Both Spurs, Pistons may stay strong
SAN ANTONIO – With his team in position to win the NBA championship for the second time in three years, San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili wasn’t ready to say a Spurs victory would set them up for a dynasty.
“You never know what can happen,” Ginobili said before the Spurs beat the Detroit Pistons Thursday in Game 7 of the Finals.
Nothing is for certain, but the Spurs look like a contender for the near future. The Detroit Pistons, who were a few plays away from successfully defending their title before losing 81-74, could be right there with them.
Both the Pistons and Spurs have their starters under contract for next season and most of them beyond that. Most of the key reserves also are signed for next season.
If Spurs center Tim Duncan wins another championship, chances are he will do it with the same core of teammates. Duncan is the only player left from the Spurs’ 1999 championship team. He won it again in 2003 with 11 new teammates, including forward Bruce Bowen and guards Tony Parker and Ginobili.
Those players were there with Duncan when he earned his third championship and Finals Most Valuable Player award. With that core signed for the next few years, the Spurs can realistically think about repeating as champions and contending for years to come.
“In years past, we’ve lost six, seven, eight, nine guys in a year and rebuilt,” Duncan said after the clinching victory. “I think we’ve really got a core here that we’re in love with, that obviously is a pretty decent core, and we’re going to have it together for a couple of years.”
Detroit’s biggest question is the status of coach Larry Brown, who is supposed to let the team know in the next few days whether his health will allow him to return.
The Pistons’ roster should be stable with starters Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince (2006) back. The Wallaces, 31 next season, are the oldest starters. Reserves Lindsey Hunter, Antonio McDyess and Carlos Arroyo also are expected to return.
•San Antonio’s Game 7 win over Detroit was the highest rated of the NBA Finals, although the average for the series was down 29 percent from last year.
ABC got an 11.9 rating with a 22 share for the Spurs’ title-clinching win Thursday night. It was the highest-rated show on television for the evening and was the second-highest rated clinching game since 2000.
Over the seven games, the network averaged an 8.2 with a 15 share. Last year’s finals between the Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers averaged an 11.5 rating with a 20 share.