San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (L) and Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace wrestle for control of the ball during second half action in Game 1 of the 2005 NBA Finals in San Antonio, Texas June 9, 2005.(Reuters)

Tim Duncan carried the San Antonio Spurs early in Game 1, and then he got buried under a wave of Argentine flair. Duncan locked up his double-double well before halftime, and by the end of the Spurs' 84-69 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night, he had 24 points and 17 rebounds.

His defense was just as quietly outstanding - he had two blocks and the Pistons' Rasheed Wallace managed just six points in 33 minutes.

Manu Ginobili, San Antonio's star guard by way of Argentina, stole the show by scoring 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, and afterward Duncan was more comfortable talking about his teammate's stunning outburst.

"Unbelievable," Duncan said. "We just stood around and kind of looked at him."

But the Spurs wouldn't have been in position to win the game without Duncan's early contributions.

"Timmy, he's the beginning of it," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of his team's effort. "He doesn't have to be the end all the time now."

Also lending a big hand was Nazr Mohammed, who finished with 10 points in his first appearance in the NBA Finals.

"He's been fantastic through the end of the season and through the playoffs," Popovich said of Mohammed, acquired in a late-season trade with New York. "We would not be here without him."

Mohammed made San Antonio's first basket on a jump hook, with an assist from Duncan.

Duncan missed his first two shots and had two turnovers in the game's first 90 seconds, and Rasheed Wallace scored two baskets against him early. Then Duncan settled down after making a jump hook and grabbed a few rebounds.

"Had an opportunity to hit the glass and got a putback or two," Duncan said. "Got some easy baskets and really got myself rolling in that respect."

With Detroit out to a 17-4 lead, Duncan made a layup with about 5 minutes left in the first quarter that started a 13-4 run that got the Spurs back into the game quickly.

A layup with 8:20 left in the second quarter gave him 11 points and less than a minute later he collected his 10th rebound. He later made two free throws that tied the game at 33.

Early in the third, Duncan rebounded a missed jumper by Bruce Bowen and put it back to give the Spurs their first lead since Mohammed's opening basket, 42-41.

Mohammed made his key play a couple of minutes later when he sprinted into the backcourt to retrieve the ball after Ben Wallace blocked a layup attempt by Duncan.

Mohammed passed it back to Duncan, who missed the shot, but Mohammed was there for the tip-in to give the Spurs a 44-43 lead.

Four of San Antonio's starters accounted for all but nine points. Robert Horry went 2-for-4 on 3-pointers, and Glenn Robinson added a dunk in the first during the Spurs' late-quarter run.

Robinson, also a late-season addition to San Antonio's roster, played 6 minutes after not playing at all in the Western Conference finals against Phoenix.

"He's got a big body out there," Popovich said. "He gave us a few minutes on (Tayshaun) Prince because we had a little bit of a foul trouble situation there early."

Bowen, the perimeter defense specialist, missed all six of his shots, but he helped limit the Pistons' high-scoring Richard Hamilton to 14 points on 7-for-21 shooting.

(Agencies)