FoxPerez
10-19-2011, 12:22 PM
Tim Duncan and Robert Horry were ranked #3 and #2 respectively on this list ranking the All-Time Clutch Texans (http://bit.ly/rqDHmv). Horry was pushed over the top for what he did in Houston (sadly, against the Spurs) before heading San Antonio for more championships. Here's how their parts read:
#3 Tim Duncan
“Clutch” is in Tim Duncan’s blood. The San Antonio Spurs handed him the reigns to the franchise in 1999 and he immediately took them to their first championship. It was just his 2nd year, he was playing in a lockout-shortened season and he was already the league’s best player. To watch these highlights from his Finals MVP performance (http://youtu.be/IAFX-gIeMvI)… it’s just sick. No guy should be able to do what he did. He was so gifted and so athletic that no defender stood a chance of stopping him.
By 2003, he wasn’t relying so much on his athleticism and was far more methodical despite still having his athletic gifts to do it every night. That year he won his 2nd straight MVP award and clinched a 2nd title thanks to a triple-double (http://youtu.be/OKEM3ugLHVc) in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. What’s also incredible about that game was that he was two blocks shy of the first ever quadruple-double in playoff history.
In 2004, a clutch bucket to beat LA (http://youtu.be/FR7Z1Pq2s5I) in the conference finals was erased by Derek Fisher. In 2005, he took over the 2nd half of Game 7 of the NBA Finals. He made it look easy in 2007, but then he provided his most memorable clutch shot in the first round against the Phoenix Suns in 2008. Three-pointer? No problem. (http://youtu.be/trdsKp94Io0)
#2 Robert Horry
But even with all of his accomplishments, Tim Duncan has nothing on Robert Horry who easily has a better resume as a clutch Texan even if you don’t include the clutch shots he made with the LA Lakers. I’m not even a Laker fan. As a Spurs fan, I hate the Lakers but I couldn’t help but scream in amazement when he made the game-winner in 2002 (http://youtu.be/s8w0lw-S7QI) against the Sacramento Kings.
But again, we’re not talking about what he did in LA. We’re talking about Texas. And it all started in Houston with the Rockets. He hit the game-winning shot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghf6dbag-Tk#t=4m50s) in Game 1 of the 1995 Western Conference finals. It was LITERALLY the only shot he made that game… and it was the game-winner. Doesn’t that sort of sum up his career? He later went on to hit another clutch shot to clinch a victory (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifia4YbCF7w&feature=related#t=4m25s) in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
After winning several championships in LA, he came back to Texas to play with the Spurs. In Game 5 of the 2005 NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons, he didn’t just hit a clutch shot, he didn’t just nail the game-winner in overtime, he carried San Antonio offensively in the 2nd half and overtime. In a series dominated by defense, he scored 21 points in the final 17+ minutes of play. Tim Duncan took over the 2nd half of Game 7, but there might not have been a Game 7 without Horry’s effort in Game 5 (http://youtu.be/BZdik09RGJI).
I love Hubie Brown’s reaction to the game-winner. “I can’t believe they left him open!” It’s what everyone else was thinking watching that game. Al Michaels isn’t even surprised when the ball goes in. As soon as he let it go, everyone knew it was good and the game was over even though there was still time left on the clock. He went on to win one more championship with the Spurs in 2007 and couldn’t help but leave his mark in the playoffs once again with a series-clinching shot (http://youtu.be/DHM81O0UZ0A) against the Denver Nuggets.
#3 Tim Duncan
“Clutch” is in Tim Duncan’s blood. The San Antonio Spurs handed him the reigns to the franchise in 1999 and he immediately took them to their first championship. It was just his 2nd year, he was playing in a lockout-shortened season and he was already the league’s best player. To watch these highlights from his Finals MVP performance (http://youtu.be/IAFX-gIeMvI)… it’s just sick. No guy should be able to do what he did. He was so gifted and so athletic that no defender stood a chance of stopping him.
By 2003, he wasn’t relying so much on his athleticism and was far more methodical despite still having his athletic gifts to do it every night. That year he won his 2nd straight MVP award and clinched a 2nd title thanks to a triple-double (http://youtu.be/OKEM3ugLHVc) in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. What’s also incredible about that game was that he was two blocks shy of the first ever quadruple-double in playoff history.
In 2004, a clutch bucket to beat LA (http://youtu.be/FR7Z1Pq2s5I) in the conference finals was erased by Derek Fisher. In 2005, he took over the 2nd half of Game 7 of the NBA Finals. He made it look easy in 2007, but then he provided his most memorable clutch shot in the first round against the Phoenix Suns in 2008. Three-pointer? No problem. (http://youtu.be/trdsKp94Io0)
#2 Robert Horry
But even with all of his accomplishments, Tim Duncan has nothing on Robert Horry who easily has a better resume as a clutch Texan even if you don’t include the clutch shots he made with the LA Lakers. I’m not even a Laker fan. As a Spurs fan, I hate the Lakers but I couldn’t help but scream in amazement when he made the game-winner in 2002 (http://youtu.be/s8w0lw-S7QI) against the Sacramento Kings.
But again, we’re not talking about what he did in LA. We’re talking about Texas. And it all started in Houston with the Rockets. He hit the game-winning shot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghf6dbag-Tk#t=4m50s) in Game 1 of the 1995 Western Conference finals. It was LITERALLY the only shot he made that game… and it was the game-winner. Doesn’t that sort of sum up his career? He later went on to hit another clutch shot to clinch a victory (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifia4YbCF7w&feature=related#t=4m25s) in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
After winning several championships in LA, he came back to Texas to play with the Spurs. In Game 5 of the 2005 NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons, he didn’t just hit a clutch shot, he didn’t just nail the game-winner in overtime, he carried San Antonio offensively in the 2nd half and overtime. In a series dominated by defense, he scored 21 points in the final 17+ minutes of play. Tim Duncan took over the 2nd half of Game 7, but there might not have been a Game 7 without Horry’s effort in Game 5 (http://youtu.be/BZdik09RGJI).
I love Hubie Brown’s reaction to the game-winner. “I can’t believe they left him open!” It’s what everyone else was thinking watching that game. Al Michaels isn’t even surprised when the ball goes in. As soon as he let it go, everyone knew it was good and the game was over even though there was still time left on the clock. He went on to win one more championship with the Spurs in 2007 and couldn’t help but leave his mark in the playoffs once again with a series-clinching shot (http://youtu.be/DHM81O0UZ0A) against the Denver Nuggets.