Tony Parker's aggressive moves and pinpoint passes outshined a humbled LeBron James and sparked San Antonio past Cleveland 85-76 in Thursday's National Basketball Association Finals opener.
French guard Parker scored 27 points while Tim Duncan, a three-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to give the Spurs a lead in the best-of-seven series that continues here Sunday.
"Tony gets to the rim all the time," Duncan said. "With his quickness, his ability to finish in the lane, he gets in there almost at will."
French guard Parker produced the best NBA Finals game in his third trip to the series, adding seven assists for a Spurs team seeking its fourth title in nine years under coach Gregg Popovich after crowns in 1999, 2003 and 2005.
"Pop told me to get aggressive, shoot 25 times if you have to," Parker said. "I was between passing and shooting. He told me to stop thinking about it. It helps when your coach says that. It makes you free."
James, the flamboyant 22-year-old playmaker who lifted the Cavaliers into their first NBA Finals, was shackled form the start. He made only 4-of-16 shots for 14 points and committed six turnovers as the Spurs' defense frustrated him.
"I didnt play extremely well. Six turnovers was uncharacteristic of me," James said. "Me being the leader of this team, I have to play better for us to have a chance to win.
"Things didn't fall for me. You have nights like that. We have to regroup. I just have to play better. I'll definitely have a better effort on Sunday."
James missed his first eight shots, finally connecting on a driving laup 4:45 into the third quarter. His only first-half points came on four free throws but the Spurs only managed to seize a 40-35 half-time lead.
"He struggled mightily tonight," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "Their big guys did a good job of blitzing and containing him. They kept him from getting into the paint. They were bringing bodies."
San Antonio's lead still was only 49-43 midway into the third quarter when the Spurs caught fire, going on an 18-6 run that ended with San Antonio ahead 67-49 on Robert Horry's 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter.
Ginobili had six points and Duncan four in the critical stretch.
"I was pleased with our defense," Popovich said. "We were a little discombobulated at the start offensively. We maintained good intensity defensively. We kept our focus for 48 minutes. That's what got us through."
Parker scored 12 points in the first half and made vital assists in the third-quarter Spurs surge.
"Tony, he plays his best when he is aggressive," Popovich said. "Our aggressiveness often times begins with him. His ability to penetrate or get the ball to the other side of the court gets us going."
Parker's penetration and Duncan's domination inside were too much for the Cavaliers to overcome.
"Tony was terrific. When he wanted to get to the rim he did most of the night. He kept us on our heels," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "We have to do a better job keeping him out of the paint, making him swing the ball and have somebody else try to beat us."
James sank a pair of 3-pointers to ignite a 13-4 Cleveland run, pulling the Cavaliers within 78-69 on Sasha Pavlovic's reverse layup with 2:48 to play.
But missed a late 3-pointer and Duncan added a slam dunk to give the Spurs an 82-72 edge with 54 seconds to play, sealing the triumph.
Parker said Popovich gently prodded the Spurs at halftime to find their focus after a week's layoff.
"Pop very calmly told us what he wanted to improve to get us better. We didn't play for a long time. We wanted to get back into that rhythm," Parker said.
"Pop talked about execution, more focus and bring more energy, bring more intensity. I the second half we played better defense and did out job."
Argentine guard Ginobili added 16 points and eight rebounds for San Antonio. Daniel Gibson led Cleveland with 16 points while James and Drew Gooden had 14 points.
