Despite a valiant if ineffective effort, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Larry Hughes, limited to one good foot, had to shut it down on Tuesday. Cavaliers rookie Daniel "Boobie" Gibson got his first start of the postseason, and Hughes was on the inactive list for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown had been adamant about keeping Hughes in the starting lineup despite clamor for him to bench Hughes in favor of Gibson. Eventually, though, Brown's hand was forced.

Hughes tore the heel of his plantar fascia in his left foot in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals and played through the pain over the next five games. But he was a shell of himself against the San Antonio Spurs, scoring just two points on 1-of-10 shooting in 43 minutes. He also was unable to contain Spurs point guard Tony Parker, who averaged 28.5 points in the first two games and converted an embarrassing pass between Hughes's legs in Game 2.

Before the game, Hughes hinted that he might not start but gave no indication that he wouldn't play at all. "Sometimes, you can overcome the physical by the mental," Hughes said. "At this point, it's getting pretty tough."