San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO -- Going into last night's NBA Finals opener, the New York Knicks appeared to have the advantage on the perimeter. But the big question was how New York would contain the San Antonio Spurs' front line, particularly Tim Duncan.That's a question the Knicks must try to find an answer to before tomorrow night's Game 2 as Duncan dominated play in the post last night with 33 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks in an 89-77 win by the Spurs before 39,514 at the Alamodome, the second-biggest crowd in NBA Finals history.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Don't look now, but the San Antonio Spurs may be on the verge of something unfamiliar in this postseason: doing something easy. Heading home for tonight's Game 6 of the NBA Finals and leading 3-2, the Spurs have a chance to put away the New Jersey Nets and win their second championship in five seasons. Sounds simple, right? Well, the Spurs have done nothing the easy way throughout the playoffs, and beating the Nets tonight at the SBC Center isn't likely to be simple either.

Dave Archer got a prolonged taste of the NFL, but never caught a whiff of a championship atmosphere during his seven seasons there. He finally won his first pro title three years ago with the Sacramento Surge of the World League.None of that compares with the satisfaction Archer feels these days as the quarterback of the Canadian Football League's San Antonio Texans.San Antonio comes to Memorial Stadium tomorrow to face the Stallions in the Southern Division championship game. The winner advances to the Nov. 19 Grey Cup game in Regina, Saskatchewan.

SAN ANTONIO -- It was the fourth quarter last night, and the San Antonio Spurs had a double-digit lead on the New Jersey Nets in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. That, of course, meant it was nervous time at SBC Center. After all, the Spurs had given back six leads of 10 points or more in the final period during their Western Conference playoff run, losing five of those contests, and getting outscored badly during those fourth quarters. The Nets applied the pressure last night, slicing what had been a 16-point lead to 10 in the first 1:40 of the fourth, before San Antonio regained its bearings behind Tim Duncan to defeat New Jersey, 101-89.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is nothing if not a man of convictions. He always sticks with whatever he believes works, even if something else might work better at that time. One of his convictions in the postseason is that Steve Kerr, a member of four NBA title teams, shouldn't play regularly, but Kerr has displayed a knack for coming through at the most important moments. The latest manifestation may have given the Spurs a big boost toward a championship.

RUMKE: Zachary Rumke, 18, graduated from US Air Force Basic Military Training on Feb. 8, at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas. He is stationed in Spokane, Wash., where he is pursuing a career in the NAVY as a SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) Instructor. Rumke is the son of Elaine and Jeffrey Rumke and the brother of Nicholas. Rumke graduated from Harford Technical High School in 2012.

Aug. 12, 1990Air Force -- Staff Sgt. John Campisi, 30, of Covina, Calif., struck by truck on dark runway in Saudi Arabia.Aug. 21, 1990Navy -- Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Daniel M. Jones, 19, of Wakefield, Mass., electric shock while performing routine maintenance aboard USS Antietam in Persian Gulf.Aug. 28, 1990Air Force -- 13 fatalities, C-5A Transport plane crashed on takeoff from Ramstein, Germany, en route to Saudi Arabia. Killed were:Maj. John M. Gordon, Spring, TexasMaj. Richard W. Chase, San Antonio, TexasMaj.

Last night's Stallions-Texans game in San Antonio, Texas, did not end in time to be included in this edition. A complete report can be found in later editions.

Air Force Airman David Kriner II completed basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, in San Antonio, Texas. He is the son of Catherine Mundorf, of Ellicott City, and David Kriner, of McLean, Va.

Western Conference finalsNo. 1 San Antonio (37-13) vs. No. 2 Portland (35-15)Playoff record: San Antonio 7-1 (beat Minnesota, 3-1; swept Los Angeles Lakers, 4-0). Portland 7-2 (swept Phoenix, 3-0; beat Utah, 4-2).Season series: San Antonio, 3-1 (Portland, 90-85, on 3/19; San Antonio, 81-80, on 4/16; San Antonio, 98-90, on 5/1; San Antonio, 87-81, on 5/4).Last conference finals appearance: San Antonio appeared in 1995, where the Spurs lost to Houston, 4-2. Portland appeared in 1992 beating Utah, 4-2, to reach the NBA Finals (where it lost to the Chicago Bulls)