Robert Horry recalls his 2002 shot against the Kings as his biggest
By Scott Howard-Cooper
"Yeah, I've got a ranking," Robert Horry said.
Five biggest dagger shots of your career. Go.
"I have to start at the top. Number one is the shot I hit against Sacramento."
Naturally.
"Number two is the shot I hit against Detroit," Horry said. "And then I have to throw that dunk in there because I never dunk, so that's now two shots in one game that dunk and the three."
Just getting started.
"The other one that was so funny was when I was in Houston. I was like 0 for 9 or whatever it was. We were playing San Antonio in the playoffs. Pump fake. Avery (Johnson) went for the pump fake. I took one dribble and hit the shot. That's No. 4.
"And then I'm tied for fifth. The shot in Portland that I hit with the Lakers in the corner, and the shot with the Lakers I hit against Philly in the corner. Those two are kind of tied."
Six spots to rate the five greatest moments.
How very Horry.
He can go top 10 with more time to sift through all the memories playoffs only, of course, and the closer to 0:00 on the clock while stepping on someone's throat the better. On thing is certain, however: There never has been a career like his 17 seasons of coronary-inducing, bet-altering, dream-crushing moments, which could end with his retirement after 2007-08 and a final game against the Kings tonight in San Antonio.
Horry has won seven championships in what has been a Forrest Gump-like existence. He's the most accidental, unassuming hero certainly in the NBA and maybe in the timeline of any sport. He'll be remembered as a role player who never made an All-Star team, never had an individual honor greater than second-team All-Rookie in 1993, never averaged more than 12 points or 7.5 rebounds as a 6-foot-10 forward and yet he has consistently altered the course of history.
One of Horry's most memorable shots is a dunk just because it's a dunk. That unassuming.
Horry was the Laker hanging out near the top of the three-point arc in the closing seconds of Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference finals against the Kings when a rebound was batted all the way out to him. Might as well shoot it. Lives changed.
A 3-1 Lakers deficit instantly flipped into a 2-2 tie with the reaction jumper that delivered the 100-99 victory. Los Angeles won two of the next three, won the series and won the championship with the same 4-0 rout of the Nets that probably awaited the Kings.
No. 1.
He was a Spur at the time of the second-shiniest bullet, the jumper against the Pistons in Game 5 of the 2005 Finals, plus the dunk. He was a Rocket in the '95 playoffs for No. 4 and a Laker for the final field entry, the corner shot in the 2000 playoffs against the Trail Blazers and the corner shot in the 2001 Finals against the 76ers. As if the victims need reminding.
"There's a lot of guys you can throw the ball to and they'll hit a shot here or there," said Rick Adelman, the Kings' coach at the time of The Shot and now facing another potential playoff meeting as coach of the Rockets. "But he did it continuously. And he was in the unique position that he played that power forward, and that was a spot that you couldn't cover sometimes when he was playing with two superstars."
Horry walked with Hakeem Olajuwon and, for a brief time, Clyde Drexler in Houston. He got to stand behind Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in L.A. He rode sidecar to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili in San Antonio.
But no one ever forgets him when talking about the les. Again: 7.2 points a game, 4.9 rebounds, 42.6 percent from the field the first 16 seasons and he has a superstar's playoff rep.
"I know how I'll be remembered in a couple places," Horry said. "In L.A., I'll be remembered pretty good. In San Antonio, I'll be remembered pretty good. In Phoenix, I'll be hated. In Sacramento, I'll be kind of somewhat hated. But that's just how it goes in the game of basketball. You can't be loved by everybody."
Sacramento for the obvious reason (he was the Laker who reached into the Kings' chests and yanked out a still-beating heart), and Phoenix for two reasons. While playing part of 1996-97 for the Suns, between better-remembered stays with the Rockets and Lakers, he threw a towel in the face of coach Danny Ainge on the bench in an uncommon fit of frustration. Then, last season with the Spurs in the conference semifinals, he hip-checked Steve Nash out of bounds, sparking the scuffle that led to two Suns suspensions and a possible turning point of the entire playoffs.
"I think what I've done has been pretty good," Horry said. "It hasn't been great, but it's been pretty good. And I've been a great teammate. I've always respected my teammates. I think if you asked every teammate I every played with, I think they loved me as a teammate. And if you ask any coach I've played for, they've loved me as a player, except for maybe Danny Ainge. But other than that, I think I was respected by my teammates and my peers and by my coaches and by the fans that I played for.
"I'm just going to say I was a great role player. I told everybody, 'If you had a Hall of Fame A, where it was just playoffs, I think I could make that.' People always ask me if I could make the Hall of Fame, I say no because my numbers aren't good enough. My best year was 12 points (per game). That was my fourth year in Houston, when I just started coming into my own and then I got traded. I've never been a big rebounder four or five rebounds a game. I don't think I'll make it."
The Hall of Fame debate gained momentum about a year ago, somewhere around the seventh le and the 700th clutch shot and turning into, at least, an interesting debate ever since. Horry hears both sides.
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Underwhelming stats. Never close to a star in a season, let alone an extended period of time. Strictly a complementary piece.
But if winning is the greatest testament to a player, he's in a championship stratosphere with just seven others, all former Celtics pulled along by the 11 les of the Bill Russell era. He played big in the playoffs, the most important time of any season. He hit clutch shots over and over and over, and changed league history like few others.
"The numbers won't do it for him," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "But the aura of what he was and the reality of what he accomplished might be pretty impressive to a good number of people."
The aura. He was averaging 2.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and shooting 31.4 percent in 13.2 minutes entering Thursday night's game in Chicago, but one meaningful basket in the next few months and everyone starts putting him in with the greats again.
How very Horry.
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/802375.html
Damn straight, he would. I think he should make the HoF regardless of his numbers - with 7 rings and so many dagger shots, he is among a pantheon of ultimate winners."I'm just going to say I was a great role player. I told everybody, 'If you had a Hall of Fame A, where it was just playoffs, I think I could make that.'"
Six spots to rate the five greatest moments.
How very Horry.
we were talking about him yesterday in the Chat... there are just a few of us believers that he has been coasting as always... this time even more... what i don;t like.. is that Duncan is getting used to that too!
FWDT, your thoughts?
This one is best forgotten....
It's funny how he didn't have an opinion on how he'd be viewed in Houston, and most Rocket Fans don't really seem to remember him fondly. It'ss odd, because that was when he was a major Spur killer. He was never a Spurkiller(except defensively) when he was with the Lakers
Nice read. Thanks for posting it timvp.
The Kings never got over that shot, I wasn't surprised that the article came out of Sacramento.
It's one of my favorite moments in basketball.
If you were watching that game, which I was, you never forgot it.
When I saw that dunk live, my jaw just dropped while I was thinking to myself "That's the most amazing dunk I've ever seen".
Man I wish he could have hit that three against the Celts. Would have been awesome.
I was just looking at all the post season records, and rankings that Horry has...there's really no way you keep him out of the HOF looking at some of his post season stuff...he's ranked right there with HOF'ers in several different categories.
He needs about 19 blocks to move into the top 10 all time in playoff blocked shots(he had 24 in last years run)...that will make him in the top 10 all time in playoff blocks, steals and 3 pointers made...and he'll be the only guy to do that.
He'll have the most playoffs games played in...Finals record for threes, playoffs record for 3's without a miss, most 3's in a quarter without a miss, NBA finals record for steals in a game, he's just all over the NBA playoffs and finals leaderboards and record books...and those guys whose names are by his...are HOF'ers.
Biggest difference between he and those HOF'ers? Horry's got more rings....a lot more.
I'll always forever be indebted to Horry for his clutch performance versus the Pistons in Game 5 of the 2005 NBA Finals
Duncan said, at the time, that it was one of the best performances he'd ever been a part of.
I remember it being hard to breathe through the 4th and OT of that game.
He needs 8 games to have played in more playoff games than anyone in NBA history...in the entire history of the game. Right now Kareem has the record...Kareem played 20 years and won 6 NBA championships...Robert Horry has played 16 and has 7. And Kareem had some decent teamtes too...wasn't like he was carrying all those teams to the post seeason by himself.
+1 Sooooo close...but it should never have come down to that...the Spurs choked away a 22-point lead at home...you just can't do that and expect to win a le...
Horry will always be the man, though...the article was right about his hip check of Nash in the WCSF last year...it got under the Suns' skin and took them off their game...the Spurs were going to win that series after that, suspensions or no suspensions...it was the defining moment of the 2007 playoffs.
That would've simply added more to the already-swollen legacy of Big Shot Rob. In fact, I thought it was money - even though he rushed it. Had he shot it in rhythm, I believe he would've made it.
2005 Game5 had Robert not only hitting the 3 and that amazing dunk, but also scoring something like 17 points in the 4th qtr + OT. An incredible contribution that put the Spurs up 3-2 with 2 games left @ATT. iow, he pretty much won the 5th game and le single-handedly.
If it had been the playoffs, that shot would've gone down.
This is a great article about a very unique player that we have the privilege of having on our team. Although he sleepwalks through the regular season, he is always ready to throw down come playoff time. If he isn't considered for the HOF it will be a damn shame. His playoff numbers alone should get him in. I am looking forward to seeing him take it to another level once more this season. We gotta get him his 8th ring and send him out a Champion!
People always ask me if I could make the Hall of Fame, I say no because my numbers aren't good enough. My best year was 12 points (per game). That was my fourth year in Houston, when I just started coming into my own and then I got traded. I've never been a big rebounder four or five rebounds a game. I don't think I'll make it."
i ran out of breath when his shot against the spurs almost went in and then rimmed out.
phew.. am i glad that shot didnt go in.
that easily couldve been #1 or #2 for him.
He did hit a dagger three near the end of game 5 in 2002 that sealed the series for the Lakers.
I'd like to see him in the HOF, just because of his most unlikely career. We'll never see anyone with that type of career again.
I agree the 4th le for the Spurs had Horry's fingerprints all over it NO WAY the spurs win without that performance by Big Shot ...Detroit wins back 2 back ...
But the est was after the Sac shot a reporter tells Horry someone on the Kings called it "lucky" and he said "Lucky? I have been doing this my WHOLE career. They better reacheck the video read or paper or something" (Im paraphrasing a bit) But it was great cuz Horry never talked a lot of trash. He crushed the Sacramento franchise and devestated the city i went their on business last year and it STILL kills them. Kinda like Fisher's .3 vs. the sPurs but you guys still won after that shot ...the kings were dead long live Horry!
That was the 3rd le, not the 4th.
I think the part about the Kings never getting over it is overrated. If it really crushed them, they would've quit and lost the next two games outright. But they won the next game of that series to take a 3-2 lead. In game six they should have won but the refs outright screwed them. i mean, it was the worst, blatantly one-sided reffed game possibly in playoff history.
Game 7 though, the Kings have nobody to blame but themselves. They could've won the series at home, but missed a lot of free throws in the end. I think they shot like 20-40 in that game from the line.
Also, Horry beating the Spurs with a three in Game 1 of 1995 WCF (which he only got a chance to do because Elliott clanked both free throws in the end) was overblown. After we kicked their ass in Houston in Game 4, the series was back to 2-2 and we had home court advantage. We could've won had we just held serve. Again, we have nobody to blame but ourselves.
The 4th qtr + overtime in 2005 against the Pistons WAS probably what ultimately won that series for us, but again, Detroit, the team that was supposedly crushed that night by Horry, responded like champions and beat us on the road in Game 6 and had a 9 point lead midway through the 3rd quarter of Game 7. Horry didn't beat them that Finals, Duncan, Ginobili and the Spurs defense did.
The Horry clutch shots that I think were legitimate as back-breakers were Game 3 against Portland when he was a Laker (obviously so because it made it a 3-0 sweep back when 1st round series were best of five) and a Game 3 of the Finals 3 pointer at Philly because it made the series 2-1 LA, restored the favorites' home court advantage which they had lost after Iverson went nuts in Game 1 in LA, and the Sixers never won a game in the series after that, losing 4-1.
Frankly I think Horry won't make the HOF. His regular season #'s don't justify that honor though if judged solely on his playoff performances he's a lock IMHO.
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