San Antonio drew first blood in the series, taking a 15-point win, 84-69, at home. Then the Spurs made it two in a row with a 97-76 romp, also at the SBC Center.
Under the Finals format of 2-3-2, the scene switched to Detroit’s homecourt where the Pistons won Game 3, 96-79, and Game 4, 102-71.
Defense has brought the Pistons back with a vengeance as San Antonio was held to less than 80 the last two outings. Tim Duncan was limited to 14 points in Game 3 and 16–one less than Pistons reserve guard Lindsey Hunter–in Game 4.
In last year’s Western Conference semifinals, the Spurs raced to a 2-0 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers only to collapse and lose the next four.
Unless San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich reverses the trend in Game 5, the Spurs might just find themselves in a hole too deep to crawl out of.
"While San Antonio has regressed, the Pistons have raised their defensive intensity and overall play," wrote Mitch Lawrence in the New York Daily News. "San Antonio is in bad shape even if the Finals is technically tied at 2-2."
What’s still going for San Antonio is the homecourt advantage. Even if the Spurs lose Game 5, they’re sure to host Game 6 and if necessary, Game 7. For the Pistons to retain the crown, they’ll have to beat San Antonio once on the Spurs’ court from a three-game sweep at home. A loss in Game 5 will mean Detroit must repulse San Antonio twice on the road.
But winning on the road isn’t such a daunting challenge in this year’s playoffs where home teams are losing at an alarming frequency of about 40 percent compared to 25 percent in previous seasons. If there’s a team that thrives in winning away from home, it’s Detroit whose Pistons seem to play tougher under pressure.
In an e-mail to The STAR, Ford said Detroit was able to beat the Spurs in Games 3 and 4 because "we matched their energy, we played better on the ball and team defense and we executed better effectively.’
Ford, who joined the Pistons coaching staff last year and was an NBA Rookie of the Year in 1979, said to win, Detroit has to "continue to play with a sense of urgency–we have to continue to play with defensive intensity and continue to make the extra pass on offense."
On Game 5, Ford said: "We know we have to attempt to win all of our games at the Palace. We have to play each possession like it is our last. We have too much respect for the Spurs to look ahead. We knew we have to play with a lot of intensity. We did not match their intensity in the first two games. I think intensity is a more appropriate word than physical play."
Ford said it’s difficult to compare last year’s Pistons title team to the squad this season. "The Lakers were a great team and the Spurs are a great team," he explained. "Last year’s Pistons team had some strong points that this year’s team does not have. But this year’s Pistons team has some strong points that last year’s team did not have."
Bench is vital, noted Ford, mainly because of the number of games each team plays. "It’s extremely important in the playoffs," said Ford who played at the University of North Carolina like Pistons coach Larry Brown, "because of the grind of having to play an entire regular season and the intensity of the playoff games."
Ford said Detroit’s strategy isn’t just to allow Duncan his points and limit his teammates. "The Spurs are not a one-man team," he said. "Arguably, Duncan is the best player in our league but he has teammates who are capable of beating you."
The homecrowd has given the Pistons a huge lift, said Ford. "They’re tremendous with a capital T," added Ford. "The fans give a high lift to our team."
As for Spurs star Manu Ginobili, Ford described the Argentinian as "an outstanding player, an All-Star." He went on: "You never stop an All-Star. You just try to slow him down, not give up many easy baskets. Try to make him a jumpshooter with a hand in his face. Manu is a great player and the Spurs are a great team. It’s going to be a hard-fought series."
Ford said the series has nothing to do with Brown trying to avenge the US defeat in the Olympics because the Spurs exemplify the international game. "Coach Brown is such a purist that he wants the best for the game," said Ford. "I think it only helps basketball overall with the vast performance of the game being played all over the world. Coach Brown and coach Popovich are great friends and share the same philosophy on how the game should be played. Our teams mirror each other so much that it is scary."
Ford, 49, said the Pistons aren’t looking beyond the next game. "We are not focusing on the end of the series at this point," he stressed. "All of our energy and focus is on the next game, possession by possession."