The Spurs greatest playoff plays: Sweet 16, Bracket 3

Round 1 of the quest to find the Spurs’ greatest playoff play is complete, so this week it’s time for the start of the Sweet 16! Today we’re back to Bracket 3, which featured another pretty big upset and our closest race yet with a difference of merely 43 votes. Here is a quick recap of how the polls turned out:

(1) Robert Horry OT 3: 93%

(8) Tony Parker clutch and-1: 7%

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(2) Manu Ginobili blocks James Harden: 92%

(7) Manu Ginobili fakes out Kevin Durant: 8%

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(3) Kawhi Leonard put-back slam: 38%

(6) Spurs 24-0 run: 62%

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(4) Steve Kerr threes: 52%

(5) Tiago Splitter block and 9-2 run: 48%

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A couple of predictable blowouts, even one that required Manu to beat himself, and the fans decided on a mostly forgotten-but-impressive run from seven years ago over what could be described as Kawhi’s “defining moment” on his way to winning Finals MVP in 2014. Would it had gone differently two summers ago? Who knows, but them’s the breaks.

Now it’s time to move two of the remaining plays on to the Elite 8 next week. Be sure to vote for a winner of each match-up, and remember everyone can only vote once, so make yours count.

First is the battle of the old men: arguably the Spurs most clutch Finals shot of them all vs. a series of shots from an experienced but relatively unexpected source on the way to the Finals (and yes, there were actually four of them, but I couldn’t find a video that featured all four by themselves, likely because the first came innocuously in the 3rd quarter):

(1) Robert Horry OT 3 — Game 5 vs. Pistons, 2005 Finals

(4) Steve Kerr threes — Game 6 vs. Mavs, 2003 WCF

Today’s other match-up is the runner-up from The MANU Tournament vs. the potential Cinderella run (no pun intended) of this tournament.

(2) Manu Ginobili blocks James Harden — Game 5 vs. Rockets, 2017 2nd round

(6) Spurs 24-0 run — Game 3 vs. Clippers, 2012 2nd round

Come back tomorrow for the fourth and final round of Sweet 16 voting, and remember all polls for the Sweet 16 will close on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 6:00 PM CT. If you haven’t already, be sure to vote for the Sweet 16’s of Bracket 1 and Bracket 2.