Game 5 was regarded by many as potentially a defining moment in the legacy of Spurs? All-Everything Tim Duncan.  After back-to-back lackluster performances in Games 3 and 4 and with his team reeling, the onus was clearly on the quiet superstar to carry his team out of its two-game funk and head back to San Antonio with a 3-2 series lead.

 Well, not surprisingly, Duncan answered the bell Sunday night as only a guaranteed first-ballot Hall of Famer could, playing an instrumental role in San Antonio?s 96-95 OT win in the ever-pivotal Game 5.  

 Despite missing critical free throws down the stretch in the fourth quarter (six consecutive attempts) and a last-second putback in regulation as well as his first two attempts from the floor in the extra session, Duncan played a much more assertive role from the outset and finished with 26 points and 19 rebounds despite his 4-of-11 shooting from the free throw line.  

 Yes, Duncan did struggle somewhat late in the game ? he was held to without a field goal for the final 9:46 ? but let?s not forget that it was his effort, particularly on the boards, that kept his team in the game through the first three-and-a-half quarters.     Give the perennial All-Star credit for stepping up.  

 But while Duncan did solidify his status as a prime time player, so did a teammate of his, who has made a living of rising to the occasion on the grandest of stages by hitting clutch 3-pointers.

 ?Big Shot Bob? Horry cemented his legacy, perhaps even more so than Duncan, by playing the role of late-game hero for the Spurs, as it was his 3-pointer with under six seconds remaining in overtime that not only sealed the win but arguably the franchise?s third championship in seven years.  Horry would finish with 21 points and 7 rebounds on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.

 In typical Horry fashion, he was a virtual no-show for the first three quarters until hitting a 3-pointer with one second remaining in the third period to put San Antonio up by one, 64-63, ending a Pistons? 11-2 quarter-ending run in the process.  Horry then erupted for 13 points in the fourth, including seven points in a 58-second stretch.  

 But it was his fifth and final three-pointer of the game during the extra frame that sent a dagger through the hearts of the Pistons? faithful, as Horry received a pass from Manu Ginobili off of a double-team with 5.9 seconds remaining and nailed ? inexplicably, considering Horry?s history - a wide-open three.

 ?The play was for me to take that shot, but then I saw Rasheed coming and my first option in that moment was Robert,?  Ginobili said.  ?He?s a winner.  He?s been in that situation so many times.  Everyone knows what he does.?

 ?I?ll tell you what the deal with Rob is,? added Duncan.  ?Rob just hangs out, he doesn?t feel like playing until it's a big game, and doesn?t show up until the fourth quarter, when he's like, 'OK, it's time to play now.'?

 ?That was probably the greatest performance I?ve ever been a part of, to see him there and to see him as calm as he was and willing to do whatever.  He pulled me out of an incredible hole that I put myself in.?

 The Pistons, as we all know by now, relish the underdog role. But they now find themselves in the unenviable position of heading back to San Antonio down 3-2.   Detroit has not won in San Antonio in their last ten attempts dating back to 1997, and the Spurs have lost only five games at the SBC Center all season long.    

 ?This series is not over,? Pistons center Ben Wallace emphasized.  ?We still have a lot of fight left in us.  We have to do there what they just did in our building ? win a game.?

 ?We?ve got a tough task, but this team is not going to hang their heads and let this get us down.?

 We wouldn?t expect the champs to fold after getting this far.  That simply isn?t their style.  But the Spurs, in the end, set out what they needed to do in Detroit ? win at least one game in order to head back home with a series lead.  The Pistons, meanwhile, needed to win one of the first two games in San Antonio to have really put the pressure on the Spurs.  They weren?t able to do so.

 Now, Larry Brown?s crew is in for the fight of their playoff lives.  

Kostas.Bolos@realgm.com