Sport

San Antonio win NBA title

San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (left) works to the hoop on Detroit Pistons (centre) Ben Wallace during the first half of Game 7 of the 2005 NBA Finals in San Antonio, Texas last night. - REUTERS

SAN ANTONIO, (Reuters)

TIM DUNCAN SCORED 25 points and had 11 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs captured the NBA championship with a 81-74 victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game Seven of the Finals last night.

The Spurs took the best-of-seven series 4-3 in winning their third NBA championship in the past seven years.

San Antonio also won the title in 1999 and 2003.

After four blow-out games to start the series, the teams played their third straight nail-bitter, which was close throughout in the first Game Seven in the Finals since 1994.

Manu Ginobili added 22 points for the Spurs, while Robert Horry added 15 as he won his sixth NBA championship ring.

Richard Hamilton had 15 points, Chauncey Billups had 13 points and Ben Wallace added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the defending champion Pistons, but the team's top shooters had off-nights against a stifling Spurs defence.

Biggest lead

Both teams appeared tight in the first half and had trouble scoring, with the Spurs ahead 18-16 after one quarter.

The Pistons rallied to lead 39-38 at the intermission, with the first half featuring nine lead changes and 11 ties. The biggest lead in the half for either team was just six points.

However, the Pistons were in foul trouble early and by the first minute of the second half, already had several players with multiple fouls, including four to Rasheed Wallace.

Detroit took its biggest lead of the game, 48-39, with 7:40 to go in the third quarter but the Spurs rallied after trailing for most of the period and cheered on by their boisterous home crowd, had the game tied 57-57 with a quarter remaining.

San Antonio never trailed in the fourth and a Ginobili three-pointer with 2:54 left giving the Spurs their biggest lead of the game, 72-65.