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The San Antonio Spurs lead the Detroit Pistons 3-2 in the 2005 NBA Finals. These are notes that include San Antonio's overtime victory in Game 5:

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER FOR BIG SHOT ROB: Robert Horry’s 21 points marked his highest-scoring game of the 2005 Playoffs and tied his career high for a Finals game (he also had 21 points for the Rockets in Game 4 of 1995 Finals vs. Magic). Horry’s five three-pointers marked his Finals high (prior was four, twice). His overall Playoff career high is seven three-pointers for the Lakers on May 6, 1997 vs. Jazz (went 7-7 from Downtown).

AN OMEN?: Of the prior 23 times, that the Game 5 winner of a ties series has gone on to win The Finals 17 times (most recent: San Antonio over New Jersey in 2003). The most recent time the Game 5 loser won The Finals (following a 2-2 tie) came in 1994, when the Houston Rockets rebounded from a Game 5 loss to defeat the New York Knicks in Games 6 and 7. Since the Finals went to the 2-3-2 format in 1985, the Game Five winner (following a 2-2 tie) has won the Finals four out of six times (most recent: San Antonio over New Jersey in 2003).

AN OMEN, PART II: According to the Elias Sports Bureau, of the prior 23 times that the Finals were tied 2-2, the Game 5 winner went on to close out the series in Game 6 only 10 times.

WORKING OVERTIME: Tonight’s game marked the Spurs’ second overtime game of the 2005 postseason, and their first ever in The Finals. It was the Pistons’ second overtime game of the 2005 Playoffs, and their third overall in the Finals (Pistons 0-3 in OT in the Finals all-time).

TIGHT ROTATION: Pistons used only seven players in tonight’s. It’s the first time a team used only seven players in a Finals game since Portland used seven players in Game 6 of the 1992 Finals against Chicago (97-93 loss, June 14, 1992). The seven Blazers: Terry Porter (47 minutes), Jerome Kersey (45), Clyde Drexler (43), Buck Williams (41), Cliff Robinson (26), Danny Ainge (21) and Kevin Duckworth (17).

WIN A QUARTER, WIN A GAME: When the Spurs outscored Detroit, 21-19 in the second quarter, it ended a string in which the Pistons had outscored the Spurs in each of the prior eight quarters. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that’s a Finals record (old mark was seven straight quarters by Philadelphia over San Francisco in the 1967 Finals, a streak that spanned over the first three games and included an overtime period). Until tonight’s second quarter, the Spurs hadn’t won a quarter since the first quarter of Game 3 (27-21).

ALAMO DRY SPELL: For the Pistons to stay alive in The 2005 NBA Finals, they’ll have to break an Alamo dry spell in which they have lost their last 10 games at San Antonio. During the regular season, the Pistons lost at San Antonio, 80-77 on Dec. 3. The Pistons are now 0-5 all-time at SBC Center.