Was this actually Robert Horry's biggest shot for us?

[z0sa]

Since the current Spurs are really sorry outside of Wemby, I've been strolling down memory lane more often and thinking about our golden age.

My favorite run will always be 2003, though 2005 is right behind it. I actually joined this forum the day of the Father's Day Miracle, and it's probably my favorite individual Spurs play, in all honesty. There's no doubt Horry's finish in Game 5 of the 05 Finals - specifically, his game-winner - is the stuff of not just Spurs, but NBA mythology.

That said, I was re-watching some of the games from 03. There's a specific shot in 2003 that I want to talk about - and it was Horry's.

If you're not aware or a newer Spurs fan, you may think it was shot Horry made for us. Not at all. He was a Laker that season. The shot I'm referencing is here, (posession begins) at the 10:07 mark:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6V1-UraQAs

It's the final offensive possession for the Lakers. The Spurs cheat over and essentially do a soft triple on Kobe's isolated side of the floor, with Timmy covering Shaq. Horry rotates into a wide open 3 in a play that's eerily similar to the Father's Day Miracle play, except it's Kobe instead of Manu passing to Horry.

The ball touches every part of the rim, but somehow bounces out. The Spurs go on to knock off the Lakers in impressive fashion, in LA, in game 6 behind a herculean effort from Timmy.

But... what if?

What if Horry makes this shot? Do the Spurs go into LA and compete? Fast forwarding only one season, Derek Fisher steals Game 5 from us, and we essentially no-showed in LA the next game. Does that timeline occur in 03 if Horry wins Game 5 for the Lakers? Furthermore, do we have the confidence to return and compete for multiple more championships? Not really Spurs related directly, but in this hypothetical timeline: Do the Lakers four-peat or maybe even go for 5 in a row? Does the Kobe-Shaq feud stay in the background - perhaps permanently - as they win les we ultimately won in 2005 and maybe even 2007?

Was this miss actually Horry's biggest shot for us?

[spurraider21]

if horry nailed that shot the spurs were toast in game 6 tbh

we saw what happened after 0.4 and 6

i remember that when horry missed duncan just kinda stood there in shock/awe and it was robinson who had the state of mind to go get the f'n rebound

[Leetonidas]

Big miss for sure but a game winning shot in a pivotal finals game will always be bigger imo

[TD 21]

Had that shot went down, the only way the Spurs wouldn't have completed once of their infamous collapses was the exact way they didn't in reality, which was Duncan going god mode to end the Lakers.

As far as the Lakers winning 4-5 straight, too much has to go right for something like that, most notably fatigue/durability which would have bit them along with their combustibility.

[RC_Drunkford]

I was so happy that we finally beat the Lakers in the postseason that year. Shaq and Kobe were a pain in the ass for years before that. Horry's Detroit heroics are legendary. Not only the 3, but the dunk where he almost dislocated his shoulder was pivotal.

[slick'81]

Even though horry regular s on sa he was clutch as for the spurs come playoff time

[timtonymanu]

Horry going off in game 5 against Detroit is still one of the most amazing things I’ve witnessed from a role player. He’s been sour and bitter ever since but I still have a lot of love for Rob.