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After a first half Tuesday in which Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili had scored all but three of the Spurs' 54 points — Duncan had 13, Parker 21 and Ginobili 17 — the Spurs were intent on finding a way to lessen the load of the Big Three in Game 2 of their Western Conference playoff series against the Phoenix Suns.

Before he sent the Spurs back out for the third quarter, coach Gregg Popovich diagrammed a play designed to get an open shot for Michael Finley, who had missed his only attempt of the first two periods.

With possession to start the second half because the Suns had won the opening tip, the Spurs got into the set immediately and worked it to perfection. Finley came off a pindown on the baseline for a wide-open 15-footer that hit nothing but net.

After Kurt Thomas rebounded a Shaquille O'Neal miss, the Spurs ran a second play for Finley. This time he nailed a 20-footer from the right baseline.

Suddenly, the Suns' defense had another shooter to be concerned about, and the Spurs had another option.

Before the period ended, Finley had scored eight points and the Spurs had turned an eight-point deficit into a nine-point lead heading to the final quarter of their 102-96 victory at the AT&T Center.

The Spurs got a second surge from the bench in their third-period comeback when Ime Udoka chipped in six points.

"We were trying to get Fin's confidence going," said point guard Parker. "Fin and Ime got going a little bit in the third quarter, and that helped us a lot."

Finley was eager to get the chance to atone for an empty first half and thrilled that Popovich called his number right out of the halftime.

"I had a good look at the basket and just knocked it down," Finley said. "Coach told me to just stick with it. We know how this game is played. ... We know how to get out of ruts."

Udoka scored six-straight points near the end of the third, getting a putback basket, two free throws and a layin off a slick feed from Duncan.

The first-year Spurs player was shocked to learn the Big Three had carried such a huge scoring load in the first half.

"I didn't even realize that," Udoka said. "It's always good to take pressure off them so Phoenix can't hone in on just those three guys. Obviously, you saw how Fin came out and gave us a big lift. That got some other guys involved. Then we went to a small lineup and got running. You're going to get different looks if you don't have to set up every time.

"It's always good to take pressure off those three guys, because when it comes down to it, they're the guys that are going to be taking the shots when the game's on the line."

Popovich understood his three offensive stars would not be able to duplicate their first-half production, and that it likely would not be enough, even if they did.

"They were really important," he said of the play of Finley and Udoka in the third. "We need everyone to score. Bench guys have to contribute, perimeter guys have to help you win. The entire game can't be on the shoulders of your so-called stars. Teams win series because everyone participates, offensively and defensively."