GSH
05-28-2008, 11:55 PM
Memorial Day Mistake?
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It was a Comeback For The Ages; the stuff legends are made of. It was the 1999 Western Conference Finals, and the opponents that faced the San Antonio Spurs were young and talented, and sported perhaps the deepest bench of any team in the NBA. They were also very confident. And with good reason.
In the first half, and for much of the third quarter, the Spurs were outplayed in virtually every aspect of the game. Their opponents opened up a solid double-digit lead that threatened to balloon into a blowout victory. But the Spurs, playing with grit and determination, scratched and clawed their way back into the game. For the remainder of the contest, the momentum shifted back and forth between the two teams. But each time San Antonio made a small run, their opponents answered in kind, and it seemed that the Spurs simply did not have the horsepower to take over the game.
Yet at the end of the fourth quarter, almost inexplicably, the Spurs regained possession of the ball facing only a 2-point deficit. And although there were only seconds left on the clock, the Spurs had a few of things going for them: They still had one timeout left, which meant that they were able to inbound the ball on their own end of the court. They had the formidable Tim Duncan in the middle, ready to send the game into overtime. They also had a player with a silky smooth shooting stroke and a hot hand, who had already made five 3-point shots in the game. The Spurs went for the win, inbounding the ball to their 3-point shooter, as a defender streaked toward him...
Stop. Hit the "pause" button on your mental Tivo. You've all watched this before. This is the Memorial Day Miracle. This is the comeback that appears on Spurs highlight reels every time they make their annual foray into the playoffs. It even has a spot on the NBA's own website under "Legendary Performances". You know how this one comes out. Or do you? Before you re-start your mental Tivo, you need to make a few adjustments. First, re-set the date. It's the day after Memorial Day, and these are the 2008 Western Conference Finals. That silky-smooth shooter, with five 3-pointers in the game? Not Sean Elliott, but Brent Barry. And the defender streaking toward him isn't Stacy Augmon, but Derek Fisher. Everything else in the story is the same. Got that? Now hit the "play" button, and let's resume.
... Too late to attempt to steal the inbounds pass, Fisher breaks the cardinal rule of defending a jump shooter. He leaves his feet. And as Barry turns to line up a game-winning shot, Fisher lands squarely on top of him. In spite of being pancaked, Barry manages to shed Fisher from his back and toss the ball toward the basket. It can't possibly go in, but that doesn't matter. This is a Comback For The Ages. Denied the chance to square up and shoot from the 3-point line, Barry, a first-rate free throw shooter, will make his three foul shots and seal the Spurs victory. It will tie the series at 2-2, and set the stage for an epic battle between the Spurs and Lakers for the right to advance to the NBA Finals. It may lack the elegance and drama of Sean Elliott's famous shot, but this comeback victory will be just as spectacular. And if the Spurs go on to win the series, it too will become the stuff of legends.
Stop your mental Tivo again. The audio appears to be out on our telecast. No matter how many times we re-play the last few seconds, there is no whistle. And as the players, including Derek Fisher, look questionlingly toward the referees, it becomes obvious that no whistles are forthcoming. The game is over. This is not the defining moment of an epic playoff series. This is not the stuff of legends. This is fodder for conspiracy theorists. To quote a famous poet, this is the way the world ends... not with a bang, but with a whimper.
There are those who claim that the Spurs "did not deserve to win" this game. They were outplayed by the younger Lakers for most of the game. They missed shot after shot that would have finally given them a lead. And Manu Ginobili had one of the worst games of his playoff career. So perhaps they really did not deserve to win the game. But, just like that Memorial Day in 1999, the Spurs persevered. They scrapped and fought, and kept things close until the final play of the game. That did not earn them a victory. But it should have earned them one thing. Like that famous, brilliant Memorial Day in 1999, it should have earned them a shot.
Greg Popovich and the Spurs players make it easy to ignore that fact. In keeping with their character, the Spurs offered no excuses after the loss. (By contrast, Phil Jackson couldn't even make it past halftime without calling out the refs on national television.) But even if the Spurs didn't deserve the opportunity to take a shot, don't the fans deserve it? And not just Spurs fans, but all fans of the NBA and the game of basketball. Shouldn't there be some reason not to change channels, or leave the arena early? After all, if the team that dominates the first three quarters always wins, we would never have a Comeback For The Ages. We would never witness the stuff of legends. And we would never have had a Memorial Day Miracle.
But if you are among the hard-liners who still insist that the Spurs didn't deserve a shot to win Game 4 against the Lakers, make a point of looking for Sean Elliott the next time you're in San Antonio. And if you bump into him, be sure to tell him that even though he made an electrifying shot to cap a most improbable comeback, his team still didn't deserve to win the game. It was only Stacy Augman's failure to leap upon Elliott's back, and deny him any shot, that won the game for the Spurs. Tell him that the Memorial Day Miracle was really a Memorial Day Mistake.
And while you're up, please pass me the remote control.
Re-printed by permission
http://www.¢Çèß°bæ⌠
It was a Comeback For The Ages; the stuff legends are made of. It was the 1999 Western Conference Finals, and the opponents that faced the San Antonio Spurs were young and talented, and sported perhaps the deepest bench of any team in the NBA. They were also very confident. And with good reason.
In the first half, and for much of the third quarter, the Spurs were outplayed in virtually every aspect of the game. Their opponents opened up a solid double-digit lead that threatened to balloon into a blowout victory. But the Spurs, playing with grit and determination, scratched and clawed their way back into the game. For the remainder of the contest, the momentum shifted back and forth between the two teams. But each time San Antonio made a small run, their opponents answered in kind, and it seemed that the Spurs simply did not have the horsepower to take over the game.
Yet at the end of the fourth quarter, almost inexplicably, the Spurs regained possession of the ball facing only a 2-point deficit. And although there were only seconds left on the clock, the Spurs had a few of things going for them: They still had one timeout left, which meant that they were able to inbound the ball on their own end of the court. They had the formidable Tim Duncan in the middle, ready to send the game into overtime. They also had a player with a silky smooth shooting stroke and a hot hand, who had already made five 3-point shots in the game. The Spurs went for the win, inbounding the ball to their 3-point shooter, as a defender streaked toward him...
Stop. Hit the "pause" button on your mental Tivo. You've all watched this before. This is the Memorial Day Miracle. This is the comeback that appears on Spurs highlight reels every time they make their annual foray into the playoffs. It even has a spot on the NBA's own website under "Legendary Performances". You know how this one comes out. Or do you? Before you re-start your mental Tivo, you need to make a few adjustments. First, re-set the date. It's the day after Memorial Day, and these are the 2008 Western Conference Finals. That silky-smooth shooter, with five 3-pointers in the game? Not Sean Elliott, but Brent Barry. And the defender streaking toward him isn't Stacy Augmon, but Derek Fisher. Everything else in the story is the same. Got that? Now hit the "play" button, and let's resume.
... Too late to attempt to steal the inbounds pass, Fisher breaks the cardinal rule of defending a jump shooter. He leaves his feet. And as Barry turns to line up a game-winning shot, Fisher lands squarely on top of him. In spite of being pancaked, Barry manages to shed Fisher from his back and toss the ball toward the basket. It can't possibly go in, but that doesn't matter. This is a Comback For The Ages. Denied the chance to square up and shoot from the 3-point line, Barry, a first-rate free throw shooter, will make his three foul shots and seal the Spurs victory. It will tie the series at 2-2, and set the stage for an epic battle between the Spurs and Lakers for the right to advance to the NBA Finals. It may lack the elegance and drama of Sean Elliott's famous shot, but this comeback victory will be just as spectacular. And if the Spurs go on to win the series, it too will become the stuff of legends.
Stop your mental Tivo again. The audio appears to be out on our telecast. No matter how many times we re-play the last few seconds, there is no whistle. And as the players, including Derek Fisher, look questionlingly toward the referees, it becomes obvious that no whistles are forthcoming. The game is over. This is not the defining moment of an epic playoff series. This is not the stuff of legends. This is fodder for conspiracy theorists. To quote a famous poet, this is the way the world ends... not with a bang, but with a whimper.
There are those who claim that the Spurs "did not deserve to win" this game. They were outplayed by the younger Lakers for most of the game. They missed shot after shot that would have finally given them a lead. And Manu Ginobili had one of the worst games of his playoff career. So perhaps they really did not deserve to win the game. But, just like that Memorial Day in 1999, the Spurs persevered. They scrapped and fought, and kept things close until the final play of the game. That did not earn them a victory. But it should have earned them one thing. Like that famous, brilliant Memorial Day in 1999, it should have earned them a shot.
Greg Popovich and the Spurs players make it easy to ignore that fact. In keeping with their character, the Spurs offered no excuses after the loss. (By contrast, Phil Jackson couldn't even make it past halftime without calling out the refs on national television.) But even if the Spurs didn't deserve the opportunity to take a shot, don't the fans deserve it? And not just Spurs fans, but all fans of the NBA and the game of basketball. Shouldn't there be some reason not to change channels, or leave the arena early? After all, if the team that dominates the first three quarters always wins, we would never have a Comeback For The Ages. We would never witness the stuff of legends. And we would never have had a Memorial Day Miracle.
But if you are among the hard-liners who still insist that the Spurs didn't deserve a shot to win Game 4 against the Lakers, make a point of looking for Sean Elliott the next time you're in San Antonio. And if you bump into him, be sure to tell him that even though he made an electrifying shot to cap a most improbable comeback, his team still didn't deserve to win the game. It was only Stacy Augman's failure to leap upon Elliott's back, and deny him any shot, that won the game for the Spurs. Tell him that the Memorial Day Miracle was really a Memorial Day Mistake.
And while you're up, please pass me the remote control.
Re-printed by permission