i'm going to TRY to keep a running diary of game 5, because its pretty damn important to me. however, i have a steak to eat and these games end at like 3am so we'll see how i do.

kid rock sang the national anthem. are there any non-pistons fans who still want detroit to win this series? first stevie wonder promoting his new album on his blind-glasses, and now kid rock ... still being around. at least the spurs had robert horry perform.

i missed the action up to the first time out, other than seeing the spurs down 7-4 four minutes in to the game. why? because of the aforementioned steak, which is now in a phase to be eaten shortly, but not in front of me right now.

9:36 well, then it was in front of me, but then i ate it while the spurs and pistons worked the score up to 19-15, detroit. the spursong>defense is there today, and bowen/parker both missed open threes, so it looks like the spurs are in this one. it was good to see ginobili attack the rim and score, that was sorely missing in the last two games. the pistons offense is working when they either attack the defense or move the ball around the perimeter quickly. it doesn't work when rip comes up and shoots a contested 18 foot jumper. big shocker, huh? "score points by playing good basketball". ben wallace just made an awful turnover, and now the spurs can cut it to two.... and ginobili just blew by mcdyess to cut it to 19-17

9:39 3 pistons turnovers! and amazing spurs defense on that possession. i have a good feeling about this game right now.

10:01 a nice stretch for the spurs, i was too busy cheering to write, really. the defense is still working well, and they are playing more physically than they did in games 3 and 4. i even saw ben wallace stagger a little, which is something i wanted to see a lot more of at the end of game 4. duncan is a monster today, active on both ends and scoring points galore. parker is making his 18 foot jumper, barry made a three, and ginobili continues to be aggressive, especially rebounding. mcdyess just made a nice play on parker, blocking a layup attempt. 37-29 spurs, 5:43 to go in the half. these refs are calling a lot tighter game overall.

10:08 and the pistons just clawed right back into it, down just 38-35 now, with some solid defense and with no timmy d in the game. duncan really does have a huge affect on the game in favor of the spurs. he clogs up that lane and cleans up the glass so much more effectively than horry or mohammed. it's 40-37 now, as ginobili made two free throws and sheed just made a jumper.

10:40 second half is about to start, 42-42. pistons defense got much stingier at the end of the first half, but the offense is still a bit sloppy - it isn't as crisp as game 4, both because the spurs defense is a bit better and because detroit played way over their heads the other night.

10:45 50-48 spurs on a duncan dunk (whee alliteration) - this is what i wanted in game 4, goin to the rim with CONVICTION (sorry, thad). i'm glad to see it now, though mohammed just went to the rim a bit weak and got stuffed by not one, but both wallaces. also, ben wallace sucks on offense.

10:47 BOWEN THREE! time out detroit!

10:51 after seeing the little bowen/hamilton clip, i wonder if they'll shake hands at the end of the series.

10:52 yes, chad, i know that's only in hockey. that was the joke.

10:53 bowen just attacked the rim for the second time this quarter, both resulting in layups. very unexpected, i must say. r. wallace came back with a nice move over duncan to bring it back to 55-50. also, i think tayshaun prince is the ideal matchup for ginobili, as the last 3 possessions he's pretty much shut down manu. he also made a couple of solid plays in the second quarter. i wonder if prince was guarding ginobili in the first two games too. ginobili just got his 5th board, this one on the offensive end, and the spurs lead is 59-52 with 5:35 to go in the third.

10:55 billups just went down HARD and was apparently blocked cleanly by duncan. i'm not sure if that's true at all. back on the other end, the spurs just knocked someone down ... i like that those two things happened - mohammed just knocked rip down (i think it was rip) - it's a good thing to see after the abomination that was game 4. damnit, bowen just elbowed hamilton off the ball, that's turnover. and thats hamilton making a jumper from just above the free throw line, that's a 4 point swing.

11:01 so what i just learned from larry brown's little speech is that larry brown is a big fat liar. "we aren't getting pressure on anybody!" yeah thats what i call hyperbole. and parker just turned the ball over for no reason.

11:05 i really like how on offensive boards we reset the ball. however, i don't like our constant turnovers. pistons just fought back into the game, with billups making a transition layup and getting phantom-fouled with 1:50 to go in the third. 61-61

11:06 THERE'S THAT GODDAMN SURPRISE TRAP. really, brilliantly executed by detroit.

11:08 ok so billups wasn't fouled on that play in which he tied the game. and just now the refs called a blocking foul on horry when horry was 1) outside the circle, 2) clearly set, but unfortunately 3) on the spurs, and not the pistons. these refs suck. they are inconsistent in calling a tighter game, and they are easily swayed by the crowd - they are playing up to them. prince just fouled ginobili for no real reason with 9 seconds left in the third quarter. "foul to give" doesn't mean foul ginobili when he moves off the pick at the top of the three point line. how stupid. BIG SHOT ROB just made a three off the sideline play though, and now its 64-63 spurs going in to the 4th quarter. finally, horry showing something other than those damn hooks for hands.

11:15 horry just made another three to start the 4th. the three pointer was huge in the two spurs wins, and it has been missing in the last two games. so its nice to see this. pistons just had a nice defensive sequence and then just tied the game at 67. spurs need to get timmy d more involved. parker just ran down the court all willy-nilly and turned the ball over, so the pistons can take the lead here. as i said, timmy d needs to get more involved. next possession better be a post up to the big fella.

11:17 horry just lobbed it in to duncan as timmy d moved towards the basket, setting up a nice layup. more of that, please. pistons just came back to tie it back up.

11:19 going to timeout, the pistons have the ball and are up 2. mcdyess is playing out of his gourd. he could probably start for most teams in the nba, and i'm sure the spurs wouldn't mind having him starting ahead of nazr mohammed.

11:24 annnd we got duncan posting up again, drawing a foul this time. he made a layup a second ago, and now the game is at 71-71 and duncan is going to the line to shoot 2. that's three times in a row he's gotten the ball since i said he needed to get the ball more. just sayin. gah duncan just missed both of those free throws.

11:26 ginobili just made things happen again. a nice slash through the lame and left-handed scoop shot, while creating contact and thus drawing a foul. he's looking more like dwayne wade and less like ... a useless person. 74-73 spurs.

11:33 duncan was just way short on a free throw. he's having one of his bad free throw days, i think they just said he was 3-9. damn spurs need to stop giving up offensive boards!! horry just got called for another block on a billups drive, and i'm really not sure if he was late that time. he might have been inside the circle. i'm not sure if those charging/blocking fouls ever go against the home team.

11:35 horry just made another huge three, even with wallace (r?) in his face. prince really just ran over ginobili in getting another offensive board on the subsequent pistons possession. 79-79, pistons ball.

11:39 hamilton just made a nice shot, to follow ginobili's nice floater over rasheed wallace to tie the game. 83-81 pistons, spurs ball, 2:20 to go in "regulation".

11:45 big. shot. rob. 88-87 good guys. he made a huge tip on a missed layup on the previous spurs possession too. he's finally (in this series) coming up huge for a extended period of time (all of the 4th quarter and the last second of the third quarter)

11:46 ok spurs got a stop and duncan got fouled on the rebound. he's gotta make these two. he just missed #1 off the tip of the rim, it just rolled off. he's gotta make #2. he's 3-8 right now, 0-4 in the 4th. cmon timmy. he was short on that one too. 3-9. 59.3 seconds to go, spurs up 88-87. that was huge for detroit.

11:49 pistons ball, billups is taking it up at the time elbow extended. and he just drove to his left and laid it in nicely off the glass. spurs coming back and ginobili got the ball to duncan under the basket and rasheed mauled him over the back. now timmy d has two free throws. 33.8 left in the game. duncan shorted the first one. he knew it as he shot it. i knew it as he shot it. swishes the second one, and that was as big as it gets. 89-89, 33.8 to go. spurs will get the ball back.

11:52 i'm pretty nervous right now. pistons have the ball at half court. billups gets the ball in, bowen is guarding him. the spurs defended that perfectly. hamilton tried to set up a fake screen, but no one bit on it, and billups ended up going to the basket but unfortunately for detroit the spurs did not turn their backs to the play (as they did on the earlier billups layup) and bowen ended up with the rebound and the spurs ended up with a timeout. hubie brown seems to think there was a foul immediately by the pistons, but the timeout was before the contact on bowen, apparently.

11:55 ginobili, setting this up . 8 seconds. 5. ginobili floated it over everyone, and off the front of the rim, and timmy d was in front of the rim and couldn't get the tip to go, just a little short. also, rasheed wallace called a timeout that they didn't have, but somehow after the clock expired. that would have been a nice way to win game 5. it looks like it's gonna have to be overtime.

11:58 home teams are 2-8 in the last 10 finals overtime games. does anyone believe that the home team is at a disadvantage here? spurs win the tip!

11:59 horry just got a nice offensive board on the first possession. duncan just got fouled on the arm twice but it wasn't called. and then horry got called for a foul for something or other. damn that's horry's 5th too.

12:02 spurs look disjointed on offense. when's the last time mohammed has been in? these guys have to be pretty tired at this point. and now something stupid just happened. somehow billups is shooting free throws, even though he just dribbled the ball and got it knocked away from behind. well, maybe parker fouled him. i'm not sure. 93-89 pistons, 2:51 left in OT.

12:04 coors light's "love train" ad campaign is really, really stupid.

12:05 ginobili just threw the ball away when bringing the ball up. goddamnit.

12:06 after a nice stop by parker on defense, he comes back and gets a left-handed scoop layup to bring the spurs within 2. sheed just pushed it back to 95-91 though.

12:07 that was AMAZING. horry just leaped from who knows how far out, over the top of hamilton, got the dunk, hurt his shoulder in the process, and drew the foul from rip. unfortunately his injured left shoulder messed up his free throw as well. 95-93, 1:24 to go in OT. no spurs fouls left to give.

12:08 huzzah for billups missing wide open jumpers. duncan just got an awful pass from horry (even if they say it was good, it wasn't) and lost the ball. and now.. god
what?
offensive rebound to the pistons
20 seconds left, and they are up 2. and i can't describe what just happend, but billups missed the shot with 9.4 seconds left, and now the spurs have the ball (time out) down 2.

12:11 timmy d hasn't made a field goal in the last 9:37 of game time, 0-3. that's not enough shots, dammit.

12:12 here we go. "those are the questions, here come the answers" - well said, al michaels. 9.4 seconds to go. horry to inbound. ginobil HORRY AHHHHHH

12:13 horry got the ball right back from ginobili and nailed a three from his famous free throw line extended spot. 96-95 spurs. i'm giggling a lot, but the 5.9 seconds makes me real nervous.

12:15 three time outs in a row. this really isn't helping my heartburn from that steak.

12:17 hamilton just ran over parker, elbowed him in the face, and missed the shot from the free throw line. bowen got the ball and ran around and the spurs win!!! parker defended hamilton perfectly on three plays in OT, that should be noted for the future. and hamilton really cleared parker out with his elbow, that was an offensive foul for sure. hamilton missed the shot BECAUSE he had his elbow caught up in parker's chin. and even earlier, bowen denied billups the ball on the throw in.

god and the most amazing thing ever just happened. michelle tafoya was asking robert horry, who made the clutch three, that he didn't like when he was called big shot bob or when duncan called him big shot bobby, so what's his name tonight? and horry said duncan can call him anything he wants. follow me so far?
5 seconds later, tafoya asked duncan what the difference was in the game today, and he looked for about 5 seconds at robert horry, then said, with no emotion in his voice, 'big shot bob'.

i'm not sure if i'm going to be able to sleep tonight. and thad would like to point out that he picked the spurs in 6 back when i said "spurs in 5, no wait, spurs to sweep"