The Spurs greatest playoff plays: Sweet 16, Bracket 4

Not only is Round 1 of the quest to find the Spurs’ greatest playoff play complete, but we’ve come so far we’re hitting the end of the Sweet 16! Today we’re back to Bracket 4, which similar to Bracket 1 had no upsets and featured the most lopsided 4 vs. 5 match-up. Here is a quick recap of how the polls turned out:

(1) Manu Ginobili dunk on Chris Bosh: 93%

(8) Manu Ginobili half-court heave: 7%

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(2) Avery Johnson championship-winner: 61%

(7) Tim Duncan prayer before 0.4: 39%

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(3) Tony Parker game-winner: 81%

(6) Danny Green record-breaking 3: 19%

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(4) Tim Duncan turnaround jumper: 71%

(5) Boris Diaw series-tying three: 29%

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Nothing really to write home about over these results, other than maybe I thought The Little General would win by a wider margin — don’t get me wrong: that was probably the most amazing shot of Duncan’s career, it just triggers bad memories — but it was still a blowout win for AJ nonetheless, and seeing how different minds think and vote is what makes this fun. Now we’ll see if it can get past another more technically amazing but less symbolic shot.

Speaking of which, it’s time to select that last two plays for 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.

The first match-up pits Timmy against Manu with two of the most memorable shots from the 2014 championship run, chalk full of both similarities and differences (type of play, circumstance, timestamp, etc).

(1) Manu Ginobili dunk on Chris Bosh — Game 5 vs. Heat, 2014 Finals

(4) Tim Duncan turnaround jumper — Game 6 vs. Thunder, 2014 WCF

The final vote to send a play to the Elite 8 is the match-up mentioned above, with a technically routine but highly symbolic shot vs. a more superior, highlight-worthy shot on its own, but with less meaning. This again could be another intriguing match-up of the voters’ mind-set.

(2) Avery Johnson championship-winner — Game 5 vs. Knicks, 1999 Finals

(3) Tony Parker game-winner — Game 1 vs. Heat, 2013 Finals

That’s it for the Sweet 16! Remember all polls for this round will close on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 6:00 PM CT, and the Elite 8 will be on Monday. If you haven’t already, be sure to vote for the Sweet 16 of Bracket 1, Bracket 2, and Bracket 3.