Michael "Clutch" Finley

[viggenja37]

http://images.sportsline.com/u/ap/photos/LAS104012820_1024x768.jpg
San Antonio Spurs' Michael Finley celebrates his game-winning 3-point basket against the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime of an NBA basketball game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Sunday, Jan. 28, 2007. The Spurs won 96-94 in overtime.
(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

[johnpaulwall21]

that was pretty clutch, i wont call him that as a nickname unless he does it a couple more times.

[Darkwaters]

Hopefully this helps get some of his confidence back.

[exstatic]

Fin was 5-10, but the rest of the team was 5-19. :dizzy When it isn't dropping, they (yes this means you Manu) need to ballfake and get a closer shot, if not all the way to the rack. The Spurs rarely win when they loft this many treys. 20 to 22 treys seems to be a good count.

[viggenja37]

http://images.sportsline.com/u/ap/photos/LAS120012820_1024x768.jpg
San Antonio Spurs' Michael Finley (4) pulls down a rebound away from Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant during the fourth quarter of a basketball game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2007. The Spurs won in overtime, 96-94.
(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

[exstatic]

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070129/capt.las12001290134.spurs_lakers_basketball__las12 0.jpg
San Antonio Spurs' Michael Finley (4) pulls down a rebound away from Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant during the fourth quarter of a basketball game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2007. The Spurs won in overtime, 96-94.
(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
That was the incredibly BAD shot he put up after they had scored 4 straight trips. He overdrove and had to shoot back at the basket, a horrible angle. It's shots like that that keep him from actually being MJ instead of a beta simulation.

[viggenja37]

http://images.sportsline.com/u/ap/photos/LAS105012820_1024x768.jpg
San Antonio Spurs' Michael Finley, right, gets a hug from Brent Barry as they celebrate Finley's game-winning 3-point basket against the Los Angeles Lakers in the closing seconds of the overtime period in a basketball game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Sunday, Jan. 28, 2007. Spurs won, 96-94.
(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Finley's good at getting some rebounds I noticed. When he wants them.

[viggenja37]

http://images.sportsline.com/u/ap/photos/LAS107012820_1024x768.jpg
San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan hugs Michael Finley after Finley scored the game-winning 3-point basket in the closing seconds of the overtime basketball game against Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Sunday, Jan. 28, 2007. Spurs won 96-94. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

[Spurologist]

Definately the hightlight of FIN's Spur career.

[mavsfan1000]

Lol you got viggenja37. He loves putting pictures up. He is all over dallasbasketball.com

[tsb2000]

Still, until he can do that on a regular basis, I'll call him Michael "Even a Blind Squirrel Gets a Nut Sometimes" Finley

[PM5K]

I guess some of you forgot all of the games he won for us last year...

[Borosai]

I wouldn't say he's clutch, but that shot was huge.

[sribb43]

Don't get used to seeing Fin do that on a regular basis. He had a few nice shots like that here in Dallas, but more often than not he cant hit the big shot, especially in the playoffs. But it was a nice shot, congrats to Fin and the spurs fans.

[PM5K]

Yeah I wouldn't call a guy who has won half a dozen or more games for us clutch...

[sribb43]

Lol you got viggenja37. He loves putting pictures up. He is all over dallasbasketball.com
Ya the guy is all about Fin and trying to relieve the good ol' days he had here in Dallas with all those Finley pictures

[George Gervin's Afro]

Fin has been in a slump since he has been with the Spurs. I have always felt that he was going to get hot at some point.. hopefully that time is now..

[Budkin]

Huge shot for Finley and huge win for the Spurs. It's a confidence builder for sure in both regards. GO SPURS!

[boutons_]

"Fin has been in a slump since he has been with the Spurs."

look at his annual PPG with the Mavs, a steady decline before he came to the Spurs.

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/michael_finley/career_stats.html

He's hitting much better in Jan than in Nov and Dec.

[ducks]

he will hit in june better

[AceProfits]

I guess everybody is quick to forget how many BIG shots Fin hit in that Dallas series last year? If Manu does not foul Dirk on the final play Fin is a hero in that series.

[viggenja37]

http://images.sportsline.com/u/gettyimages/photos/71796446AB014_Spurs_Lakers012821_1024x768.jpg
Michael Finley #4 of the San Antonio Spurs drives to the hoop against the Los Angeles Lakers on January 28, 2007 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

[viggenja37]

http://images.sportsline.com/u/gettyimages/photos/71796446NG015_Spurs_Lakers012821_1024x768.jpg
Michael Finley #4 of the San Antonio Spurs celebrates after hitting the game winner in overtime to beat the Los Angeles Lakers on January 28, 2007 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

[ZStomp]

Slow down now. It's only ONE shot in ONE game.

[viggenja37]

http://images.sportsline.com/u/gettyimages/photos/71796446NG014_Spurs_Lakers012821_1024x768.jpg
Michael Finley #4 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots the game winner over Lamar Odom #7 of the Los Angeles Lakers on January 28, 2007 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

[Kori Ellis]

Slow down now. It's only ONE shot in ONE game.

This thread is only about one game.

[Marcus Bryant]

Finley played with a purpose today and capped it off with that shot. He'd probably be better off if he played a little less this season (closer to 15 min than 20 a night).

[ShoogarBear]

That last photo is bad-ass.

[viggenja37]

For those with short memories...

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/05-06/0520spo_finley.jpg

[smeagol]

Fin was 5-10, but the rest of the team was 5-19. :dizzy When it isn't dropping, they (yes this means you Manu) need to ballfake and get a closer shot, if not all the way to the rack. The Spurs rarely win when they loft this many treys. 20 to 22 treys seems to be a good count.


Thanks God he doesn't listen to you because after bricking 6 threes he hit two consecutive ones in the fourth to keep us in the game.

You can't ask somebody who hits over 40% beyond the arc to stop shooting. Eventually the shot will fall.

[bigdog]

pop told him not to be afraid to shoot,so the more he shoots,the hotter he will get

[bigfundamental21]

Big time shot and it's about time we see some life in Finley. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a hot streak for Finley. He is due.

[timvp]

Props to Finley. He hit the big shot when the Spurs needed it.

It was especially good to see him play without fear out there because I don't know if I've ever seen a human more scared than Brent Barry. He was running away from his shot before it left his hands.

[ChumpDumper]

Finley's good at getting some rebounds I noticed. When he wants them.Agreed. Finley's rebound splits for January are borderline respectable. Bowen's are barely tolerable and Barry's have been nonexistent all year. Might be a reason he's getting so many minutes.

[timvp]

Agreed. Finley's rebound splits for January are borderline respectable. Bowen's are barely tolerable and Barry's have been nonexistent all year. Might be a reason he's getting so many minutes.

Yeah, after that game against Dallas where Finley tried to just flop on every rebound attempt, he's actually gone up and gotten rebounds. Pop must have had a few words with him after that game.

If he can rebound, that'd be huge for this team.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Thanks God he doesn't listen to you because after bricking 6 threes he hit two consecutive ones in the fourth to keep us in the game.

You can't ask somebody who hits over 40% beyond the arc to stop shooting. Eventually the shot will fall.
I think I've seen Manu respond well to when he feels it and when he doesn't.

There was one game after he was horrible where he only made two attempts. Both made them.

But yeah, if Manu can do his damage from beyond the arc, keep doing it. His PPG average has been up since he got more comfortable with taking more 3's and drivng less.

Manu's definitely playing more relaxed and less unsure of himself this year than last year.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

I guess everybody is quick to forget how many BIG shots Fin hit in that Dallas series last year? If Manu does not foul Dirk on the final play Fin is a hero in that series.
Finley may have been stinky this season since before this game and the other night.

But I don't think any of us forgot how much heart he showed in the Dallas series (for obvious reasons) because he played with passion. Those back to back game dunks were hard to forget.

As long as Fin doesn't lose sight that HE CAN still bring it in his reduced role. This is just a good confidence booster fans were waiting for him to have.

[LEONARD]

Finley will saves the Spurs season... :fro

[LilMissSPURfect]

Finley will saves the Spurs season... :fro


Spurs season doesn't need saving....we're just warming up

[VaSpursFan]

Props to Finley. He hit the big shot when the Spurs needed it.

It was especially good to see him play without fear out there because I don't know if I've ever seen a human more scared than Brent Barry. He was running away from his shot before it left his hands.

totally agree. Fin wasn't hesitating. It was like he was on a mission to find his shot and get it going. That confidence and lack of hesitation was huge for that shot. Barry has reverted to the old passive barry, scared to take a shot, running soft off screens not even trying to get open. I hate to say it...but Fin needs to be starting rather than Barry. Having a shooting guard starting that's going to be aggressive is needed on this team.

And...he was on the boards tough yesterday too. Bonus!!!

[TDMVPDPOY]

i think we are goin to see him flunk for the rest of the season like usual

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

I don't think we expect Finley to go on a tear after this. We just want HIM BACK TO NORMAL in his backup SG role. As in *not* missing 1 out of 8, 9, 10 shots and 4 of them being wide open threes.

I mean, I was kinda laughing how bad he had slumped. (and it was the painful kind)

What I do expect is more consistent jumpshots on his part after this. I liked how he just fired away instead of thinking he had to settle for those stupid inside game, post up, missed lay ups because his jumpshot became so damn unreliable and off.

(Besides being 50 percent from beyond the arc. He still had a subpar FG percentage thoug-- but no worse than everyone else today)

[LilMissSPURfect]

i think we are goin to see him flunk for the rest of the season like usual


has anyone every asked you how ya see the glass wid water in it?




he might very well "flunk:" out the rest of the season or he this might b his spark! I vote for the latter and wish Finely finds his confidence, keeps shooting and b one bad ni&&a!

GOOD JOB FIN! :clap

:hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry:

[cheguevara]

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/3089/stkobecryantik3.jpg

:lol nice!

Finley's biggest shot of the year. He still needs to have a few big games going into the playoffs to be in decent shape.

[LEONARD]

Spurs season doesn't need saving....we're just warming up

Oh...I should've known judging by all the positive attitudes around here :lol

[cheguevara]

I don't know if I've ever seen a human more scared than Brent Barry.

http://www.24sec.net/images/lib/Legal%20photos/Slovenia/Beno%20Udrih%20(triera.net).jpg

[NASHville]

I'm glad he shut all you haters up.

[41times]

Well even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then.

or

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.


Don't be seduced by Finley's shooting. Unless of course you enjoy getting your heart broken more than a a teenager with acne.

[bigfan]

Just want to add those are great game photos that are posted. Maybe we can get more of these from games down the line. Go Spurs Go!

[rocyaice]

Did you guys not watch the Dallas series last year? Finley had a hell of a series. Especially in clutch.

[rocyaice]

Don't get used to seeing Fin do that on a regular basis. He had a few nice shots like that here in Dallas, but more often than not he cant hit the big shot, especially in the playoffs. But it was a nice shot, congrats to Fin and the spurs fans.


Aren't you a Dallas fan? Why didn't you watch the series between Dallas and SA last year in the postseason when Finley was beasting? Had it not been for Ginobilli's foul you're pissed off that Cuban lost a playoff round for you. Finley was a force in that series. Ask Dampier and Dirk who he had dunks over.

[sprrs]

Don't get used to seeing Fin do that on a regular basis. He had a few nice shots like that here in Dallas, but more often than not he cant hit the big shot, especially in the playoffs. But it was a nice shot, congrats to Fin and the spurs fans.

You guys were saying that last year too, yet Fin was incredible for us in the playoffs.

[41times]

You guys were saying that last year too, yet Fin was incredible for us in the playoffs.

Fin was pretty good against the Mavs. But he has a hard on for the Mavs just like Stevie Cash does in Phx. So, they are going to play harder agains the Mavs.

But trust me, Fin will have 1 or 2 good games followed by 4 games where he shoots 30-35% and gets you 2-3 rebounds and turns it over 4 times.

Hell he only shot 6 for 16 against the Lakers. He just happened to hit some 3's.

But hey, as a Mavs fan i am happy as hell that you guys got him and that you are playing him 30 minutes. That will only help the Mavs.

[diego]

its all about pop motivating him. if he continues to shoot poorly but gets rebounds I'll take it.

[Texas_Ranger]

I hope he'll start playing like he should be.

[cujo112461]

Clutch shot well its lets see how long you all think so. soon he will be back to old way sitting on the bench he need to pull his head out of his ass. along with all the others
this season.

[viggenja37]

San Antonio 96, LA Lakers 94, OT

By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer

January 28, 2007

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Michael Finley was often the No. 1 option in his 8 1/2 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. It's a different story in San Antonio, where he comes off the bench and is well down the list.

But Finley got the ball with the game on the line Sunday as the Los Angeles Lakers swarmed Tim Duncan, and his 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in overtime gave the cold-shooting Spurs an improbable 96-94 victory.

"It looked like it was going in, but I didn't know until it went in," Finley said with a smile. "It was just a normal shot for me. We wanted Tim to create for himself, first of all. If he wasn't able to, he was supposed to kick it out to a teammate, as he always does."

Duncan found Finley, who shot from well beyond the arc and hit nothing but net on his long jumper over Lamar Odom, helping the Spurs avoid their first regular-season sweep at hands of the Lakers in nine years.

"Mike stepped into it and it was just an incredible shot," Duncan said. "Those are the kinds of shots we want him to step up and take."

Finley, who entered averaging 7.7 points, scored 17 on five 3-pointers in 10 attempts along with another basket.

"Some things we planned, some things we didn't, but that was just the fortuitous circumstance that he knocked down the shot," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Sometimes, you've just got to be lucky."

Vladimir Radmanovic's 3-pointer as time expired didn't come close. Kobe Bryant, who had 31 points, six rebounds and seven assists, was unable to get open, leaving it up to Radmanovic to try the final shot.

"They're just going to set two guys on me -- and the guy taking the ball out," Bryant said. "I tried to make cuts off of that accordingly, and I just wasn't able to get a good look."

The Spurs won despite shooting a season-low 33.7 percent (32-of-95). But they made their last two shots to go 5-of-8 in overtime, when Tony Parker scored seven of his 19 points.

"We just couldn't make a shot," said Manu Ginobili, who had 21 points and seven rebounds. "Even in the overtime, when they made their first four shots, we stuck with it. It's great to win like this."

Duncan's layup with 20 seconds to play gave the Spurs a 93-92 lead, but Bryant's 20-foot jumper over Bruce Bowen with 7 seconds left put the Lakers on top, setting the stage for Finley.

San Antonio entered having shot 47.4 percent with a low of 37.5 percent in a game against Charlotte in November.

"We played a great game," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We competed with a good team and we carried the day. We probably carried the lead for 45 minutes in that game. That's the way to play -- we just didn't finish it the right way."

The Lakers shot 42.7 percent, but were outrebounded 53-44. And free throws were a major factor -- the Spurs went 22-of-24 from the foul line while Los Angeles was 18-of-31.

Duncan had 21 points, 14 rebounds, a season-high nine assists and three blocked shots to lead the Spurs (32-14), who have won nine of their last 12.

Odom had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, Andrew Bynum added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Radmanovic had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers (27-17), who have lost four of their last five.

Baskets by Radmanovic and Bynum on assists from Bryant to start the overtime gave the Lakers a four-point lead, but Parker scored seven straight San Antonio points before two free throws by Ginobili put the Spurs on top 91-90 with 1:13 left.

Bryant, who scored six points in the extra period, put the Lakers ahead again by making a jumper with 1:01 to go.

Bryant made two free throws with 5:09 left in the fourth quarter to give the Lakers a 75-66 lead, but the Spurs scored 10 of the next 11 points on two 3-pointers by Ginobili, a basket by Duncan and two free throws by Parker to tie it at 76 with 1:19 to play.

A free throw by Odom gave the Lakers a one-point lead, but Bowen's first basket in seven attempts -- a 3-pointer with 54.1 seconds to go -- put the Spurs on top by two.

Ginobili made a foul shot to give the Spurs a three-point lead before Radmanovic's 3-pointer with 27.5 seconds left tied it at 80.

Robert Horry, who made several winning shots during his 6 1/2 seasons with Los Angeles, missed a 3-pointer over Bryant from the left corner with about 5 seconds left. The Lakers got the rebound and called a timeout before Ginobili blocked Bryant's potential winning 20-footer as time expired.

Notes

The game was the opener of an eight-game road trip for the Spurs. They are 16-6 away from home. The Lakers open an eight-game road trip of their own Tuesday night in New York. They're 8-11 on the road. ... The Lakers played without C Kwame Brown and F Luke Walton, both sidelined with sprained ankles. Walton, injured Friday night, is expected to be out at least a week. Brown hasn't played since Dec. 31, but hopes to return during the upcoming road trip. ... The Lakers beat the Spurs 106-99 and 100-96 earlier this season. ... Bowen committed his first three fouls -- all on Bryant -- in the first 70 seconds of the third quarter. ... Bynum picked up a technical foul early in the third quarter.

Updated on Sunday, Jan 28, 2007 8:04 pm EST

[Agloco]

Aren't you a Dallas fan? Why didn't you watch the series between Dallas and SA last year in the postseason when Finley was beasting? Had it not been for Ginobilli's foul you're pissed off that Cuban lost a playoff round for you. Finley was a force in that series. Ask Dampier and Dirk who he had dunks over.

You mean Dumb and Dumber.............

No doubt Finley can play like a pimp when he wants to.
Hopefully some fo that offensive energy can be trandlated to the defensive end as well.

[1Parker1]

Finley also hit that "clutch 3 pointer" to tie the game in Game 7 against Dallas last season.

[T Park]

shhh Parker, he never hits clutch shots and is totally worthless.

[LEONARD]

Fin-dog is strug-gling since the clutch shot :(

[Bruno]

Fin-dog is strug-gling since the clutch shot :(

Stupid troll.