San Antonio nets title
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO — First came a blocked shot, one of eight rejections Tim Duncan had on the night.
Next came a two-handed, overhead pass from the low post that found Stephen Jackson at the 3-point line. Swish, and the Spurs had their first lead of the night.
Finally, an almost identical pass found Jackson for yet another 3 — his third of the quarter — and Duncan’s triple-double was complete.
The San Antonio Spurs won the NBA championship Sunday night behind a devastating all-around effort from Duncan, using a run of 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat the New Jersey Nets 88-77 to take the series 4-2.
Duncan finished with 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and eight blocks for a triple-double. San Antonio won the title for the second time in franchise history, sending David Robinson into retirement with the ultimate present.
Robinson jumped and did a 360 as he punched his fist in the air and then hugged several teammates after being replaced with 35.6 seconds left.
The fourth quarter was stunning for its turn of events, with the Spurs — after trailing for almost the entire game — using the 19-0 run to take the life out of the stunned Nets.
It was the fifth straight NBA title for a Western Conference team. The Nets showed none of the characteristics of a championship team as the game got away from them quickly.
Coach Byron Scott left several reserves in during San Antonio’s big run, letting them play alongside Kenyon Martin as he struggled through one of the worst games of his career, shooting 3-for-23.
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