GAME THREAD: NBA: CLEVELAND (12-4) at SAN ANTONIO (12-4)

NBA: CLEVELAND at SAN ANTONIO

<div class="pre">FINALS

NBA FINALS
CLEVELAND 72
SAN ANTONIO 82 0:54 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NBA: CLEVELAND at SAN ANTONIO

<div class="pre">FINALS

NBA FINALS
CLEVELAND 76
SAN ANTONIO 85 FINAL</div>

 

NBA: CLEVELAND at SAN ANTONIO

<div class="pre">FINALS

NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
CLEVELAND 15 20 14 27 76
SAN ANTONIO 20 20 24 21 85 FINAL

HIGH SCORERS: CLE - DANIEL GIBSON 16, DREW GOODEN 14, LEBRON
JAMES 14
SAS - TONY PARKER 27, TIM DUNCAN 24, MANU
GINOBILI 16</div>

 

NBA: CLEVELAND at SAN ANTONIO

<div class="pre">FINALS

** CONFIRMED **
NBA
CLEVELAND 76
SAN ANTONIO 85 FINAL</div>

 

NBA: CLEVELAND at SAN ANTONIO

<div class="pre">FINALS

CLEVELAND (76) AT SAN ANTONIO (85)

CLEVELAND

REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===

L JAMES F 44:00 4-16 4-4 1 6 7 4 1 1 6 14
D GOODEN F 25:51 6-9 2-2 1 3 4 0 4 1 2 14
Z ILGAUSKAS C 23:27 1-8 0-0 2 4 6 1 2 1 0 2
S PAVLOVIC G 36:51 6-12 1-2 2 3 5 0 2 0 1 13
L HUGHES G 23:27 1-5 0-0 0 3 3 0 2 0 0 2
A VAREJAO 31:00 3-6 4-7 3 1 4 0 3 0 1 10
D MARSHALL 15:28 2-5 0-0 0 2 2 0 1 1 1 5
D GIBSON 27:48 7-9 0-0 0 1 1 4 1 4 0 16
DA JONES 11:54 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
E SNOW 0:14 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 240:00 30-70 11-15 9 23 32 9 16 8 11 76
(.429) (.733) TEAM REBS: 7 TOTAL TO: 12 (5 PTS)

SAN ANTONIO

REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===

B BOWEN F 40:27 2-6 0-0 1 2 3 1 1 0 1 6
T DUNCAN F 39:11 10-17 4-5 5 8 13 1 2 2 2 24
F OBERTO C 17:05 0-2 0-0 2 2 4 2 3 0 1 0
M FINLEY G 19:58 1-7 0-0 0 3 3 0 1 0 0 2
T PARKER G 38:01 12-23 3-6 1 3 4 7 1 2 4 27
E GINOBILI 28:22 5-12 3-4 0 8 8 0 3 1 2 16
J VAUGHN 9:59 1-3 0-0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 2
R HORRY 23:00 1-3 0-0 0 1 1 6 2 1 3 3
F ELSON 15:45 2-2 1-1 3 3 6 0 1 0 0 5
B BARRY 7:55 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
B UDRIH 0:17 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 240:00 34-75 11-16 13 30 43 18 15 6 14 85
(.453) (.688) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 14 (12 PTS)

CLEVELAND 15 20 14 27 - 76
SAN ANTONIO 20 20 24 21 - 85

BLOCKED SHOTS: CLEVELAND - Z ILGAUSKAS, L JAMES. SAN ANTONIO - T DUNCAN 5.

3-PT. FIELD GOALS: CLEVELAND 5-15 (.333), L JAMES 2-6, S PAVLOVIC 0-
1, L HUGHES 0-1, D MARSHALL 1-4, D GIBSON 2-3. SAN ANTONIO 6-16 (.
375), B BOWEN 2-4, M FINLEY 0-4, E GINOBILI 3-5, R HORRY 1-3.
TECHNICAL FOULS: NONE.
FLAGRANT FOULS: CLEVELAND 1 (D GOODEN, 2:20 3RD).
OFFICIALS: KEN MAUER, MIKE CALLAHAN, STEVE JAVIE.
A - N/A. T - N/A.</div>

 

NBA: CLEVELAND at SAN ANTONIO

<div class="pre">FINALS

CLEVELAND (76)

fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
L James 44:00 4-16 4-4 1-7 4 1 14
D Gooden 25:51 6-9 2-2 1-4 0 4 14
Z Ilgauskas 23:27 1-8 0-0 2-6 1 2 2
S Pavlovic 36:51 6-12 1-2 2-5 0 2 13
L Hughes 23:27 1-5 0-0 0-3 0 2 2
A Varejao 31:00 3-6 4-7 3-4 0 3 10
D Marshall 15:28 2-5 0-0 0-2 0 1 5
D Gibson 27:48 7-9 0-0 0-1 4 1 16
Da Jones 11:54 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
E Snow 0:14 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

______________________________________________________
TOTALS 240:00 30-70 11-15 9-32 9 16 76
______________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.429, FT-.733. 3-Point Goals:
5-15, .333 (L James 2-6, S Pavlovic 0-1, L
Hughes 0-1, D Marshall 1-4, D Gibson 2-3).
Team Rebounds: 7. Blocked Shots:2 (Z
Ilgauskas, L James). Turnovers:11 (L James 6,
D Gooden 2, D Marshall, A Varejao, S
Pavlovic). Steals: 8 (D Gibson 4, D Marshall,
Z Ilgauskas, D Gooden, L James).


SAN ANTONIO (85)

fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
B Bowen 40:27 2-6 0-0 1-3 1 1 6
T Duncan 39:11 10-17 4-5 5-13 1 2 24
F Oberto 17:05 0-2 0-0 2-4 2 3 0
M Finley 19:58 1-7 0-0 0-3 0 1 2
T Parker 38:01 12-23 3-6 1-4 7 1 27
E Ginobili 28:22 5-12 3-4 0-8 0 3 16
J Vaughn 9:59 1-3 0-0 1-1 1 0 2
R Horry 23:00 1-3 0-0 0-1 6 2 3
F Elson 15:45 2-2 1-1 3-6 0 1 5
B Barry 7:55 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
B Udrih 0:17 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

______________________________________________________
TOTALS 240:00 34-75 11-16 13-43 18 15 85
______________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.453, FT-.688. 3-Point Goals:
6-16, .375 (B Bowen 2-4, M Finley 0-4, E
Ginobili 3-5, R Horry 1-3). Team Rebounds: 8.
Blocked Shots:5 (T Duncan 5). Turnovers:14 (T
Parker 4, R Horry 3, T Duncan 2, E Ginobili
2, B Barry, B Bowen, F Oberto). Steals: 6 (T
Duncan 2, T Parker 2, R Horry, E Ginobili).

-------------------------------------------
CLEVELAND 15 20 14 27 - 76
SAN ANTONIO 20 20 24 21 - 85
-------------------------------------------

Technical fouls: None.
Flagrant fouls: Cleveland 1 (D Gooden, 2:20
3rd). A: N/A. T: N/A. Officials: Ken Mauer,
Mike Callahan, Steve Javie.</div>

 

SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) -- Forget LeBron James. Never mind TimDuncan. In Game One of the NBA Finals, the best player on thefloor was Tony Parker.

Speeding through the defense as if it weren't there, Parkercollected 27 points and seven assists Thursday night as the SanAntonio Spurs systematically took apart the Cleveland Cavaliers,85-76.

Don't tell James the defense wasn't there. In his Finals debut,the 22-year-old superstar swingman was shackled by Bruce Bowenand a host of help defenders as he was held to a 14 points, thesecond-lowest postseason total of his career and a very bad signfor the Cavaliers.

Among other things, this series was supposed to be a referendumon the best player in the NBA - James, the new school entry, vs.Duncan, the leader of the old guard who is stalking his fourthtitle.

Duncan held up his end with 24 points, 13 rebounds and fiveblocks. But the three-time Finals MVP was upstaged by Parker,who looked even sleeker than fiancee Eva Longoria in her canaryyellow mini-dress.

Taking advantage of his matchup with the hobbled Larry Hughesand just about any other defender the Cavaliers tried, Parkergot inside the defense at will for easy layups or setups forteammates. He made 12-of-23 shots, with most of his missescoming when he inexplicably settled for jumpers.

Parker's penetration also took the Cavaliers out of position andhelped the Spurs hold a 43-32 advantage on the boards againstthe NBA's top rebounding team. San Antonio had 13 offensiveboards and 19 second-chance points.

As he did in the conference finals clincher, James did not havea basket in the first half as he was limited to virtually nooperating room and four free throws. He missed his first eightshots and finished 4-of-16 from the field.

James also had six turnovers, including one early in the secondquarter where he tried to throw a crosscourt pass from the rightcorner that hit the rim and bounded back over his head and intothe expensive seats, drawing jeers from the crowd at the AT&TCenter, many of them clad in white T-shirts.

At the 7:15 mark of the third period, James finally swooped infor a layup. But shortly thereafter, the Spurs began to pullaway as the Cavs began to show their inexperience.

Another driving layup by Parker made it 58-47, and Drew Goodenwould not allow Manu Ginobili to do the same, grabbing him atthe neck for a flagrant foul. A 3-pointer by postseasonmainstay Robert Horry opened the fourth quarter and gave theSpurs a 67-49 lead.

James made consecutive 3-pointers in the final period, but theCavaliers got no closer than eight points down the stretch.

Ginobili scored 16 points for the Spurs, who were playing forthe first time in eight days but shook off the rust pretty well.

Daniel Gibson scored 16 points, Gooden added 14 and SashaPavlovic 13 for the Cavs, who were playing the first Finals gamein franchise history. They fell to 0-13 all-time in playoffopeners on the road.

Before the game, no less an authority than Commissioner DavidStern tried to downplay the perception that the Cavs are aone-man band, saying, "Not even the greatest of the great gethere alone."

James wasn't alone, but he could have used some more help.Hughes, who clearly is hampered by a partially torn plantarfascia tendon in his left foot, was assigned to defend Parker,perhaps the quickest player in the league.

Seven days off appeared to have no effect on the Spurs, whostarted quickly by making seven of their first eight shots.Parker wasted no time testing Hughes, blowing right past him fora pair of layups and adding another transition bucket as SanAntonio bolted to a 16-10 lead.

Shadowed by Bowen and encountering double-teams everywhere,James settled for jumpers and missed his first four shots. TheCavs shot just 33 percent in the first quarter and trailed,20-15.

Whatever was bothering the Cavs was contagious as the Spursendured a stretch where they missed 13-of-15 shots and gave awaythe lead with James on the bench. But Parker snapped themright out of it.

The French flash scooted along the baseline for a layup and afoul, missing the free throw but grabbing his own rebound andtossing in a teardrop. He threaded a pretty bounce pass to astreaking Francisco Elson for a dunk and three-point play, thenfound Duncan with a shovel pass for a dunk and a 31-25 lead.

With Parker running wild, Duncan his usual dominant self (14points, four blocks) and James 0-of-7, the Cavaliers had to feelfortunate to trail just 40-35 at halftime. Unfortunately,Cleveland encountered another case of the third-quarter blahsthat have plagued it this postseason, managing six buckets andfour turnovers.

 

NBA: CLEVELAND at SAN ANTONIO

<div class="pre">FINALS

CLEVELAND (76) AT SAN ANTONIO (85)

CLEVELAND

REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===

L JAMES F 44:00 4-16 4-4 1 6 7 4 1 1 6 14
D GOODEN F 25:48 6-9 2-2 1 3 4 0 4 1 2 14
Z ILGAUSKAS C 23:26 1-8 0-0 2 4 6 1 2 1 0 2
S PAVLOVIC G 36:50 6-12 1-2 2 3 5 0 2 0 1 13
L HUGHES G 23:26 1-5 0-0 0 3 3 0 2 0 0 2
A VAREJAO 31:02 3-6 4-7 3 1 4 0 3 0 1 10
D MARSHALL 15:30 2-5 0-0 0 2 2 0 1 1 1 5
D GIBSON 27:48 7-9 0-0 0 1 1 4 1 4 0 16
DA JONES 11:56 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
E SNOW 0:14 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
S POLLARD DNP - COACH'S DECISION
I NEWBLE DNP - COACH'S DECISION

TOTALS 240:00 30-70 11-15 9 23 32 9 16 8 11 76
(.429) (.733) TEAM REBS: 7 TOTAL TO: 12 (5 PTS)

SAN ANTONIO

REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===

B BOWEN F 40:27 2-6 0-0 1 2 3 1 1 0 1 6
T DUNCAN F 39:10 10-17 4-5 5 8 13 1 2 2 2 24
F OBERTO C 17:03 0-2 0-0 2 2 4 2 3 0 1 0
M FINLEY G 19:57 1-7 0-0 0 3 3 0 1 0 0 2
T PARKER G 38:04 12-23 3-6 1 3 4 7 1 2 4 27
E GINOBILI 28:23 5-12 3-4 0 8 8 0 3 1 2 16
J VAUGHN 9:56 1-3 0-0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 2
R HORRY 23:00 1-3 0-0 0 1 1 6 2 1 3 3
F ELSON 15:47 2-2 1-1 3 3 6 0 1 0 0 5
B BARRY 7:55 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
B UDRIH 0:18 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
M BONNER DNP - COACH'S DECISION

TOTALS 240:00 34-75 11-16 13 30 43 18 15 6 14 85
(.453) (.688) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 14 (18 PTS)

CLEVELAND 15 20 14 27 - 76
SAN ANTONIO 20 20 24 21 - 85

BLOCKED SHOTS: CLEVELAND - Z ILGAUSKAS, L JAMES. SAN ANTONIO - T DUNCAN 5.

3-PT. FIELD GOALS: CLEVELAND 5-15 (.333), L JAMES 2-6, S PAVLOVIC 0-
1, L HUGHES 0-1, D MARSHALL 1-4, D GIBSON 2-3. SAN ANTONIO 6-16 (.
375), B BOWEN 2-4, M FINLEY 0-4, E GINOBILI 3-5, R HORRY 1-3.
TECHNICAL FOULS: NONE.
FLAGRANT FOULS: CLEVELAND 1 (D GOODEN, 2:21 3RD).
OFFICIALS: KEN MAUER, MIKE CALLAHAN, STEVE JAVIE.
A - 18,797. T - 2:28.</div>

 

NBA: CLEVELAND at SAN ANTONIO

<div class="pre">FINALS

CLEVELAND (76)

fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
L James 44:00 4-16 4-4 1-7 4 1 14
D Gooden 25:48 6-9 2-2 1-4 0 4 14
Z Ilgauskas 23:26 1-8 0-0 2-6 1 2 2
S Pavlovic 36:50 6-12 1-2 2-5 0 2 13
L Hughes 23:26 1-5 0-0 0-3 0 2 2
A Varejao 31:02 3-6 4-7 3-4 0 3 10
D Marshall 15:30 2-5 0-0 0-2 0 1 5
D Gibson 27:48 7-9 0-0 0-1 4 1 16
Da Jones 11:56 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
E Snow 0:14 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
S Pollard DNP - COACH'S DECISION
I Newble DNP - COACH'S DECISION

______________________________________________________
TOTALS 240:00 30-70 11-15 9-32 9 16 76
______________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.429, FT-.733. 3-Point Goals:
5-15, .333 (L James 2-6, S Pavlovic 0-1, L
Hughes 0-1, D Marshall 1-4, D Gibson 2-3).
Team Rebounds: 7. Blocked Shots:2 (Z
Ilgauskas, L James). Turnovers:11 (L James 6,
D Gooden 2, D Marshall, A Varejao, S
Pavlovic). Steals: 8 (D Gibson 4, D Marshall,
Z Ilgauskas, D Gooden, L James).


SAN ANTONIO (85)

fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
B Bowen 40:27 2-6 0-0 1-3 1 1 6
T Duncan 39:10 10-17 4-5 5-13 1 2 24
F Oberto 17:03 0-2 0-0 2-4 2 3 0
M Finley 19:57 1-7 0-0 0-3 0 1 2
T Parker 38:04 12-23 3-6 1-4 7 1 27
E Ginobili 28:23 5-12 3-4 0-8 0 3 16
J Vaughn 9:56 1-3 0-0 1-1 1 0 2
R Horry 23:00 1-3 0-0 0-1 6 2 3
F Elson 15:47 2-2 1-1 3-6 0 1 5
B Barry 7:55 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
B Udrih 0:18 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
M Bonner DNP - COACH'S DECISION

______________________________________________________
TOTALS 240:00 34-75 11-16 13-43 18 15 85
______________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.453, FT-.688. 3-Point Goals:
6-16, .375 (B Bowen 2-4, M Finley 0-4, E
Ginobili 3-5, R Horry 1-3). Team Rebounds: 8.
Blocked Shots:5 (T Duncan 5). Turnovers:14 (T
Parker 4, R Horry 3, T Duncan 2, E Ginobili
2, B Barry, B Bowen, F Oberto). Steals: 6 (T
Duncan 2, T Parker 2, R Horry, E Ginobili).

-------------------------------------------
CLEVELAND 15 20 14 27 - 76
SAN ANTONIO 20 20 24 21 - 85
-------------------------------------------

Technical fouls: None.
Flagrant fouls: Cleveland 1 (D Gooden, 2:21
3rd). A: 18,797. T: 2:28. Officials: Ken
Mauer, Mike Callahan, Steve Javie.</div>

 

NBA: CLEVELAND at SAN ANTONIO

<div class="pre">FINALS

NBA CLEVELAND AT SAN ANTONIO
NOTE: RESENDING BOX SCORE TO CORRECT MINUTES AND ADD
ATTENDANCE AND TIME OF GAME.</div>

 

NBA: CLEVELAND at SAN ANTONIO

<div class="pre">FINALS

NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
CLEVELAND 15 20 14 27 76
SAN ANTONIO 20 20 24 21 85 FINAL

HIGH SCORERS: CLE - DANIEL GIBSON 16, DREW GOODEN 14, LEBRON
JAMES 14
SAS - TONY PARKER 27, TIM DUNCAN 24, MANU
GINOBILI 16

HIGH REBOUND: CLE - LEBRON JAMES 7, ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS 6,
ALEKSANDAR PAVLOVIC 5
SAS - TIM DUNCAN 13, MANU GINOBILI 8,
FRANCISCO ELSON 6

HIGH ASSISTS: CLE - LEBRON JAMES 4, DANIEL GIBSON 4,
ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS 1
SAS - TONY PARKER 7, ROBERT HORRY 6, FABRICIO
OBERTO 2

ATT: 18,797</div>

 

SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) -- Forget LeBron James. Never mind TimDuncan. In Game One of the NBA Finals, the best player on thefloor was Tony Parker.

Speeding through the defense as if it weren't there, Parkercollected 27 points and seven assists Thursday night as the SanAntonio Spurs systematically took apart the Cleveland Cavaliers,85-76.

Don't tell James the defense wasn't there. In his Finals debut,the 22-year-old superstar swingman was shackled by Bruce Bowenand a host of help defenders as he was held to 14 points, thesecond-lowest postseason total of his career and a very bad signfor the Cavaliers.

"It was definitely crowded," James said. "They did a good jobof shrinking the floor. If I went by one guy, another guystepped up, something I'm going to have to make an adjustmentfor."

"He struggled mightily tonight," said Cavaliers coach MikeBrown, whose team will try again in Game Two on Sunday.

Among other things, this series was supposed to be a referendumon the best player in the NBA - James, the new school entry, vs.Duncan, the leader of the old guard who is stalking his fourthtitle.

Duncan held up his end with 24 points, 13 rebounds and fiveblocks. But the three-time Finals MVP was upstaged by Parker,who looked even sleeker than fiancee Eva Longoria in her canaryyellow mini-dress.

Taking advantage of his matchup with the hobbled Larry Hughesand just about any other defender the Cavaliers tried, Parkergot inside the defense at will for easy layups or setups forteammates. He made 12-of-23 shots, with most of his missescoming when he inexplicably settled for jumpers.

"I just tried to go faster than them, tried to think ahead andwhat they're going to do, make quick decisions," Parker said."Even if I have to pass it early or I'm going to go all the way,just the timing when I penetrate I try to think ahead."

"When he wanted to get to the rim, he did most of the night,"Brown said. "He had us on our heels."

Parker's penetration also took the Cavaliers out of position andhelped the Spurs hold a 43-32 advantage on the boards againstthe NBA's top rebounding team. San Antonio had 13 offensiveboards and 19 second-chance points.

"No matter how anybody plays him in the pick-and-roll, hisability to penetrate or get the ball to the other side of thecourt gets us going," Parker said.

"On the offensive glass, they really hurt us," Cavaliers coachMike Brown said.

As he did in the conference finals clincher, James did not havea basket in the first half as he was limited to virtually nooperating room and four free throws. He missed his first eightshots and finished 4-of-16 from the field.

"Some of it was me missing a lot of the shots I usually make andsome of it was the defense they put on me and our team ingeneral," James said. "It's like a half-and-half thing."

James also had six turnovers, including one early in the secondquarter where he tried to throw a crosscourt pass from the rightcorner that hit the rim and bounded back over his head and intothe expensive seats, drawing jeers from the crowd at the AT&TCenter, many of them clad in white T-shirts.

"Six turnovers was uncharacteristic of me in the postseason,"James said. "I tried to force a lot of passes in there thatlooked open at times and really wasn't."

"He didn't have a 48-point game and I'm happy for that," Bowensaid, referring to James' herculean effort in Game Five of theEastern Conference Finals.

At the 7:15 mark of the third period, James finally swooped infor a layup. But shortly thereafter, the Spurs began to pullaway as the Cavs began to show their inexperience.

Another driving layup by Parker made it 58-47, and Drew Goodenwould not allow Manu Ginobili to do the same, grabbing him atthe neck for a flagrant foul. A 3-pointer by postseasonmainstay Robert Horry opened the fourth quarter and gave theSpurs a 67-49 lead.

James made consecutive 3-pointers in the final period, but theCavaliers got no closer than eight points down the stretch.

Ginobili scored 16 points for the Spurs, who were playing forthe first time in eight days but were fairly sharp, shooting 45percent (34-of-75).

"It felt like we played a month ago," Duncan said. "It was goodto get some of the rust off."

Daniel Gibson scored 16 points, Gooden added 14 and SashaPavlovic 13 for the Cavs, who were playing the first Finals gamein franchise history. They fell to 0-13 all-time in playoffopeners on the road.

Before the game, no less an authority than Commissioner DavidStern tried to downplay the perception that the Cavs are aone-man band, saying, "Not even the greatest of the great gethere alone."

James wasn't alone, but he could have used some more help.Hughes, who clearly is hampered by a partially torn plantarfascia tendon in his left foot, was assigned to defend Parker,perhaps the quickest player in the league.

"Tony gets to the rim all the time, and there's no knockinganyone, the Cavs or anyone else," Duncan said. "With hisquickness, with his ability to finish in the lane, he gets inthere almost at will."

Seven days off appeared to have no effect on the Spurs, whostarted quickly by making seven of their first eight shots.Parker wasted no time testing Hughes, blowing right past him fora pair of layups and adding another transition bucket as SanAntonio bolted to a 16-10 lead.

Shadowed by Bowen and encountering double-teams everywhere,James settled for jumpers and missed his first four shots.

"(Bowen) takes great pride in guarding the other team's bestplayer," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He doesn't alwaysstop him. Our team defense is what we count on, but teamdefense begins with individuals taking responsibility, and Ithink Bruce does that very well."

The Cavs shot just 33 percent in the first quarter and trailed,20-15. But whatever was bothering them was contagious as theSpurs endured a stretch where they missed 13-of-15 shots andgave away the lead with James on the bench.

The Spurs called a timeout, and Parker snapped them right out ofit. The French flash scooted along the baseline for a layupand a foul, missing the free throw but grabbing his own reboundand tossing in a teardrop.

He threaded a pretty bounce pass to a streaking Francisco Elsonfor a dunk and three-point play, then found Duncan with a shovelpass for a dunk and a 31-25 lead.

"He plays his best basketball when he's aggressive," Popovichsaid. "I think at that point he started to do that more than hedid the previous part of the contest."

"(Popovich) told me to be aggressive," Parker said. "He told meshoot 25 times if you have to, because if I'm not aggressive,we can't do anything."

With Parker running wild, Duncan his usual dominant self (14points, four blocks) and James 0-of-7, the Cavaliers had to feelfortunate to trail just 40-35 at halftime.

Unfortunately, Cleveland encountered another case of thethird-quarter blahs that have plagued it this postseason,managing six buckets and four turnovers.