Spurs finish strong to win series opener

SAN ANTONIO -- The rebound came off the rim, Tim Duncan grabbed it and fired a 60-foot pass ahead of the field to Stephen Jackson for an uncontested dunk.

It was a pass that would have made Jason Kidd proud, if it had been Kidd who had thrown it. But it wasn't Kidd, it was Duncan -- and it put a flourish of a finish on a decisive third-quarter run that led San Antonio to a 101-89 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

San Antonio outscored the Nets 32-17 in the third period to break open a close game, with Duncan's long pass capping a 15-2 run.

Unlike five previous times in this postseason, the Spurs managed to hang onto that double-digit lead, although the Nets did manage to get within nine points.

Duncan had a stat line worthy of his MVP status with 32 points, 20 rebounds, seven blocks, six assists and three steals as San Antonio snapped the Nets' 10-game postseason winning streak and handed them their first loss in 39 days.