SPURS ACHIEVE COMMANDING GRIP
SAN ANTONIO LOOKS TO TAKE DOWN DALLAS AFTER TAKING 3-1 SERIES LEAD SUNDAY
The San Antonio Spurs took a commanding 3-1 lead in their series against the Dallas Mavericks with a 92-89 victory in yet another face-smacking, neck-grabbing, bone-on-bone war of a ball game. The Spurs' win was accomplished despite sub-par performances from their top three point-makers. San Antonio's top gun, Tim Duncan, was smothered by the ferocious defense of Erick Dampier and Brandon Haywood. TD never got a clean look at the basket and wound up shooting 1-for-9, with his only bucket coming on a tip-in at 4:11 of the fourth quarter. Duncan yanked down 11 rebounds, but he was never a factor on offense and only slightly more effective on defense. Still, Duncan did show his mettle by setting sturdy screens all game long. He also dove headlong to the floor to rescue a loose ball in the third quarter. For most of the game, Manu Ginobili also had trouble finding the basket, shooting a mere 4-for-16. But Ginobili redeemed himself with a huge 3-pointer as the last seconds of the game ticked away. He also dished out seven dimes and came up with five steals. Even with his fractured nose barely protected by a small strip of hard plastic, Ginobili kept digging, driving and shooting until he came up with the biggest score of the game. Tony Parker was able to get to the rim in the first half, but not thereafter. He knocked down a meaningful jumper when the game was on the line, but he also made several bad decisions with the ball -- 4-for-9 shooting, five assists, five turnovers, 10 points. For the most part, Parker was forceful when he should have been cautious, and vice versa. (FOX News)