They Can’t Finish What They Start

SAN ANTONIO —  If Tim Duncan’s comments Saturday were any indication, the Spurs were starting to feel the heat entering Game 4 today against the Lakers at the Alamodome. They realize a loss could be devastating.

“The pressure is there,” Duncan said a day after the Spurs fell behind, 2-1, in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series. “You hate to say it’s a must-win game, but it really is. We’re not happy with the way we’re playing right now.”

Toughest for the Spurs has been their faltering play late in each of the first three games. The Spurs have been outscored by the Lakers by a whopping 74-52 in the fourth quarters.

Of particular concern was the Spurs’ inability to make baskets in Game 3. They made only eight of 22 (36.4%) shots in the fourth quarter and watched the Lakers race to a 10-point victory.

“Our game plan remains the same,” guard Antonio Daniels said. “We made a lot more mistakes than we’re accustomed to [in Game 3]. The shots didn’t fall. We missed easy shots. We missed point-blank shots. We missed perimeter shots.... We didn’t take any bad shots.”

San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich was less troubled by the Spurs’ poor shooting than by other breakdowns.

“We’ve had opportunities to win all three games,” he said. “It’s probably better not to say we’ve got to shoot better. For us, it’s decision-making. We’ve got to make better decisions and we’ll be more effective.”

As Duncan pointed out, “We were right there with seven or eight minutes to go [in Game 3], then we made four or five mistakes in a row.”

And as a result, the Lakers turned an 81-80 lead with 61/2 minutes to play into a 99-89 victory.

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David Robinson appeared tentative with the ball in his hands Friday, his first game after sitting since April 20 because of a sore back. He missed a dunk, for instance. He also narrowly missed shooting an airball on a fourth-quarter free throw. Another free throw was so long it almost banked home.

“I was a little rusty,” Robinson acknowledged. “I was trying to get some good things to happen, but I was just glad to be back out on the floor.”

Robinson had six points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes. It’s uncertain whether Popovich will play Robinson more today in Game 4. Robinson reported no lingering pain Saturday, according to Popovich.

“He seems fine,” Popovich said. “He said he feels good.”

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Malik Rose, an energetic reserve forward, said he wouldn’t complain if Robinson’s return to fitness means he plays less and less as the series progresses. Rose and Robinson kept Laker center Shaquille O’Neal from scoring in the fourth quarter Friday.

“David probably plays Shaq better than anyone else in the league,” Rose said. “[Popovich] doesn’t have to worry about juggling minutes with me.”

The Lakers would just as soon see Popovich keep Rose on the bench. He has proved to be too quick for O’Neal to guard and too physical for several of the Laker forwards.