Cleveland ? Maybe it’s time to go back to Larry Hughes.

Daniel Gibson finally replaced the injured point guard in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting lineup Tuesday night, then delivered a performance as bad as any of those from the struggling Hughes.

CLEVELAND CENTER ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS dunks against San Antonio. The big man's 12 points and 18 rebounds weren't enough Tuesday as the Cavaliers dropped Game 3 of the NBA Finals on their home floor.

The rookie was 1-for-10 in his first career playoff start, scoring only two points in the Cavaliers’ 75-72 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA finals.

Gibson refused to blame his struggles on any jitters or added pressure he felt as a starter.

“I don’t feel like I was too hyped at all, because there’s been a little anticipation every night that there’s a possibility that I could start,” he said. “I was prepared for anything. I just got out there, tried to let the game come to me, and just missed a couple of shots.”

But even though he was on the floor at the beginning, Gibson was back on the bench by the fourth quarter. Coach Mike Brown went with veteran Eric Snow for most of the final period when the Cavs were desperately fighting to come back.

And now it probably won’t matter what lineup Brown goes with the rest of the way. No NBA team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit.

Gibson got back on the floor at the end – but that’s only because Drew Gooden fouled out, not because he had earned the minutes.

Still, the Cavs praised Gibson for trying to play through his shooting struggles and find ways to contribute, such as defending Tony Parker. Parker was only 7-of-17 for 17 points, well below what he had been doing against Hughes’ defense.

“The one thing I’ve always been on Daniel about all season long is affecting the game if your shot isn’t there,” Snow said. “Him being a young player, that’s what’s hard in this league, when teams take away what you do well, how do you still consistently affect the game?

“Unfortunately he wasn’t able to hit his shot today, but I still thought he did a good job guarding Tony, still making plays when he had to. He just had a rough shooting night, and that happens.”

Hobbled by a sore foot since midway through the Eastern Conference finals, Hughes was horrible in the two losses in San Antonio, scoring two total points on 1-of-10 shooting. But Brown had refused to consider a lineup change, even as Gibson had emerged as Cleveland’s best perimeter complement to LeBron James.

Gibson scored a career-best 31 points in the Game 6 victory over Detroit that sent the Cavs to their first NBA finals appearance, then averaged 15.5 points in San Antonio, not far from where he played in college for Texas.

Brown wouldn’t make the switch, and Gibson and Hughes, who has plantar fasciitis and a tear in his foot, both said it wasn’t necessary. But Brown finally made the move Tuesday, with Hughes not even dressing for the game.

“The team had a nice rhythm, starting Larry and bringing Daniel off the bench, and Daniel had a nice rhythm, also,” Brown said. “That’s why we wanted to keep it like that. Tonight I had a gut feeling and I went with starting Daniel, and I thought he did some good things out on the floor.

“His shot didn’t go down, but I thought he defended well. I thought he tried to run the team as best as he can, and there were some positives. It was good experience for him to start in a game like that.”

Fans loved the choice, chanting “Boobie!” when Gibson was shown on the overhead screen during warmups.

Too bad for those fans he gave them nothing to cheer about once the game started.

“I feel like I’m capable of making shots, but there will be nights when I miss,” Gibson said. “But I feel like I’m definitely going to go home and watch the film and see what I did wrong, what wasn’t working for me, and definitely next game you’ll see a big change.”