Richard Hamilton had 23 points and Chauncey Billups added 21 as the Detroit Pistons ensured a deciding game in the NBA Finals with a dramatic 95-86 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.
The defending champion Pistons evened the best-of-seven series at 3-3 with the Game Six win, while denying the Spurs an opportunity to capture their third NBA title in seven seasons.
Game Seven is in San Antonio on Thursday.
The Pistons punished the Spurs with great shooting from outside the arc and had eight three-pointers in the contest, after combining for that amount in the first five games of the series.
"We happened to make them tonight and they didn't," Detroit coach Larry Brown said about.
"We had a lot of guys come off the bench to give us some quality minutes. That's what this team is all about."
Rasheed Wallace added 16 points for Detroit, despite being in foul trouble most of the night as five Pistons notched double-digit performances.
Detroit also improved to 5-0 in the past two seasons in games where they faced elimination.
"We put ourselves in that position and don't give ourselves any choice but to come out and compete," Brown said.
Tim Duncan had 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Spurs while Manu Ginobili added 21 points and 10 assists, but San Antonio could not match the Pistons's intensity, especially in the fourth quarter.
"They're at their best when they are facing elimination and they are down," Duncan said.
"We played all year for this opportunity to have a home game in Game Seven and we're just going to come in here on Thursday night."
EXECUTED WELL
After four blow-out games to open the series, Game Six was another nail-bitter, similar to San Antonio's 96-95 Game Five win at Detroit.
"They really executed well," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.
"That's why they're the NBA champs, you just expect them to do that."
The teams went back and forth all night and were tied 23-23 after one quarter.
San Antonio managed to grab a one-point lead at halftime, but the Pistons took over in the third quarter to lead by four heading into the final 12 minute period, 71-67.
The Pistons continued hitting their three-pointers and led by as many as seven points with 6:10 to play, but the Spurs rallied to cut the lead down to one with 2:15 on the clock.
However, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace both hit late baskets to keep the Pistons ahead and silence a raucous home crowd.
"We just wanted to take it to Game Seven and we did," Rasheed Wallace said. "We can fight any odds."
Billups said he never doubted Detroit's ability to rebound from the Game Five defeat, even though they had lost 10 straight games in San Antonio heading into Tuesday's contest.
"We're just tough man, we're as tough as nails. We make it tough on ourselves but we just get out of that fox-hole."
This year's NBA Finals are the first in 11 seasons to require a maximum seven games.
