SAN ANTONIO ? Robert Horry knows he probably could have been a better player during the first 47 minutes of most games in his career. He could have scored more points, earned more accolades and made more money.

But in the final minute, few have ever been better – particularly in the playoffs, where the Detroit Pistons are the latest team to dread seeing the ball in Horry’s hands late in a close game.

One of the best clutch shooters in league history is closing in on several career playoff superlatives as he plays in his sixth NBA Finals, this time with the San Antonio Spurs. The lanky forward is hoping to add a sixth championship ring to his fistful of jewelry, joining the club occupied by Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

By now, every serious basketball fan knows to watch Big Shot Bob when a playoff game gets tight. No matter where he goes or how much he plays, Horry seems to find himself deep in the postseason: He has reached the playoffs in all 13 of his NBA seasons, and he has built a singular reputation for his remarkable ability to shine when the spotlight is hottest.

This is Horry’s gift, and his legacy – and even though he expected more from his career, he can’t complain.

“A lot of the guys in this series have been All-Stars and they’ve won a lot of individual awards, but for me, that never happened,” Horry said. “That’s never going to happen. I’m never going to be in the Hall of Fame. I’ve just been grateful to be in these situations.”

Horry could join John Salley as the only players in NBA history to win championships with three different teams – and only six players have ever won more than six titles, all with the Boston Celtics during the Bill Russell era.

Not many players who average fewer than eight points per game over their careers are as famous and feared as Horry – and not many have had their favorite childhood park named after them, as he recently did in his Alabama hometown of Andalusia.

“The funny thing about it is people think I’m 38 years old,” said Horry, who’s 34. “I guess I’ve been in the playoffs so many times and we’ve gone a long time, so people think, ‘Oh, that guy’s been around forever.’ I’m really not old.”

Coming off the bench in each of the Spurs’ 16 conference playoff games, he has hit 23 three-pointers and averaged 8.8 points per game, fourth on the club. He hit his latest important shot in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, making a key three-pointer in the Spurs’ win over the Phoenix Suns.

“That’s the guy you’ve got to watch,” Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince said. “He’s incredible. I can’t even think of all the big shots he’s made.”

Entering this series, Horry had made 222 three-pointers in the playoffs, second in NBA history to Reggie Miller’s 320.

Horry also believes he has taken more wide-open three-pointers than any player in finals history, thanks to the good fortune of going into the round with talented, defense-distracting teammates such as Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler in Houston (1994-95); Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant (2000-02); and now, Tim Duncan.