Scratch, claw, repeat: the Spurs and Pistons have built perennial contenders in an unorthodox way—with unheralded players who are long on effort, resiliency and heart

Sean Deveney

At one point in The Finals, the Spurs put a team on the floor that included this motley bunch of players: an undrafted veteran of the CBA, a big man who had been discarded by the lottery-bound Knicks and Hawks, a mop-topped fellow who was drafted with the 57th pick six years ago (just after Kris Clack and Tim Young) and a ballhandler who'd been passed over in favor of point guard luminaries Joe Forte, Jeryl Sasser and Raul Lopez.

The Pistons countered with their own mishmash of piteously pedigreed players: an undrafted big man, a guard who'd been through six teams in eight years and a rail-thin forward who'd dropped to 23rd in the draft despite a stellar college career.

Actually, the two teams had those players on the floor at several points in each game of The Finals--including tipoff. These are two teams that have made good because of their ability to overlook a bad rap.

"I think, because of where a lot of us have come from, and had to work through, I think that helps dictate the way we play," says Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince (picked at No. 23 by Detroit after starring at Kentucky). "Everybody had to put up with a lot just to be here, so now, no one has an ego. We're just trying to do our jobs."

"It does seem like everybody on these two teams," says Spurs center Nazr Mohammed (the New York-Atlanta castaway), "has got a long story to tell."

Admittedly, throughout the NBA, there are dozens of players with long stories, guys who have endured slights and challenges--from draft-night injustices to overseas career stops. But it's strange to see the two teams in The Finals featuring rosters--and even starting lineups--packed with such cases. What's more, the Spurs and Pistons not only rely on such players, they are defined by those players' resiliency. As a grueling Finals played out, with San Antonio delivering crushing double-digit wins in Games 1 and 2 on its home floor and Detroit rallying with just-as-crushing blows on its home floor in Games 3 and 4, that resiliency took center stage in a Game 5 nail-biter the Spurs won in overtime.

"These two teams have a lot of guys who have been written off," says Pistons guard Richard Hamilton. "For us, we like that. We like being written off; we thrive on it. Never underestimate the heart of a champion. Isn't that what they say?"

They do, Rip, and your Pistons showed that heart in Games 3 and 4. In the blowout losses in San Antonio, Detroit was on its heels, giving Spurs big man Tim Duncan room to set up in the low post. That allowed the Spurs to work their inside-out offense efficiently, with Duncan scoring and setting up Manu Ginobili (that No. 57 pick) for 3-pointers and unchecked drives to the rim. Ginobili shot 66.7 percent in the first two games.

But things changed in Detroit as the Pistons' guards pressured the ball in the backcourt, slowing the Spurs' offense. The big men forced Duncan farther from the basket, and the guards slapped at the ball when Duncan caught it. At one point, the start of the fourth quarter in Game 3, Duncan had the ball stripped in the lane by Pistons sparkplug guard Lindsey Hunter and simply stood, eyes wide-open, arms spread in an exasperated shrug. "It's just frustrating," Duncan says.

Frustration, though, is what the Pistons do best. Same for the Spurs. Over the past few years, each team has collected a group of ego-free players, ones willing to put in the work of harassing, haranguing and hounding opponents into submission. Little wonder, then, that the Spurs were No. 1 in overall defense this season and the Pistons were No. 2. "When you have guys who had to scratch and claw just to get into the league," says Spurs forward Robert Horry, "they're going to scratch and claw when they get out on the floor."

That has been the formula for both the Spurs and the Pistons. The front offices of both teams have a strong sense of the type of basketball they want played and consistently bring in scrappy (yet talented) players who fit their systems. Those players boosted the Spurs to a championship in 2003 and did the same for Detroit in 2004. True, the 2005 Finals has star players--Hamilton averaged more than 20 points in the playoffs, and Duncan is a two-time MVP. But as The Finals scratched and clawed its way back to San Antonio, it was clear that the two teams shared an identity founded on toughness, resilience and the ability to give foes nasty headaches--and it was equally clear that, because of that foundation, these two franchises will be in position for return trips to The Finals for the rest of the decade.

Antonio McDyess was flattered. There he was, in the summer of 2004, being courted by the defending NBA champions. Most had assumed his career had flickered out after he tore a tendon in his knee and later shattered his kneecap--he'd had three surgeries, would soon be 30 and hadn't played a full season since 1999-2000. He did log 24 games with Phoenix last season, though, and had caught the attention of a handful of league executives. One was Pistons president Joe Dumars, who put off sleep so he could watch McDyess' performances. "He would stay up till 2 a.m. his time because I was playing out West," McDyess says. "He said he watched them all and that he wanted me on the team. I'm thinking, 'Is this really Joe Dumars?'

"But that is this team. We have got guys who have been cut, who didn't make a team, who were drafted late. Joe sees things in guys. I compare it to what the Patriots do in football--they just find good players who are willing to do whatever it takes to win. That's us."

It's the Spurs, too. Ginobili recalls the 1999 draft this way: "I didn't even pay attention to it. I had no idea someone had been watching me." But there was someone watching him--Spurs general manager R.C. Buford, who had kept Ginobili on his radar for two years and decided to take a chance on him late in the second round. Ginobili says it was after the draft that a friend noticed on the Internet that he had been chosen by San Antonio. Ginobili wasn't even sure where San Antonio was. Six years later, he was on the floor of San Antonio's SBC Center, following up 26 points in Game 1 with 27 in Game 2.

After teams such as Sacramento and Dallas made great strides in drafting Europeans in the late 1990s, the Spurs recognized that the international market was a perfect way for a good team (one that chooses late in the draft) to bring in talent cheaply. So, almost a decade ago, the Spurs decided to spend more time in Europe. "We thought it would be more efficient if we picked players and keep them there until they were ready to come over," says Spurs owner Peter Holt. "We've had some success doing that."

That success shows, though Buford and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich are hesitant to take credit. Popovich points out that the team has been successful because it was fortunate to land dominant big men--first center David Robinson, then Duncan. Indeed, having Duncan as the mainstay has allowed the Spurs to be successful despite constant upheaval. Only four members of the 2003 championship team are on the current roster. "What we have done really well," Popovich says, "is we haven't screwed it up."

"It's not like we are smarter than anybody else," Buford says. "A lot of it is having guys who are willing to work to be the players they have become."

Perhaps the Pistons and Spurs aren't smarter than everyone else, but they're certainly more efficient. The Pistons have gone 208-120 in the past four years, best in the East. The Spurs are 234-94, best in the West. And neither team has worn out its checkbook. Detroit ranks 19th in payroll; the Spurs are 24th. Each team has a relatively small staff of scouts and decision makers, but everyone's input is valued. Tony Ronzone, for example, remembers interviewing with Dumars for the job of Pistons' international scout a few days before the NBA draft in 2001. During the interview, Ronzone told Dumars about a Turkish big man named Mehmet Okur. Dumars hired Ronzone and just days later drafted Okur.

"Even as a player, if you have some input, the coaches, the front office, they will listen to you," McDyess says. "It's not like that everywhere."

It's fitting that it was Hunter, a 34-year-old reserve guard and a veteran of four teams, who turned in one of the most remarkable outbursts of the series, giving Detroit momentum with a team-high 17 points in Game 4. When Hunter was in his 20s, he was a valuable scoring guard for Detroit, but as he has gotten older, Hunter has stayed employed because of his boundless defensive energy. As the Pistons watched film of Game 4, Hunter got a rare chance to brag about his scoring ability.

"He still hasn't shut up about it," says Hamilton, who calls Hunter his "old head," the sage veteran who offers wisdom. "But that is OK, when you have a game like that, you can talk. It's just one of the amazing things about this team. We can pull out a big performance from anybody, from guys you don't expect."

And so can the Spurs--remember the 15 points scored in Game 2 by defensive guru Bruce Bowen, he of the 6.3-point career scoring average?

"With teams like this," Bowen says, "you can't say, 'This guy is going to get 20; this guy is going to get 30.' We're going to fight you too hard to take away the things you want to do. So it's going to be the unexpected, overlooked guys who come in and could determine the whole series."

An entire Finals has been determined by the unexpected and overlooked players. For the Pistons and Spurs, there's really no other way.

Horry's tree has many rings

Robert Horry has been around a while. At least it seems that way. "People think I'm 38 years old," he says. "I guess I've been in the playoffs so many times people think, 'Oh, that guy's been around forever.' 'I'm really not old."

In fact, Horry is 34, but in playoff terms, he has aged in dog years. Entering The Finals, he had appeared in 191 playoff games (third-most in league history) and won five rings. He has been in the playoffs for 13 straight years and just broke the career record for 3-pointers made in The Finals. What's more, he says he is likely to be back with the Spurs, with another good shot at The Finals, next season.

Over the course of his four-team, 14-year career, Horry has accumulated a large group of teammates, ranging from A.C. Green to Zan Tabak, from Soumaila Samake to Samaki Walker. He has played with guys from 18 countries (plus one from the planet Rodman). By the time you compile a list of all 122 players Horry has teamed with, you realize the NBA has quite an extensive Horry family Tree (Rollins, that is--Horry's teammate in Houston in 1992-93).

The coaches

Horry has had eight coaches--and eight very different relationships with those coaches.

Rudy Tomjanovich

Cotton Fitzsimmons

Danny Ainge

Del Harris

Bill Bertka

Kurt Rambis

Phil Jackson

Gregg Popovich

The playoff nemeses

The five teams Horry has faced most often in the postseason and his record against them.

1. Portland (19-6)

2. San Antonio (14-11)

3. Seattle (11-11)

4. Phoenix (16-8)

5. Utah (8-11)

The all-Horry teams

Horry has played
with so many great
players there's a
need for a first
and second
team.

FIRST TEAM            SECOND TEAM

C Shaquille O'Neal    C Hakeem Olajuwon
PF Tlm Duncan         PF Dennis Rodman
SF Clyde Drexler      SF Eddle Jones
SG Kobe Bryant        SG Michael Finley
PG Jason Kidd         PG Steve Nash

You again?

Horry has teamed with some players more than once.

Tracy Murray, Rockets '94-95 ... Lakers, '02-03

Mark Bryant, Rockets, '95-96 ... Suns, '96-97

Sam Cassell, Rockets '95-96 ... Suns, '96-97

Mario Elie, Rockets '95-96 ... Spurs coach, '03-04

Jon Batty, Lakers, '97-98 ... Spurs, with Brent Barry (close enough), '04-05

What's even worse than no one watching? No one playing

Well, we know the good news: The Pistons and Spurs are quality organizations, play fundamentally sound basketball and should continue to be flagship NBA franchises for several years.

But there sure is a lot of bad news for the league behind that.

Start with the nationwide appeal of these two teams, which, judging by ABC's early ratings numbers, is low. Pistons coach Larry Brown and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich have decried the assertion that the series lacks star power, but television viewership suggests the assertion is accurate. ABC drew just a 7.2 rating for Game 3, down from last years 10.6 for Game 3. In the first three games, ABC drew just a 7.1 average.

That's the lowest rating since 2003, when The Finals drew an average rating of just 6.5. That Finals also featured the Spurs, against the Nets.

The other bad news is the possibility of a lockout, which will begin July 1 if the union and league can't agree to a new collective bargaining contract. The two sides made progress in a meeting late last week, and there is hope for an 11th-hour resolution. Though some of the public bickering has centered on noneconomic issues--the maximum length of contracts, drug testing and an age minimum--those involved in the negotiations admit the real issues are purely economic. That includes the so-called "super tax" for teams that have not curbed spending despite the luxury tax that was written into the last collective bargaining agreement.

Both sides are hoping to have a framework for a new agreement in place by the end of the week. That's crucial. If there is a lockout--even if it comes during the offseason--interest in the league will drop. And the ratings for next year's Finals will drop along with it.--S.D.

THE CONTENDERS Detroit and San Antonio figure to be contenders in their respective conferences for the rest of the decade and are likely to be the favorites to return to The Finals next year. But they will be challenged by several teams.--S.D.

1 Indiana. Suspensions and injuries derailed a promising season. They will get Ron Arrest back, and they're hoping Stephen Jackson matures into an adequate replacement for Reggie Miller.

2 Phoenix. A healthy Joe Johnson at least would have helped the Suns longer series against the Spurs. Amare Stoudemire dominant, and he will improve as the Suns nudge him into a point center role. Making smart decisions regarding the team's depth is the Suns' task.

3 Miami. The window is not as small as you'd think. The Heat figures to contend with a productive Shaquille O'Neal and an improving Dwyane Wade next season, but even after that, Miami will be rid of Eddie Jones' contract and could have a budding star in Dorell Wdght.

4 Dallas. The Mavericks still weren't tough enough in the postseason, and their defense melted against Phoenix. Perhaps a full season under coach Avery Johnson, who took over for the final 18 games of the regular season, will get the Mavs to play better D.

5. Houston. Yao Ming will rest this offseason, and even though Tracy McGrady still hasn't gotten out of the first round of the postseason, he raised his game in the playoffs. The Rockets needed younger, more athletic role players.

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