Spurs, Elie Bomb Rockets
Mario Elie is well on his way to transforming the Spurs into a team with heart.
His latest tactic spoke louder than any pep talk he could have given, a game-winning 3-pointer with one-tenth of a second left that sent the sometimes docile Spurs into a chest-pounding celebration Sunday as San Antonio beat the Houston Rockets 86-83.
"I was feeling good," Elie said. "Hopefully, I have another one of those shots in me during the playoffs."
With the score tied, David Robinson dished the ball to Elie on the right side. He hit the wide-open 3-pointer, and the Spurs who fought back from an early 23-point deficit mobbed each other in a huddle at center court.
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"David Robinson gave me a terrific pass. When it released from my hand it felt good," Elie said.
Elie, who won two championships with the Rockets, led the Spurs with 21 points on 7-for-8 shooting, including 4-for-4 on 3-pointers.
"Mario loves big games. He was great," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
The Spurs had their biggest comeback of the season and completed a sweep of the three-game season series.
"We made a couple of mistakes when we had the lead and it really burned us," said Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, who complimented Elie on his shot. "He's made some big shots. I've seen it before. They executed the play well. It was a pick and slip, and he just slipped right in there."
Charles Barkley led the Rockets with 23 points, and Hakeem Olajuwon had 18 points.
"This was a tough one," Olajuwon said. "I wouldn't say it was our best game. We didn't win. But when the Rockets play the Spurs it's always competitive."
The Rockets took an 81-78 advantage on a 3-pointer by Bryce Drew with 2:43 remaining, and the Spurs tied it at 81-81 on a 3-pointer by Elie with 1:42 left.
Barkley ten sank two free throws with 52 seconds to go to move the Rockets ahead 83-81.
Elie got two more points on the board for the Spurs when Olajuwon was called for goaltending with 44.1 seconds remaining.
Scottie Pippen attempted a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left. The ball went in the basket, looked like it was going down, but circled out.
Then came Elie's dramatic game-winning shot.
When it went in, the Spurs celebrated in the huddle then dispersed toward the bench, with Robinson smiling, cocking his head back and doing a little dance. Other players bumped against each other. An emotional Elie strutted to the edge of the court, ripped his jersey back from his chest and yelled gleefully at the Alamodome fans.
"Heart. Just heart," Elie said, recalling what he shouted at the spectators. "I got heart to take a shot like that."
Houston built a 23-point lead, 36-13, by early in the second quarter after Barkley scored 15 points and the Rockets outscored the Spurs 31-13 in the first period.
The game looked destined to become a blowout. But a pair of free throws by Robinson his first points of the game got a 27-8 rally started that pulled the Spurs to 44-40 by halftime.
The Spurs have now won nine of their last 11 games. With the victory, San Antonio moved two games ahead of Houston in the Western Conference playoff race.
Notes: Elie, who'd been averaging 9.7 points per game, has done particularly well against his former team. He scored 14 points against Houston on April 8 and 15 points against the Rockets on March 2. ... Barkley led all players in rebounding with 15, but the Spurs outrebounded the Rockets 42-39. ... Will Perdue of the Spurs played Sunday despite having his nose broken in two spots. He was already wearing a face mask to protect his broken nose when he fractured it again Friday in a victory over Portland. Perdue will be examined again Wednesday to determine if surgery is needed. ... All five Spurs starters scored in double figures.
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