* Parker orchestrates stunning Spurs fightback
* San Antonio just one win from Western Conference final
(Adds quotes, detail)
By Mark Lamport-Stokes
LOS ANGELES, May 19 (Reuters) – The top-seeded San Antonio
Spurs pushed the Los Angeles Clippers to the brink of
elimination from the NBA playoffs with an astonishing 96-86
comeback win in Game Three on Saturday.
Trailing by 24 points early in the second quarter, the Spurs
seized control through All-Stars Tony Parker and Tim Duncan to
take a commanding 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven Western
Conference semi-final series.
Guard Parker recorded 23 points and 10 assists while
towering forward Duncan weighed in with 19 points and 13
rebounds as San Antonio extended their unbeaten run to 17 games,
including seven in the playoffs.
Blake Griffin, despite playing with a left hip injury and a
sprained right knee, led the way for the Clippers with 28 points
and 16 rebounds but his heart-broken team paid the penalty for
poor free shooting, making only 50 percent from the stripe.
“To start the game, the Clippers played very aggressively
and played great defense,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told
reporters. “On top of that, they made their shots, we didn’t
make ours and we were in transition a lot.
“We called some plays that helped us and Tony (Parker) ran
the show really well. He knows what’s going on out there and it
just worked out for us tonight.”
Thirteen-time All-Star forward Duncan applauded his team’s
composure under the early pressure piled on by the fifth-seeded
Clippers.
“We understood that they were going to make a run early and
we needed to sustain,” he said. “We’ve been through enough of
them (playoff games) to understand that’s how it goes.
“It was great poise by our entire team. We were lucky enough
in that second half to start making some shots and making some
stops.”
ROUSING START
The fast-paced Clippers made a rousing start in front of a
sellout crowd of 19,060, racing into a 27-9 lead after a
sizzling 14-0 run sparked by forward Griffin before ending the
first quarter 33-11 ahead.
The Staples Center was a vocal sea of red with most of the
home fans wearing giveaway red T-shirts emblazoned with the
words “Clipper Nation All In”.
Los Angeles briefly stretched their lead to 24 points when
Nick Young poured in a three-pointer but, with Parker and Duncan
beginning to make an impact, the Spurs cut the deficit to 53-43
by halftime.
San Antonio tightened their defense and, as the Clippers
struggled to find the basket, the visitors took the lead for the
first time at 59-57 after a Duncan fadeaway jump shot capped a
stirring 14-0 run.
The Spurs extended that unbroken run to 24-0 before ending
the third quarter with a 69-61 advantage.
San Antonio maintained their grip in the fourth quarter,
repeatedly fouling Clippers reserve forward Reggie Evans who
made just three of 10 free throws as time ebbed away.
Game Four is in Los Angeles on Sunday when the Spurs will
look to complete a 4-0 sweep and the Clippers will bid to become
the first team ever to win an NBA playoff series after trailing
0-3.
“We have to keep fighting,” said Clippers All-Star guard
Chris Paul, who contributed 11 assists and just 12 points while
still being hampered by a strained right hip. “It’s never been
done before in history.
“We were desperate in Game Seven in Memphis and you saw how
we came out and played,” he added, referring to his team’s road
win over the Grizzlies to clinch their Western Conference
quarter-final.
“Hopefully we can be the best for the next four games.”
(Editing by Julian Linden)
