FoxPerez
12-31-2011, 11:50 AM
Originally posted at PlaymakerOnline.com (http://bit.ly/sL7UqQ):
From the Top 10 Games of 2011:
8. Spurs vs. Grizzlies Game 5: The Last Shot
It’s hard to believe considering how poorly they finished the season and how quickly they exited the playoffs, but the San Antonio Spurs spent most of the season with the best record in the NBA and finished as the #1 seed in the Western Conference. But things started to unravel at the worst possible time for them. DeJuan Blair had become a shell of himself. Tiago Splitter wasn’t ready to shoulder the load down in the paint and Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyess were too old to hang with the young and fiery tandem of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.
On top of all that, their best player, Manu Ginobili, broke his elbow in the second to last game of the regular season. Their seed was a label only. Memphis wanted to play San Antonio in that first round and showed why through four games. In the 5th, San Antonio was in desperation mode at home. They scratched and clawed and played tough basketball. With less than five seconds left, Manu appeared to hit a three-pointer to tie the game and probably send it into overtime, but replays showed that his foot was on the line. So the Spurs fouled, Memphis went back up by three points and the series appeared to be over… unless San Antonio could make one more three pointer.
Enter Gary Neal. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jGnJ0uUgJIw)
That shot extended the game and eventually extended the series. On the road for Game 6, despite playing close for three quarters, the Spurs just didn’t have it and were eliminated in Memphis. But people are going to remember that shot for a while. And it appears that the Spurs have that fire still burning heading into 2012.
From the Top 10 Games of 2011:
8. Spurs vs. Grizzlies Game 5: The Last Shot
It’s hard to believe considering how poorly they finished the season and how quickly they exited the playoffs, but the San Antonio Spurs spent most of the season with the best record in the NBA and finished as the #1 seed in the Western Conference. But things started to unravel at the worst possible time for them. DeJuan Blair had become a shell of himself. Tiago Splitter wasn’t ready to shoulder the load down in the paint and Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyess were too old to hang with the young and fiery tandem of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.
On top of all that, their best player, Manu Ginobili, broke his elbow in the second to last game of the regular season. Their seed was a label only. Memphis wanted to play San Antonio in that first round and showed why through four games. In the 5th, San Antonio was in desperation mode at home. They scratched and clawed and played tough basketball. With less than five seconds left, Manu appeared to hit a three-pointer to tie the game and probably send it into overtime, but replays showed that his foot was on the line. So the Spurs fouled, Memphis went back up by three points and the series appeared to be over… unless San Antonio could make one more three pointer.
Enter Gary Neal. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jGnJ0uUgJIw)
That shot extended the game and eventually extended the series. On the road for Game 6, despite playing close for three quarters, the Spurs just didn’t have it and were eliminated in Memphis. But people are going to remember that shot for a while. And it appears that the Spurs have that fire still burning heading into 2012.