FanPost

The Historic Significance of Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals

As the Spurs headed into Tuesday night’s pivotal game 5 matchup against the Rockets, I couldn’t help but feel a sort of haunting dread. It was at this time exactly one year ago that our Spurs faced a near identical situation against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Last year, the western conference semifinal series was tied at two games apiece after the teams split the first four contests, each team stealing a victory on the other one’s home floor. Like last season, game 5 was crucial, as the Thunder knew they could win in San Antonio, and the Spurs had no desire to go back to OKC trailing the series.

Of course, we all remember that the Spurs lost that night, with the late-game heroics of both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook outclassing the hustle of Kawhi Leonard. The Spurs would go on to lose game 6, ending the illustrious career of Tim Duncan.

As the Rockets pulled ahead in the late stages of the fourth quarter Tuesday night, my thoughts were, "Oh no. Not again." But in those fevered final few minutes of regulation, it dawned on me that game 5 of the western conference semifinals has become something of a watershed moment in every Spurs post-season run. Throughout the years, it’s this game that has dictated how the rest of the playoffs would unfold for the silver and black. It would seem a pattern has emerged.

Let’s review:

May 14, 2013 - Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors, series tied 2-2

The Spurs found themselves in a surprisingly competitive semifinal series against the Warriors this year. Manu Ginobili led the Spurs to a thrilling double-overtime victory in game 1. The Warriors countered by blowing the Spurs out in game 2, behind 34 points from a blossoming Klay Thompson. A split of the two games in Oakland found the two teams tied heading into the fifth game in San Antonio. In the tiebreaker, Tony Parker dropped 25 to help the Spurs outscore the Dubs by 15 in the second half, ensuring that Golden State would not take a series lead back to the Bay.

The Spurs would go on to meet the Miami Heat in the Finals, where they’d lose the Larry O’Brien Trophy after an up-and-down seven games. But to even make it that far, the Spurs needed to win that game 5 against Golden State.

May 16, 2007 - Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns, series tied 2-2

Once again, the 2007 Western Conference semifinal series saw both teams steal homecourt from one another. Game 4 of this series was notorious for the hipcheck Robert Horry put on Suns superstar point guard Steve Nash late in the contest. The ensuing brouhaha led to game 5 suspensions for Suns forward Boris Diaw and center Amar’e Stoudemire, a ruling that left many (read: Suns fans) feeling that Phoenix was being penalized for the misconduct of Robert Horry. When game 5 tipped off at America West Arena, the scene was chaotic; players and fans alike were in a frenzied mood, a combination of camaraderie with one another and hatred for the team from Texas.

The Spurs did their best to weather the storm, overcoming a late 17 point deficit, capped off by a clutch corner three by Bruce Bowen in the final minute. Stoudemire and Diaw returned for the Suns in game 6, but that Spurs were able to clinch the series at home, their game 5 win in Phoenix assuring they wouldn’t have to win a game 7 on the road. From there, the Spurs manhandled the Jazz and Cavaliers in the remaining two series, securing the franchise’s fourth NBA Championship.

May 17th, 2006, Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks, Dallas leads series 3-1

The Spurs found themselves in the ultimate must-win situation after dropping three in a row to the Mavericks in their Conference semifinal showdown. Gutsy wins by the Mavs at home put them in a comfortable 3-1 lead, with a chance to silence the Spurs at home in game 5.

The Mavs had seemingly all the momentum, but Tim Duncan was having a series for the ages. He posted 36 points in the game, but with under two minutes remaining, the Spurs found themselves clinging to a 98-97 lead. As had been the case for years, it was the defense that got the job done for San Antonio. Bruce Bowen blocked a Dirk Nowitzki jumper with six seconds to play, forcing a jump ball. On the ensuing jump, Manu Ginobili got tied up with Jason Terry, forcing yet another jump ball. By the time the Mavericks secured possession, they only had 2.8 seconds left, leaving Josh Howard to settle for an off balance jumper as time expired.

The Spurs survived game 5, and were able to push the series to seven games. Sadly, this would be their last stand. The Ginobili foul on Nowitzki’s layup in the closing seconds of regulation is tattooed in the memory of Spurs fans everywhere. Perhaps one extra bucket by Duncan, or one final stop at the end of the game would have been enough to win the series for the silver and black, but the instance never came; the Mavs blew the Spurs out in the overtime period. Had the Spurs won this series, they almost certainly would have been champions that year, as both the Suns and the Heat were inferior opponents compared to Dallas. But all that said, it took a gritty win in game 5 to even entertain such a notion.

May 17th, 2005, Spurs vs. Seattle SuperSonics, series tied 2-2

The SuperSonics surprised many people in 2005 by winning 52 games and making it to the Conference semifinals. The Spurs knew they were in for a dogfight when it came time for their playoff matchup, as Seattle had claimed two victories in their regular season head-to-head. After handedly winning the first two games of the series in San Antonio, the Spurs missed an opportunity to take a 3-0 lead when the series shifted to the Emerald City. A blowout win for Seattle in game 4 - with Ray Allen pouring in 32 - turned the matchup into a best-of-three as the series shifted back to Texas.

Game 5 saw the Spurs make a key lineup change, inserting Manu Ginobili into the starting rotation in place of a struggling Brent Barry. The switch proved to be a prodigious one, as Ginobili was seemingly everywhere, stuffing the stat sheet with 39 points, 6 dimes and 2 steals. Despite Ginobili’s omnipresence, the Sonics hung tough throughout; a Jerome James bucket pulled the Sonics to within 5 points with ten minutes remaining in the final frame. But the high-low combination of Duncan and Ginobili proved too much, and the Spurs eventually pulled away with a 103-90 victory.

Back in Seattle for game 6, the Spurs clinched the series win on a Tim Duncan layup with .5 seconds left - a close-out game that, once again, may not have been possible without a win in game 5. The Spurs would subsequently upset the Phoenix Suns in the Conference Finals, before going on to grind out seven games against the defending champion Detroit Pistons to earn the 2005 title.

May 13, 2004 - Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers, series tied 2-2

To this day, it still pains me to bring up this series. But if we’re to understand the importance of a game 5, this semifinal catastrophe must be included in the discussion.

The Spurs won game 2, 95-85, behind 30 points from young guard Tony Parker. It would be the last game the Spurs would win that season, as they were demolished in the two games at Staples Center. Sometime during the flight between San Antonio and Los Angeles, Karl Malone figured out that the key to limiting Tim Duncan on the low block was to pressure him before he could get the ball above his head. Once Timmy had cocked his elbows back, you were toast. Malone frustrated Duncan by molesting him on the dribble, holding him to 10 points in game 3 and 19 points in game 4, both on sub 40% shooting.

In game 5, Malone’s harassment of Duncan continued, but at least for this game the Spurs bit back. Throughout the contest, both teams struggled to score. In relief of Gary Payton, Derek Fisher’s 5 quick points off the bench helped push the Lakers’ lead up to seven at intermission. In the third quarter, the Lakers looked to pull away, opening a 61-45 lead. Spurs backup guard Devin Brown entered late and gave the Spurs a few quick buckets to keep the game within striking distance. The Spurs’ Big Three took advantage by claiming a 71-68 lead late in the fourth off of a Tim Duncan bank shot, followed by a Tony Parker layup the was forced by a Manu Ginobili steal. (Note: to date, the ensuing Lakers time out was the loudest I’ve ever heard the AT&T Center).

After the Lakers reclaimed the lead with eleven seconds left, the Spurs looked to Tim Duncan to save the day. With Shaquille O’Neal bodying him up, Duncan drilled a jumper falling away. The clock read 0.4 as the Lakers called timeout.

At this point, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Spurs would move on to the Conference Finals. They didn’t necessarily need to win game 6 in Los Angeles, but doing so would allow them to rest up while they waited for the Kings and Timberwolves to finish slugging it out. Besides, all the momentum from Duncan’s miraculous shot would assuredly be enough to carry them to victory in the next game. The sixth game would be a mere formality, much like these four tenths of a second we have to pla- oh crap, Derek Fisher just hit a buzzer beater. There’s no way that counts right? There’s no way he got that off in time.

He did get it off in time, and as it would turn out, I was right about one thing: the momentum from a miraculous shot did carry over into game 6. Unfortunately, it was Fisher’s shot that sealed the deal. And as it would turn out, game 6 was a mere formality after all; the Spurs slogged their way through that one as though it were a death march.

The truth is it never should have come down to that final shot. After Parker’s fast break layup, the Spurs would not score again until Duncan’s near-buzzer beater. This wasn’t for lack of opportunities; Parker, Ginobili, Horry and Brown all had open looks in the final two minutes. They just couldn’t find the one stake they needed to kill the vampires from LA. Not seizing those opportunities allowed the unholy trinity of Kobe, Shaq and Fisher to slip back in.

To this day, when I think about blown opportunities, game 5 of the 2004 Western Conference semifinals is the first thought that comes to mind.

May 13th, 2003 - Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers, series tied 2-2

It would behoove us to visit one more example before returning to the present day. The Lakers were attempting to win their fourth consecutive championship this year, and as with the previous two years, the Spurs had the unenviable task of taking them down in the playoffs.

This Spurs team was different, however. Tim Duncan was in his absolute prime, David Robinson was enjoying a productive farewell season, and the front office had done a remarkable job of framing the Spurs’ older role players with some fresh young talent - to wit, sophomore point guard Tony Parker, relative unknowns Stephen Jackson and Speedy Claxton, and a dynamic guard from Argentina whose name most commentators struggled to pronounce.

The Lakers, by contrast, were showing signs of age. Three consecutive Finals appearances were taking their toll on both the players’ physical health and their (always tumultuous) morale. By the time, the champs showed up in San Antonio, it was clear the tone of the series would differ drastically from those of previous years. The Spurs jumped out to a dominant 2-0 series lead, which included a 114-95 rout in game 2. The Spurs were thinking sweep, but the Lakers would not go quietly. The series returned to San Antonio tied after the Spurs (to quote Steve Kerr) laid an egg in LA.

In game 5, the Spurs looked much as they had in the first two games of series. Behind continuous pick-and-roll plays between Duncan and his backcourt, the Spurs opened a twenty-five point lead with 2:38 left in the third quarter. Let’s pack it up and go wrap it in LA, right?

Kobe Bryant hit back-to-back threes in the closing seconds of the third, and you almost saw something awaken in the Lakers. Over the next twelve minutes, they cut an eighteen point deficit down to two points with fifteen seconds to play. Stephen Jackson missed a free throw that would have given the Spurs a three point lead, leaving the Lakers a chance to win the game on the final possession. While the Spurs’ bigs hovered in the paint to prevent an easy two and Bruce Bowen hounded the ball handler Bryant along the perimeter, Big Shot Robert Horry snuck out to the beyond-the-arc shoulder. Bryant zipped a pass past Bowen to the wide open Horry. Horry teed up the shot, as he had so many times before - his trademark tripod stance. Parker ran out to contest, but the shot was away. The ball rattled in and out of the rim before settling into David Robinson’s hands. The buzzer sounded. The Spurs survived game 5.

I remember later that night hearing a radio host suggest that the reason Horry’s shot rattled out of the basket was on account of the 20,000 fans in the arena sucking in a gasp at the same time and creating a vacuum. I don’t know if that’s scientifically possible, but there was definitely some immense inertial significance to Horry missing that shot. If he had connected, the Lakers would have certainly clinched the series in game 6 (as they would the following year). Their opponents moving forward would have been Dallas and New Jersey, whom I believe the Lakers would have crushed. They would’ve achieved the four-peat, and their trajectory over the next several seasons - and the Spurs’ parallel development - would have been equivically altered. Who knows if the Spurs would even win any titles beyond that season.

But Horry missed, and following game 5, the Spurs eviscerated the Lakers to ice the series at Staples Center. For many of us fans, the image of David Robinson hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in his final NBA game is the most poignant picture of the 2003 Spurs campaign. For others, though, it’s the sight of Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant openly weeping as the Spurs ended the Lakers’ run at a fourth straight championship. There’s no downplaying the allure of some good schadenfreude.

It would seem all the Spurs successes in the Big Three Era have stemmed somewhat from that 2003 semifinal series against the Lakers. By extension, Horry missing that triple at the end of game 5 serves as somewhat of a lynchpin to all Spurs history thereafter, and all the crucial game 5’s that followed. When Manu Ginobili blocked James Harden’s three at the end of Tuesday night’s game, it was amusing for me to realize that Harden’s final attempt was in roughly the same spot on the floor that Horry launched his failed game-winner in 2003. Back then, the Spurs left the shooter wide open, and it was Fortune that intervened on the Spurs’ behalf. This year, Ginobili - who symbolizes the Spurs as well as anyone - decided it would be best to end the game on his terms.

While it’s poetic to draw parallels between postseason campaigns, I know as well as anyone that the Spurs themselves don’t look at previous seasons for guidance on how to approach games in the here and now. For Pop and Co., it’s just another game the Spurs have to win. While it’s fun for us to reminisce about successes of the past, in reality, they likely mean nothing. The Spurs could lose game 6 tonight, and potentially game 7 after that.

Yet, there can be no denying the gravity of Tuesday’s game 5 victory. The game seemed to encompass elements from every second round game 5 the Spurs have been involved in, and it certainly was as vital for the Spurs to win this one as it was in seasons past. The previous successes of yesteryear may yield nothing significant for this year’s squad, but one fact remains present throughout: winning game 5 means another chance to protect our home floor.

Also, free coffee.

Thanks for enduring the long read. All stats and dates courtesy of basketballreference.com

This is fan-created content on PoundingtheRock.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff at Pounding the Rock.