Ginobili delivers late in Spurs Game 3 win

 

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By ELIZABETH WHITE
Associated Press Writer
CLEVELAND (AP) -Manu Ginobili didn’t deliver all night – until the San Antonio Spurs needed him to.
And then, well, he clinched the game.
Ginobili didn’t hit a shot from the field Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, missing all seven he took.
But his three free throws – all in the last 10.4 seconds – sealed the 75-72 victory that gave the Spurs a 3-0 lead in the NBA finals.
Ginobili went to the line late and the Spurs leading 72-70. He missed the first, but made the second. Then, with 5.5 seconds to go, he hit two more to make it 75-72.
While Ginobili delivered late, finishing with just the three points, he and the other two members of the Spurs’ Big 3 struggled on Tuesday with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker combining for 31 points.
Instead it was San Antonio’s supporting cast – and their 3-point shooting – that kept the Spurs alive.
The Spurs were 10-of-19 from 3-point range. Bruce Bowen hit four 3s, one more than Brent Barry. Michael Finley and Robert Horry each added a 3, and Parker even got into the groove, hitting just his fifth 3 of these playoffs.
The Spurs’ top-scoring trio was far less effective than usual in the low-scoring, physical game marked more by mistakes and turnovers than by spectacular play.
Duncan played just 1:49 in the second quarter because of foul trouble. Parker was 7-of-17 from the field.
Duncan averaged just over 23 points a game during the playoffs coming into Tuesday’s matchup, while Parker averaged 20.8 and Ginobili 16.8.
Drawing booming boos from the crowd and looking every bit the villain in their black jerseys, the Spurs came to Cleveland looking to take the nearly insurmountable 3-0 lead.
Parker, who led the Spurs in scoring in Games 1 and 2 with 27 and 30 points, respectively, went scoreless in the first quarter. Cleveland had struggled to keep the quick Parker out of the lane and away from the rim. On Tuesday, he missed two free throws early and missed his only attempt from the field.
Parker picked up the pace in the second quarter, scoring eight points, including the floater at the buzzer that capped a 10-0 run and gave the Spurs a 40-38 lead.