December 2004 Suns 94–115 Spurs NA Tony Parker (29) 23–6 30 30 December 2004 Spurs 114–80] Trail Blazers NA Tim Duncan (19) 24–6 31 31 December 2004 Spurs 98–79 Clippers NA Tim Duncan (23) 25–6 [edit] January Record: 12–4; Home: 9–0; Road: 3–4 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Record 32 2 January 2005 Spurs 81–86] Kings NA Manu Ginóbili (18) 25–7 33 4 January 2005 Lakers 83–100] Spurs NA Bruce Bowen (24) 26–7 34 6 January 2005 Pacers 98–111 Spurs NA Tim Duncan (27) 27–7 35 8 January 2005 Nuggets 90–99 Spurs NA Manu Ginóbili (22) 28–7 36 10 January 2005 Spurs 96–97 Jazz NA Tim Duncan (24) 28–8 37 12 January 2005 Bucks 79–94 Spurs NA Tim Duncan (21) 29–8 38 14 January 2005 Mavericks 95–98] Spurs NA Tim Duncan (25) 30–8 39 15 January 2005 Spurs 67–73 Rockets NA Tony Parker (21) 30–9 40 17 January 2005 Wizards 73–101 Spurs NA Devin Brown (24) 31–9 41 19 January 2005 Clippers 79–80 Spurs NA Tony Parker (25) 32–9 42 21 January 2005 Spurs 128–123 Suns 1 Manu Ginóbili (48) 33–9 43 23 January 2005 Spurs 103–73 Kings NA Tim Duncan (23) 34–9 44 24 January 2005 Spurs 99–107 Trail Blazers NA Tim Duncan (24) 34–10 45 27 January 2005 Kings 80–90 Spurs NA Manu Ginóbili (25) 35–10 46 29 January 2005 Hornets 83–93 Spurs NA Tony Parker (23) 36–10 47 31 January 2005 Spurs 103–84 Supersonics NA Manu Ginóbili (23) 37–10 [edit] February Record: 6–3; Home: 1–1; Road: 5–2 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Record 48 2 February 2005 Spurs 103–91 Lakers NA Tony Parker (22) 38–10 49 8 February 2005 Spurs 104–85 Bobcats NA Tony Parker (20) 39–10 50 9 February 2005 Spurs 87–95] Wizards NA Tony Parker (22) 39–11 51 11 February 2005 Spurs 101–91] Nets NA Tony Parker (27) 40–11 52 13 February 2005 Spurs 92–96 Heat NA Manu Ginóbili (24) 40–12 53 16 February 2005 Spurs 101-78 Hornets NA Tim Duncan (19) 41-12 54 23 February 2005 Rockets 81-99 Spurs NA Tim Duncan (30) 42-12 55 26 February 2005 Grizzlies 84-82 Spurs NA Tim Duncan (27) 42-13 56 28 February 2005 Spurs 94-92 Cavaliers NA Tim Duncan (20) 43-13 [edit] March Record: 10-5; Home: 10-1; Road: 0-4 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Record 57 2 March 2005 Raptors 86-92 Spurs NA Manu Ginóbili (17) 44-13 58 4 March 2005 Bulls 99-102 Spurs NA Tim Duncan (31) 45-13 59 6 March 2005 Jazz 94-101 Spurs NA Manu Ginóbili (31) 46-13 60 8 March 2005 Nets 74-90 Spurs NA Devin Brown (22) 47-13 61 9 March 2005 Spurs 101-107 Suns NA Tony Parker (30) 47-14 62 12 March 2005 Nuggets 90-87 Spurs NA Tony Parker (25) 47-15 63 14 March 2005 Hornets 89-112 Spurs NA Beno Udrih (25) 48-15 64 16 March 2005 Timberwolves 73-89 Spurs NA Tim Duncan (25) 49-15 65 18 March 2005 Bobcats 76-93 Spurs NA Tony Parker (24) 50-15 66 20 March 2005 Spurs 101-110 Pistons NA Devin Brown (18) 50-16 67 21 March 2005 Spurs 75-88 Knicks NA Devin Brown (22) 50-17 68 23 March 2005 Spurs 93-100 Pacers NA Brent Barry (17) 50-18 69 25 March 2005 Hawks 95-111 Spurs NA Two-way tie (23) 51-18 70 27 March 2005 Rockets 70-83 Spurs NA Manu Ginóbili (18) 52-18 71 30 March 2005 Supersonics 76-89 Spurs NA Tony Parker (28) 53-18 [edit] April Record: 6-5; Home: 4-0; Road: 2-5 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Record 72 1 April 2005 Spurs 84-102 Nuggets NA Tony Parker (17) 53-19 73 2 April 2005 Lakers 94-95 Spurs NA Brent Barry (20) 54-19 74 6 April 2005 Clippers 82-91 Spurs NA Manu Ginóbili (16) 55-19 75 7 April 2005 Spurs 68-104 Mavericks NA Brent Barry (12) 55-20 76 9 April 2005 Spurs 125-124 Clippers 2 Manu Ginóbili (40) 56-20 77 10 April 2005 Spurs 136-134 Warriors 2 Tony Parker (35) 57-20 78 12 April 2005 Trail Blazers 89-95 Spurs NA Manu Ginóbili (30) 58-20 79 13 April 2005 Spurs 91-93 Jazz NA Manu Ginóbili (21) 58-21 80 16 April 2005 Grizzlies 97-75 Spurs NA Bruce Bowen (15) 59-21 81 18 April 2005 Spurs 92-94 Grizzlies NA Glenn Robinson (23) 59-22 82 20 April 2005 Spurs 73-95 Timberwolves NA Glenn Robinson (16) 59-23 Green background indicates win. Red background indicates loss. [edit] Player stats Legend GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game FG% Field-goal percentage 3P% 3-point field-goal percentage FT% Free-throw percentage RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game [edit] Regular season Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG Barry, Brent Brent Barry 81 8 21.5 .423 .357 .837 2.3 2.2 .48 .25 7.4 Bowen, Bruce Bruce Bowen 82 82 32.0 .420 .403 .634 3.5 1.5 .67 .48 8.2 Brown, Devin Devin Brown 67 0 18.5 .423 .372 .792 2.6 1.4 .58 .18 7.4 Duncan, Tim Tim Duncan 66 66 33.4 .496 .333 .670 11.1 2.7 .68 2.64 20.3 Ginobili, Manu Manu Ginóbili 74 74 29.6 .471 .376 .803 4.4 3.9 1.61 .36 16.0 Glover, Dion Dion Glover 7 0 9.7 .364 .125 .800 1.6 .6 .43 .43 3.6 Horry, Robert Robert Horry 75 16 18.6 .419 .370 .789 3.6 1.1 .89 .80 6.0 III, Linton Johnson Linton Johnson III 2 0 7.5 .000 .000 .000 1.5 .0 .50 .00 .0 Marks, Sean Sean Marks 23 0 10.6 .338 .000 .786 2.4 .3 .13 .48 3.3 Massenburg, Tony Tony Massenburg 61 6 11.5 .407 .000 .762 2.7 .2 .30 .33 3.2 Mohammed, Nazr Nazr Mohammed* 23 5 18.0 .387 .000 .571 6.4 .3 .22 1.43 6.2 Nesterovic, Rasho Rasho Nesterović 70 70 25.5 .460 .000 .467 6.6 1.0 .44 1.67 5.9 Parker, Tony Tony Parker 80 80 34.2 .482 .276 .650 3.7 6.1 1.23 .05 16.6 Robinson, Glenn Glenn Robinson 9 0 17.4 .442 .333 .870 2.7 .9 .44 .33 10.0 Udrih, Beno Beno Udrih 80 2 14.4 .444 .408 .753 1.0 1.9 .51 .13 5.9 Wilks, Mike Mike Wilks 48 0 5.8 .416 .313 .750 .5 .7 .29 .02 1.7 * Statistics include only games with the Spurs [edit] Playoffs Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG Barry, Brent Brent Barry 23 8 24.1 .457 .424 .810 2.4 1.9 .65 .17 6.1 Bowen, Bruce Bruce Bowen 23 23 35.4 .359 .433 .647 2.9 1.6 .48 .57 5.7 Brown, Devin Devin Brown 12 0 5.0 .350 .429 .571 .6 .3 .08 .00 1.8 Duncan, Tim Tim Duncan 23 23 37.8 .464 .200 .717 12.4 2.7 .35 2.26 23.6 Ginobili, Manu Manu Ginóbili 23 15 33.6 .507 .438 .795 5.8 4.2 1.22 .26 20.8 Horry, Robert Robert Horry 23 0 26.9 .448 .447 .732 5.4 2.0 .91 .87 9.3 Massenburg, Tony Tony Massenburg 9 0 3.1 .167 .000 .500 1.2 .0 .00 .00 .3 Mohammed, Nazr Nazr Mohammed 23 23 23.0 .528 1.000 .638 6.7 .3 .61 1.00 7.1 Nesterovic, Rasho Rasho Nesterović 15 0 7.6 .417 .000 .000 1.7 .1 .07 .33 .7 Parker, Tony Tony Parker 23 23 37.3 .454 .188 .632 2.9 4.3 .74 .09 17.2 Robinson, Glenn Glenn Robinson 13 0 8.7 .356 .300 .882 1.6 .1 .23 .54 3.8 Udrih, Beno Beno Udrih 21 0 11.5 .359 .270 .857 .8 1.0 .43 .05 3.7 [edit] NBA Finals [edit] Game One June 9, 2005 8:00 p.m. EST Recap Detroit Pistons 69, San Antonio Spurs 84 SBC Center San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Mike Callahan; Ron Garretson; Steve Javie ABC Pts: Billups 25; Hamilton 14; Prince 11 Rebs: B. Wallace 8; R. Wallace 7; McDyess 7 Assts: Billups 6; Prince 4 Blocks: R. Wallace 6 Pts: Ginobili 26; Duncan 24; Parker 15 Rebs: Duncan 17; Ginobili 9; Mohammed 7 Assts: Parker 3; Horry 3; Bowen 2 Spurs lead series 1-0 Manu Ginobili was widely considered the star of the night, scoring in a virtuoso performance near the end of the game to lead the Spurs to victory. The Pistons were then left 'in the dust', the NBA website reported. Ginobili scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to complement a huge game by Tim Duncan. Ginobili, a famous Argentine All-Star, already with championship rings from the NBA and Euroleague and an Olympic gold medal (the only player in history with all three), got to work on his second NBA title by taking over in the final period. He scored eight points in a decisive 12-2 surge that gave the Spurs a 67-55 lead, then throttled a push by the Pistons with a swooping dunk, 3-pointer and running hook for an 81-67 advantage with less than two minutes to go. Having been idle for a week, the Spurs looked weak. With their defense, however, they were able to overcome adversity. Tim Duncan, who had 24 points and 17 rebounds, also contributed. Although the Pistons tend to suddenly come alive in the fourth quarter, the converse was true this game as San Antonio put together a big quarter to take a commanding lead in the game. Team 1 2 3 4 Tot. Detroit 20 17 14 18 69 San Antonio 17 18 20 29 84 [edit] Game Two June 12, 2005 8:00 p.m. EST Recap Detroit Pistons 76, San Antonio Spurs 97 SBC Center San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Dan Crawford, Bernie Fryer, Jack Nies ABC Pts: McDyess 15; Hamilton 14; Billups 13 Rebs: B. Wallace 8; R. Wallace 8; Hamilton 7 Assts: R. Wallace 4; Three others at 3 Pts: Ginobili 27; Duncan 18; Bowen 12 Rebs: Duncan 11; Horry 6; Mohammed 5 Assts: Ginobili- 7; Horry 5; Barry 5 Blocks: Duncan 4 Spurs lead series 2-0 Coming into the game, it seemed as if the resilient Pistons, who survived two elimination games against Miami in the Eastern Finals, would come out strong and give the Spurs a challenge. However, it was the Spurs who came out with a sense of urgency, as they did not want the Pistons to steal a game in San Antonio and take home court advantage away from them. From the opening tip, Game 2 was all San Antonio as the Spurs got out to a quick lead and never looked back. The Spurs took advantage of Detroit's uncharacteristic mistakes throughout the night, which included missing 9 shots from inside four feet from the basket. While the Pistons went cold from behind the arc, not scoring a single 3-point basket, the Spurs made 11 3-pointers, including 4 each by Manu Ginobili and Bruce Bowen, who did not score a point in game 1. Ginobili finished the game with a game-high 27 points, while Tim Duncan finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Antonio McDyess was the high scorer for Detroit, scoring 15 points off the bench. The 2-0 lead proved a daunting challenge to Detroit, historically. In the history of the NBA, in the 153 times when a team with home court advantage was up 2-0 in a series, only seven times has the other team rebounded to win the series. Team 1 2 3 4 Tot. Detroit 19 23 21 13 76 San Antonio 30 28 21 18 97 [edit] Game Three June 14, 2005 9:00 p.m. Recap San Antonio Spurs 79, Detroit Pistons 96 The Palace of Auburn Hills Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Joe Crawford, Bob Delaney, Bennett Salvatore ABC Pts: Parker 21; Duncan 14; Bowen 13 Rebs: Duncan 10; Mohammed 7; Horry 5 Assts: Parker 4; Duncan 4; three others at 2 Pts: Hamilton 24; Billups 20; B. Wallace 15 Rebs: B. Wallace 11; McDyess 9 R. Wallace 7 Assts: Billups 7; Prince 5 Blocks: B. Wallace 5 Spurs lead series 2-1 Going into this game, the Pistons were looking to rebound from the deficit. In the past, only two teams in NBA history had ever won a Finals series after facing a 2-0 deficit — the Boston Celtics in the 1969 NBA Finals and the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1977 NBA Finals — however, the Miami Heat would later accomplish this feat against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals. Despite the tough challenge, the Pistons pulled through, and came out with several key steals and two scoring runs in the third quarter, then netted many insurance points in the fourth to win a big game which was a de facto must-win. Ben Wallace was lauded and commended by many for stepping up to the challenge. When the end of the game came, and the 96-79 final score flashed upon the screens, many Pistons fans, celebrating in jubilation, started filling the air with confetti and conducted other celebratory customs. That was the first time that the Spurs have given up more than 90 points in a Finals game. Team 1 2 3 4 Tot. San Antonio 27 15 23 14 79 Detroit 21 20 29 26 96 [edit] Game Four Thursday, June 16, 2005, 21:00, at The Palace. June 16, 2005 9:00 p.m. Recap San Antonio Spurs 71, Detroit Pistons 102 The Palace of Auburn Hills Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe DeRosa, Eddie F. Rush ABC Pts: Duncan 16; Parker 12; Ginobili 12 Rebs: Duncan 16; Mohammed 5; three others at 4 Assts: Parker 4; Bowen 4; Ginobili 3 Pts: Billups 17; Hunter 17; R. Wallace -14 Rebs: B. Wallace 13; Hamilton 9; R. Wallace 8 Assts: Billups 7; McDyess 5 Note: 7 Pistons players in double point figues Series tied 2-2 In this game also, as was previously observed in Game 3, the Pistons dominated the Spurs. Reporters began to remark about the tendency in this series for the home team to produce a blowout. Thus far, no game had been decided by less than 15 points. Seven Pistons scored in double figures, and big games were collected from Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, and all the other élite stars of the franchise. The outcome was never really in doubt, and the Pistons committed a Finals-record low four turnovers, but even this is often deemed an underestimation of the Pistons' defensive power. The deciding factor appears to have been the lack of possession time for the Spurs. This led to infrequent opportunities to score, and combined with an uncharacteristic scoring slump, the Spurs were only able to manage 71 points. For the second straight game, the Pistons scored more than 90 points against the Spurs. Team 1 2 3 4 Tot. San Antonio 17 19 21 14 71 Detroit 23 28 23 28 102 [edit] Game Five June 19, 2005 9:00 p.m. Recap San Antonio Spurs 96, Detroit Pistons 95 (OT) The Palace of Auburn Hills Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Mike Callahan, Ron Garretson, Steve Javie ABC Pts: Duncan 26; Horry 21; Ginobili 15 Rebs: Duncan 19; Horry 7; Ginobili 6 Assts: Ginobili 9; Parker 3; Bowen 3; Pts: Billups 34; Hamilton 15; B. Wallace 13 Rebs: B. Wallace 12; Prince 9; McDyess 6 Assts: Billups 7; Prince 3 Spurs lead series 3-2 With the first four games of the 2005 Finals being blowouts by the home team, Game 5 was the close game everyone was waiting for, and it went down as one of the more memorable games in Finals history. The game was closely contested by the two teams throughout the night as the lead changed 12 separate times, and the game was tied on 18 occasions. Regulation was not enough to settle this game, so the game went into overtime. The Pistons streaked out to a quick lead in the first few minutes of overtime, and seemed to have the game in hand. However, a missed opportunity with Detroit up 2 with 9 seconds to go opened the door for San Antonio. On the Spurs' next possession, Robert Horry inbounded the ball to Ginobili, who then gave it back to Horry, who was left wide open, to sink the game winning basket. Horry had previously already been famous for nailing the winning shot in Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and Kings. Horry went 5 for 6 from beyond the arc, including the game-winner, and scored 21 points coming off the bench, after not scoring until the final play of the 3rd quarter. He carried the team in the latter stages of the game as his teammates struggled with nerves that came with the weight of a must-win game on the road against an accomplished adversary. In addition to the game winning three pointer Horry made a spectacular left-handed dunk as the shot clock was winding in one possession, that is one of the highlights of the series. Incidentally, Horry happened to have the most NBA championships of any active player five, and looked to extend that to six. Tim Duncan, despite struggling from the free-throw line, finished with 26 points and 19 rebounds for the Spurs. Chauncey Billups was the high scorer for the Pistons, finishing with a game high 34 points in the losing effort. Team 1 2 3 4 OT Tot. San Antonio 21 21 22 25 7 96 Detroit 23 19 21 26 6 95 [edit] Game Six June 21, 2005 8:00 p.m. EST Recap Detroit Pistons 95, San Antonio Spurs 86 SBC Center San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Dan Crawford, Bernie Fryer, Bennett Salvatore ABC Pts: Hamilton 23; Billups 21; R. Wallace 16 Rebs: B. Wallace 9; Prince 7; Billups 6 Assts: Billups 6; Prince 4 Pts: Ginobili 21; Duncan 21; Parker 15 Rebs: Duncan 15; Ginobili 10; Mohammed 8 Assts: Parker 5; Ginobili 3 Series tied 3-3 Game 6 was a close game all along, and the lead kept fluctuating between the two teams. Again, the leading stars on both teams played big games. Detroit pulled away early in the fourth for an 80-73 lead with five minutes to go, but the Spurs continued to threaten them. Soon, it was back to a one-point game. Then, Rasheed Wallace planted a three-pointer to pull away, and even with a resilient game by the Spurs, the Pistons had clinched the victory. Nevertheless, several Pistons free throws were necessary in the final moments of the game to put a win out of reach for the Spurs. Rasheed Wallace had a big game to atone for the mistake he made for leaving Horry open in Game 5. Despite the fact that his mistake ultimately cost the Pistons the championship, Wallace was nonchalant about the play, even commenting incorrectly that he left Horry to guard Duncan. Billups and Prince again led the Pistons with steady, unwavering defense, which is the key, as it is often said, to victory. Although Duncan and Ginobili finished with 21 points each, neither was able to seriously threaten the strong Pistons defense enough to win the game. Detroit thus won its fifth consecutive game facing elimination. The Pistons became the first road team to force a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Team 1 2 3 4 Tot. Detroit 23 23 25 24 95 San Antonio 23 24 20 19 86 [edit] Game Seven June 23, 2005 8:00 p.m. EST Recap Detroit Pistons 74, San Antonio Spurs 81 SBC Center San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe Crawford, Eddie F. Rush ABC Pts: Hamilton 15; Billups 13; B. Wallace 12 Rebs: B. Wallace 12; Hamilton 8; McDyess 7 Assts: Billups 8; McDyess 2 Pts: Duncan 25; Ginobili 23; Horry 15 Rebs: Duncan 11; Mohammed 7; Ginobili 5 Assts: Ginobili 4; Duncan 3 Spurs win series 4-3 For the first time in eleven years, the NBA Finals came down to a decisive game. Momentum was on Detroit's side, but the Spurs had home-court advantage. The Pistons were looking to become the first team to ever win the last 2 games on the road, after being down 3-2. The stats were, as expected, heavily in favor of the Spurs. NBA teams are 74-17 all-time at home in Game 7, and 9-0 when leading 3-2 going home. The game, like the previous two games of the series, was closely contested for the first three quarters. But the Spurs took control in the fourth quarter and never looked back as for the second time in three years, the Spurs celebrated a championship on the SBC Center floor. The Spurs won Game Seven 81-74, winning the franchise's third Larry O'Brien Trophy. For the game, Tim Duncan finished with a game high 25 points and 11 rebounds, while teammate Manu Ginobili pitched in with 23 points. Richard Hamilton, with 15 points, was the high scorer for the Pistons, who fell just short of winning back to back championships. Tim Duncan won his third NBA Finals MVP Award. Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Bruce Bowen each received their second championship ring, while Robert Horry became only the second player in NBA history (John Salley being the first) to play on championship teams for three different franchises. Team 1 2 3 4 Tot. Detroit 16 23 18 17 74 San Antonio 18 20 19 24 81 [edit] Award Winners Tim Duncan, Center, NBA Finals MVP [edit] External links San Antonio Spurs on Database Basketball San Antonio Spurs on Basketball Reference [edit] References [hide]v • d • e2004–05 NBA season by team 2004 NBA Expansion Draft • 2004 NBA Draft • All-Star Game • Playoffs • Finals • Transactions East Atlantic Boston Celtics New Jersey Nets New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers Toronto Raptors Central Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons Indiana Pacers Milwaukee Bucks Southeast Atlanta Hawks Charlotte Bobcats Miami Heat Orlando Magic Washington Wizards West Southwest Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Hornets San Antonio Spurs Northwest Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves Portland Trail Blazers Seattle SuperSonics Utah Jazz Pacific Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix Suns Sacramento Kings [show]v • d • eSan Antonio Spurs San Antonio, Texas The Franchise Franchise • Seasons • Current season Arenas State Fair Coliseum • Moody Coliseum • Tarrant County Coliseum • Lubbock Municipal Coliseum • HemisFair Arena • Alamodome • AT&T Center Coaches Hagan • Williams • Blakely • Nissalke • McCarthy • Brown • Nissalke • Bass • Moe • Bass • Albeck • McHone • Bass • Fitzsimmons • Weiss • Brown • Bass • Tarkanian • Hughes • Lucas • Hill • Popovich D-League Affiliate Austin Toros Administration Owner: Peter Holt • General Manager: R. C. Buford • Head Coach: Gregg Popovich Notable Figures Gene Banks • Brent Barry • Walter Berry • Bruce Bowen • Devin Brown • Speedy Claxton • Terry Cummings • Antonio Daniels • Vinny Del Negro • Coby Dietrick • Tim Duncan • Mario Elie • Sean Elliott • Michael Finley • Mike Gale • George Gervin • Artis Gilmore • Manu Ginóbili • Robert Horry • Stephen Jackson • Avery Johnson • George Karl • Steve Kerr • Moses Malone • Mike Mitchell • Johnny Moore • Mark Olberding • Tony Parker • Will Perdue • Terry Porter • Alvin Robertson • David Robinson • Dennis Rodman • Malik Rose • James Silas • Rod Strickland • Steve Smith • Dominique Wilkins • Kevin Willis Retired Numbers 00 • 6 • 13 • 32 • 44 • 50 NBA Championships (4) 1999 • 2003 • 2005 • 2007 Rivals Dallas Mavericks • Houston Rockets • Los Angeles Lakers • Phoenix Suns Media TV: KENS-TV • KMYS • FSN Southwest • Radio: WOAI-AM • KCOR-AM • Announcers: Bill Land • Sean Elliott • Bill Schoening • Paul Castro [show]v • d • eSan Antonio Spurs seasons 1973-74 • 1974-75 • 1975-76 • 1976-77 • 1977-78 • 1978-79 • 1979-80 • 1980-81 • 1981-82 • 1982-83 • 1983-84 • 1984-85 • 1985-86 • 1986-87 • 1987-88 • 1988-89 • 1989-90 • 1990-91 • 1991-92 • 1992-93 • 1993-94 • 1994-95 • 1995-96 • 1996-97 • 1997-98 • 1998-99 • 1999-00 • 2000-01 • 2001-02 • 2002-03 • 2003-04 • 2004-05 • 2005-06 • 2006-07 • 2007-08 • 2008-09 Bold indicates NBA Finals victory [show]v • d • eSan Antonio Spurs 2004–05 NBA Champions 2 Mohammed | 3 Robinson | 5 Horry | 8 Nesterovic | 9 Parker | 12 Bowen | 14 Udrih | 17 Barry | 20 Ginobili | 21 Duncan (Finals MVP) | 23 Brown | 34 Massenburg | Coach Popovich Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004%E2%80%9305_San_Antonio_Spurs_season" Categories: San Antonio Spurs seasons | NBA championship seasons | 2005 in basketball | Western Conference (NBA) championship seasons