SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Bruce Bowen raked his hand across Richard Hamilton's face, rudely dislodging the Detroit star's sweatband and clear protective mask. When no foul was called, Hamilton screamed and flung the broken headgear to the court.

A momentum-changing technical foul seemed imminent - until Rasheed Wallace grabbed his younger teammate's shoulder and said, "Just play basketball."

The NBA Finals' most mercurial man as the voice of veteran poise? Believe it. In two postseasons filled with dire predicaments and miraculous escapes, Wallace and the Pistons have learned how to use pressure to cook their opponents.

Their cool just might be their greatest strength - and it was the biggest reason they forced one last game in the NBA season with a 95-86 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 on Tuesday night.

Hamilton scored 23 points and Chauncey Billups had 21 as the defending champions calmly led throughout the fourth quarter. Wallace, the goat of Game 5, was outstanding, scoring 16 points and making countless key plays in the final minutes while playing with five fouls.

"We can fight any odds," Wallace said. "You know, a lot of people thought we were going to be out tonight, but - they had their Cristal ready and all that stuff, but - hey, we're going to pop it Thursday."

The Pistons sent the finals to a seventh game Thursday for just the 16th time in league history. There hasn't been a winner-take-all game since 1994, when Houston beat New York for the title.

"It means everything. We go back to the hotel, instead of getting on a plane," said Billups, who didn't make a turnover in 39 minutes. "The NBA, this is what it's all about. Game 7, two best teams in the league - don't get no better than this."

The members of Detroit's seven-man rotation will be playing in their 25th game of the postseason, tying the 1994 Knicks' NBA record. This lengthy high-wire walk just doesn't scare the Pistons, however. Even in a city where they had lost 10 straight games since 1997 - and where the Spurs were 46-5 this season - they found the nerve to play on.

And after overcoming long odds last summer to win their first title, they're halfway to their latest goal: becoming the first team in finals history to win the last two games on the road.

"I've been with these guys for two years, and they don't disappoint me in terms of their desire to win and their respect for each other," said Pistons coach Larry Brown, who surpassed Red Auerbach on the career list with his 100th playoff victory.

Tim Duncan had 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Spurs, and Manu Ginobili added 21 points and 10 rebounds. But even with a raucous crowd anticipating a shower of confetti in the tight fourth quarter, San Antonio couldn't hit enough big shots to earn a lead.

After two relatively easy victories, the Spurs have lost three of the series' last four games, winning only on Robert Horry's implausible overtime 3-pointer in Game 5. San Antonio must find reserves of confidence and strength that haven't been present in a team with only four players remaining from the franchise's 2003 championship.

"History doesn't matter," said Ginobili, who missed four of his five shots in the fourth quarter. "Home-court advantage doesn't matter. It depends a lot on the character of the players, how you respond under pressure."

Wallace, whose defensive blunder left Horry wide open, responded with his best game of the series. While Wallace was out with foul trouble, he stood, fidgeted and yelled encouragement at his teammates - and then he scored seven points in the final 4½ minutes, hitting a 3-pointer with 3:31 to play.

The NBA's top two defensive teams have learned how to score on each other. San Antonio never allowed more than 90 points in a finals game in franchise history until Game 3 - and now Detroit has scored at least 90 points in the last four games, beating the Spurs' best defensive efforts by avoiding turnovers and exploiting mismatches.

The Pistons, who made just five turnovers, also hit eight 3-pointers in Game 6, matching their total from the entire series before Game 6. The Spurs were reduced to the same perimeter shots, but were just 8-of-28.

Detroit also clamped down on Duncan with more double-teams and fewer chances in the low post. He went nearly a full quarter between baskets in the second half, and when the two-time finals MVP finally got back in the flow, the Pistons were ready to move on.

"We said it earlier: They are best facing elimination," Duncan said. "We knew we had to put a very good game out there to beat them. We didn't do it. It's a disappointing loss, but we play all year to have home court, to have this opportunity." ^

The road team has won just three of the 15 previous seventh games in NBA Finals history - none since 1978, when the Washington Bullets beat Seattle. ... The Pistons, who beat Miami in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference finals, could become the first team in NBA history to win two seventh games on the road in the same postseason. ... The Spurs have lost six games at home, with three postseason losses at the SBC Center.

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One more Pistons win and Detroit will be: