Pounding The Rock - Full Coverage Spurs vs Warriors, Game 1 of Round 2 For all your Manu Ginobili loving and San Antonio Spurs newshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/12497/ptr-fv.jpg2013-05-08T13:00:09-05:00http://www.poundingtherock.com/rss/stream/40717152013-05-08T13:00:09-05:002013-05-08T13:00:09-05:00Boris Diaw and the delayed trap
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<p>Despite his size, Boris Diaw proved that he can handle point guards on Monday night. Against arguably the best shooter in the league, Diaw performed admirably in isolation and pick and roll situations involving Stephen Curry, stifling the fourth year guard in the final minutes of regulation.</p> <p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Basketball games often resemble chess matches. This comparison has been made widely by media, coaches, and fans alike, and the universality of the metaphor makes it a common parallel when trying to explain how coaches and players make adjustments during a game or series.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If basketball is like chess, then Gregg Poppvich may be likened to <a href="http://%20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Kasparov" target="_blank">Garry Kasparov</a>, considered by many to be the greatest chess grandmaster. Pop has always been lauded for his ability to outthink opposing coaches and get the upper hand via brilliant game-time and intra-series adjustments.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Monday night’s game was some combination of that brilliance and a colossal heap of luck, to which Pop himself would say he is no stranger. At this point, we all know the story: The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a> rallied from 16 back with 3:57 to play, ending regulation on an 18-2 run, proceeding to claim the victory in double OT on a <a href="http://www.poundingtherock.com/2013/5/7/4307624/nba-playoffs-breakdown-manu-ginobili-game-winner-spurs-warriors" target="_blank">redemptive Manu rainbow</a>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Prior to that 3:57 mark, the Spurs had made 3 field goals on 17 attempts. They finished 6 for 6 to shoot 39% for the quarter. The <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Warriors</a> shot 1 for 8 in that final four minutes, bringing their percentage in the quarter down to 24%. San Antonio was able to make that run for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to, <span>Stephen Curry</span>’s fatigue, <span>Tony Parker</span>’s aggressiveness, Popovich’s adjustments, and luck. For now, let's focus on the third reason.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At the 7:54 mark in the fourth, Pop switched <span>Kawhi Leonard</span> to guard Stephen Curry, this time for good. It’s no secret that length bothers most point guards, especially those of smaller stature like Curry. To see the other side of the spoon, and if you can handle it, just revisit Games 3-6 of the WCF last year, where <span>Thabo Sefolosha</span> severely hindered Tony Parker’s ability to initiate the Spurs’ offense. Popovich knew that Leonard’s length would deter Curry from dominating the game as he had done through isolation scoring from deep, and Kawhi's pesky wingspan was certainly part of the equation in that fourth quarter run.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The problem with that matchup is that Curry is quicker than Leonard, and he demonstrated that several times during the game, sliding by Leonard and into the paint for layups, floaters, or assists. Consider this play during the third quarter. Kawhi is guarding Curry, but the point guard slips into the lane with a pick from <span>Andrew Bogut</span>.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Duncan chooses not to shadow Bogut on the screen and waits too long to come out to meet Curry, staying back initially to protect the paint despite the fact that his man, Andrew Bogut, is near the top of the key.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Curry dives to the right, slipping by the ailing Duncan, and forces <span>Matt Bonner</span> to step out to contest a floater or further penetration into the paint.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Bonner is forced to leave <span>Draymond Green</span>, who is wide open for a cutting dunk.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">This play is representative of many in Game 1, where Duncan chose not to step out and contest jumpers or deter penetration. This has never been a huge part of Duncan’s game; he rarely shadows bigs on screens and prefers instead to patrol the paint and block shots at the rim, egging opponents into less efficient jump shots. Usually, <span>Tiago Splitter</span> complements Timmy’s paint protection by serving as the pop/jump shot defender. His absence and Tim’s sickness, however, rendered the Spurs incapable of protecting the paint and the P&R jumper, allowing Curry and the Warriors to finish at a very high clip on the P&R.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enter <span>Boris Diaw</span> and the delayed trap.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">During those epic four minutes, and throughout both overtimes, Popovich tasked Diaw with meeting Curry near the top of the key any time he received a screen or slipped past his man on isolation. Consider the isolation play which the Warriors ran at the very end of regulation.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kawhi is out guarding Curry, and the Warriors have made it clear that this is a pure isolation situation, clearing their other four players to the perimeter so that Stephen can go to work.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">As soon as Curry makes his move, Diaw flies out to meet him.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">He and Curry meet at the free throw line, and Stephen pulls up as though he is going to shoot, but remembers his earlier shot which Diaw swatted, and the Spurs converted into fast break points.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">At this point, Curry’s best bet would have been to hit <span>Kent Bazemore</span>, who was in position to shoot or swing it to Draymond Green in the right corner. <span>Manu Ginobili</span> would have had to cover both men, and likely would have conceded Green an open look. Instead, Curry’s indecision cost the Warriors the chance to finish the game, and his desperation shot (which was closer than Screaming Spurs Lady wanted it to be), clanked off the back left iron.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For all the negativity he receives regarding his rotundity, Boris has some seriously quick feet. Watch the video in real time, and look how quickly he races out to confront Curry. It may be the fastest he has ever moved in a Spurs uniform (fast forward to 2:07):</p>
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<p>Boris performs surprisingly well defending guards in isolation situations, thanks to his size, length, and footwork. Because he was able to meet Curry at the perimeter and, for the most part, keep Curry out of the paint, the Warriors were forced to largely abandon the P&R in favor of isolation plays. They were trying to set screens for ball handler dives or big man rolls but were ending up with 1-5 switches, pitting Diaw against Curry in isolation. What we know now is that, if you’ve got to switch a big onto the best shooter in the league, Boris Diaw isn’t a bad choice.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I do think it’s unreasonable to assume that Boris Diaw can maintain a high level of isolation defense throughout a game, in part due to his girth, but also because before Monday night he hadn’t played since early April. His conditioning is most certainly in question. In a 58 minute game, Diaw only played 26 minutes. Fortunately for the Spurs, they have this other foreign big who just so happens to be pretty good at defense. While Tiago Splitter may not be able to step out and handle switches like Diaw, he provides another big defensive body in the paint to prevent cutting baskets and easy layups. If a healthy Tiago had played Monday night, I doubt that the Spurs would have even found themselves in a comeback situation. Apart from Curry’s third quarter explosion, the Spurs played it close with the Warriors despite surrendering an early lead, mostly due to cuts and points in the paint. With the Splitter and Duncan pairing, that lead likely never materializes for the Warriors. Who knows how Curry would have responded in the third if his team were down five?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For the sake of posterity and playoff memories, however, I’m thankful Tiago was out. It was another tiny yet necessary piece of the puzzle that led to one of the greatest Spurs games I have ever watched. As of now, Splitter’s status is still questionable for Game 2. It would be nice to have him on the floor, especially if Duncan is still recovering from illness, but until he is ready to return, the Spurs should be able to lean on Diaw and Leonard to corral Curry and keep him from dominating in isolation and P&R situations.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Either way, can we just skip the third quarter tonight?</p>
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2013/5/8/4312410/nba-playoffs-spurs-warriors-diaw-leonard-curryCameron Archer2013-05-08T11:49:14-05:002013-05-08T11:49:14-05:00GIFS: Game 1 plays you haven't seen before
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Contrary to what you might have thought if you missed it and had to rely on some network's highlights package, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Warriors</a> @ <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a> Game 1 of the Western Conference Semis did not start with <span>Stephen Curry's</span> monster third quarter. Here are some of the "lost gems" from our beloved Spurs valiant efforts to shake off the rust and keep pace with the white-hot visitors:</p>
<p>With the Dubs up 26-21 <span>Manu Ginobili</span> tries to take matters into his own hands with a clutch 3 pointer, only to have it blocked. BUT MANU WILL NOT BE DENIED! He takes his ball and <strike>goes home</strike> gives a mean jab step to free himself up for... a clutch 3 pointer. Beautiful.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1594623/manu3.gif"><img alt="Manu3_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1594623/manu3_medium.gif"></a></p>
<p><span>Kawhi Leonard</span> is getting warmed up people! Here, he's had just about enough. He takes the "weak sauce" pass from <span>Andrew Bogut</span> (who looks disgusted with himself for trying that pass in the first place) and races down court for for one of his patented dunks,bringing the Spurs to within one point at 58-57.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1594629/kawhidunk.gif"><img alt="Kawhidunk_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1594629/kawhidunk_medium.gif"></a></p>
<p>Can't layup with hands like these.<br id="1367976101064"></p>
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<p>With the Spurs down 6, <span>Tony Parker</span> puts the defense on skates and lays the ball in right in front of Bogut to get the score to 63-59. These Dubs are pesky for sure. <strike>D'Antoni approves</strike> I like a healthy TP!</p>
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<p>TIM DUNCAN IS THE TERMINATOR! Fighting off the flu bug, BigFun goes spin cycle, dangles a carrot and takes candy from a baby to avoid the steal attempt -- all for a tough and beautiful layup in the paint. (OK, perhaps it wasn't intentional and he almost lost the handle, but the recovery and bucket are sweet, sweet lemonade.) This brings the score to a respectful 78-72. I don't know if you guys have heard, Golden State has at least one guy that can shoot. No, it's not you Mark Jackson!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1594665/duncanpostup.gif"><img alt="Duncanpostup_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1594665/duncanpostup_medium.gif"></a></p>
<p>At this point, the game seemed to be getting out of hand... Things were typed, names were called, trades were about to go down mid game AND we were down 12. What is it they say about darkest before the dawn? Like a ray of sunshine breaking through the fog, Manu finds Kawhi at the end of a beautiful rainbow-like pass for a near 360 layup+1! Just when we needed you most... Life, and a 98-87 score that we would build on. Don't fall asleep or change the channel folks, things were just getting interesting.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1594701/manupass.gif"><img alt="Manupass_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1594701/manupass_medium.gif"></a></p>
<p>Following a 3 pointer by Kawhi, Boris (WhataGuy) Diaw blocks the baby-faced assassin's 3 point attempt. With time running down in the game, TP grabs the ball and does not wait for backup! <a target="_blank" href="http://www.poundingtherock.com/pages/ptr-lexicon#OMFB">OMFB</a>! We are now at 104-101 with just over a minute to go in the game.</p>
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<p>Regulation would end in a 106 all contest. Restart! And <a target="_blank" href="http://www.poundingtherock.com/2013/5/7/4307624/nba-playoffs-breakdown-manu-ginobili-game-winner-spurs-warriors">you already know what happened from there</a>.</p>
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2013/5/8/4280568/nba-playoffs-spurs-warriors-awesome-playsIn the 6662013-05-08T01:19:53-05:002013-05-08T01:19:53-05:00What did Game 1 tell you about you?
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Beware: Cheesy soft-focus over-generalization ahoy, filled with hackneyed cliches and yard-leaving, unicorn-chasing, straw-grasping linkage of a random, statistically irrelevant to 99.9% of the planet sporting event to grand sweeping statements about society at large and the human condition. </p> <p>One of the main reasons I love watching sports on television, besides the unscripted, unpredictable madness of it all of course, is that they reveal so much about people. And by people I mean us, the ones watching, not the players. I've never really bought the hokum about "sports revealing character" and all that because a guy could perform the most incredible, "heroic" feats on the field of play and still be a completely terrible human being otherwise. I don't need to go through the examples, you can probably think of a hundred in your head.</p>
<p>Sure, there are guys who are Hall of Famers and those who are scrubs, ones who are clutch and some who choke or are afraid to even be in that moment and play hot potato with the ball, but I think for the most part it's been proven that there's no correlation between things like that and how an athlete is off the field.</p>
<p>The audience though is different. No matter how much of a fan you are, no matter how attached to the competition and how much your juices are flowing, there is still that removal of actually not being involved in it. You care. You really, really, really care, sometimes more than the athletes themselves and in ways that are completely unhealthy for you, but unless you're being fitted for a straight jacket you understand that the "we" and "us" talk is just that, talk, and at the end of the day you're not a part of the team and you won't be invited to meet Obama if things go well in the playoffs.</p>
<p>Because of that separation, because we're not actually physically invested, risking life and limb and potential embarrassment in front of millions of people for pulling a Buckner or whatever, I think the way we take in these games as they're happening, our highs and lows, the things we say and think and express, both in the moment and in the minutes and hours shortly after, are significant and revealing, if you ever think to pay attention to them.</p>
<p>I'll break the people who watch sports at a bar into three separate categories.</p>
<h4><b>Group A: Extremely casual fan/non-fan invited as a guest/person who was dragged there.</b></h4>
<p>Fair generalization or not, most often in this group are women, but the tags certainly apply to lots of fellas too. Hell, it'd apply to me if it was like, golf or boxing or something. They know their friend/date/significant other is <i>really</i> invested in this game. It's been explained to them, ad nauseam, how important <i>THIS GAME</i> is.</p>
<p>Do they make an effort to get into it by asking pertinent questions? Do they cheer when you cheer? Do they pretend to be enjoying themselves? Do they act sad/ angry when you're sad/angry? Do they let it go when you say something stupid and not get upset about it or embarrassed about being with you?</p>
<p>Or... do they not watch at all and spend the whole time on their phone, ask how long until it's over, make fun of you for caring about some stupid game, snap at you for yelling at the TV and ask you to take them home or do some task in the middle of the fourth quarter?</p>
<p>If they're in the first paragraph, this person has great potential to be somebody you can have a long relationship with as a friend or more. Even if they don't like your sport or your team, they're a cool person and they care about you, and that's big.</p>
<p>If they're in the second paragraph, it's time to ask yourself some tough questions. How did you get involved with this person? Are you sure it was the right decision? Can you really stand years and years of this selfish behavior?</p>
<h4><b>Group B: Casual fan with rooting interest opposite your own/complete stranger at another table</b></h4>
<p>Do they keep it cool and respectful and cheer appropriately without trying to pretend they know everything that's going on and the strengths and weaknesses of every player and every team? Do they offer to be the one who goes to the bar for another round since they're less invested than you are? Do they keep the mood light and positive regardless of score so that no resentments can hatch? Is their trash-talk lighthearted and playful?</p>
<p>Or... are they loud, obnoxious Neanderthals who loudly berate the refs for calling fouls on rules they don't understand, who gleefully trash talk every star on your team like the bad game they happen to be having is completely representative of their career, who talk crap about you for cheering for such a sorry team as opposed to their awesome team (regardless of the actual franchise histories or team-vs-team histories involved) and who make it clear that having you, a die-hard fan of the opposite team there to witness this debacle in front of them is making the experience of watching it that much sweeter for them?</p>
<p>Again, the top paragraph represents someone who is worth spending time with further. Who cares if they're not as obsessed with your sport as much as you are or that they root for a different team? It probably means they have a more broad range of interests or maybe they grew up somewhere else. The point is, this is someone who is pleasant to be around, no matter what the circumstance.</p>
<p>If they're in that second paragraph though, man I don't know about <i>that </i>guy. No, I'm sure he's fun sometimes, but can you risk bringing him around to anyone you know? It doesn't even matter if you root for the same team if he's gonna scream things like "get the (fill-in-the-blank) out of your eyes, ref" in front of women and children, you know? I'm gonna step out on a limb and say this fella enjoys himself a drink.</p>
<h4><b>Group C: Diehard fan/blog nerd</b></h4>
<p>Us, basically, and this is more internal, with elements of Group B mixed in.</p>
<p>What are the things we're saying, feeling, thinking? Do we turn on the team or "our guys" and if so, how quickly? Do we rail them with this non-stop barrage of profanity or do we encourage them and cheer them on to do better? How often do we shift between the "you're dead to me" one second to "I always loved that guy!" the next second, with our internal/external monologues? Do we stay calm and classy in the face of trash talk and taunts or throw it back at them? Are we phonies who act quiet and sullen when things are going bad and obnoxious and arrogant when they're good?</p>
<p>Also, and this part I think is particularly revealing, after the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a> have a game like this, do you sit back and think about all the negatives or just focus on the positives?</p>
<p>For example, and I'm guessing by now enough people "know" me enough to know the answers to most of these questions as they pertain to me.</p>
<p>I'm a group C, obviously, but I'm not someone who likes to yell or argue or make a spectacle of myself in public unless I'm specifically challenged. I ignore like 95% of trash talk about the Spurs and maybe 80% of it directed at Ginobili. I will, sometimes, yell at the TV about the refs, but at least I know the rules and I don't get graphic about the things I yell and question the ref's lifestyle choices for example. I'm too far down the road with most of the Spurs to change my opinions of them from game to game. The ones I like I'll ride with to the end and the ones I don't trust will have to do something truly epic over a playoff stretch for me to change my mind about them. I'm quiet and sullen regardless of win or loss because I'm quiet and sullen.</p>
<p>And, duh, OF COURSE I'm focusing more on the negatives after this game. I'M A MISERABLE PERSON WHO WILL LIKELY DIE ALONE. DON'T BE LIKE ME.</p>
<p>Anyway, the next time you're at a crowded sports bar watching a big game, ideally one that doesn't really involve your team or maybe in a sport you're not particularly into, go with a friend who really is, say very little, and just spend the three, four hours really focusing in on them and the people around them. I promise, it'll be fascinating, and you'll probably look at your friend in a totally different way.</p>
<p>So, if you read all that, thanks and I apologize. Here's a bit about the game.</p>
<h4>The number of positives, when you take a step back to think about them, is truly absurd.</h4>
<p>1. Through three quarters the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Warriors</a> were shooting in the 60 percent neighborhood, the Spurs were shooting roughly 40 percent, and still the gap was only 8-12 points instead of a blowout. That means as well as the Dubs can possibly play and as poorly as the Spurs can possibly play, the games will be there to be won at the end.</p>
<p>2. Duncan looked like hell and played worse, he didn't have the energy to step out on any of Curry's high screens on Parker and Joseph or even the ability to contest Curry's blow-by's on Leonard. He was personally responsible for at least a third of Curry's points and on the other end of the court he missed a number of bunnies. Barring injury, there is no way Duncan will play this poorly the rest of the series. And the Spurs won Game 1.</p>
<p>3. Manu shot 5-of-20, and contrary to his history of getting more cautious and selective with his attempts when he's having an off-night, he kept chucking and chucking, in full-on <span>J.R. Smith</span> mode, with each shot a more low-percentage one than the last. It'd be one thing if he missed a bunch of wide open threes or lay-ups, but he settled for so many GHASTLY attempts that it made you wonder if he was playing with a head injury. And the Spurs won Game 1, in really the perfect, redemptive fashion for Ginobili. Forget that he's my favorite player or yours. For him, and for the team going forward, it was important that they won the game and that he sank the winner, so he won't be beating himself up for the next week, so that he's not paralyzed by doubt or lacking confidence. If he bricked that shot, the media and the blogosphere would've savaged him today, he'd have been the goat and the team rallying late in regulation from 16 points down would've been a mere footnote. This way, he can go into Game 2 with his head held high.</p>
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<p align="center">(via <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=GSr-VWc_7WQ">JimCarrey1992</a>)</p>
<p>4. In that same vein, Manu had, without a doubt, the biggest bonehead play of his career (and he's had some doozies), attempting a 30-foot three up three with 44 seconds to go and 11 seconds on the shot clock. To me, that was much worse than the foul on Dirk in Game 7 of the Mavs series in 2006, because at least that was an effort play on defense. Here though, with the ball in his hands, if he just ran that clock down to the end, the Warriors would have been forced to attempt a three just to tie the game and give the Spurs another shoot-at-the-buzzer-or-go-to-another-overtime chance, or they'd be playing the shoot-a-quick-two-and-foul game. Manu's shot there was basically a turnover at half court and a lay-up conceded. Just inexplicably and totally indefensible on any level, from the biggest Manu homer on the planet. And the Spurs won Game 1.</p>
<p>5. After a pretty rough first three quarters (especially on the defensive end), <span>Tony Parker</span> came through late when it mattered, with 8 points and an assist in the Spurs 18-2 run to finish regulation and another 8 points and an assist in the two overtimes. Also, he was so thoroughly rotisserie roasted by <span>Stephen Curry</span> in this game that it's impossible for Pop to even think about going back to that match-up. <i>I think</i>. And the Spurs won Game 1.</p>
<p>6. Not only did <span>Kawhi Leonard</span> have an all-around good game, boardin', scorin', makin' his only three, but his length bothered Curry so much that the star guard didn't even contemplate trying to shoot against Leonard. He either drove or dished it every time, and most of the time the match-up discouraged Dubs coach Mark Jackson so much that he went with <span>Jarrett Jack</span> on isos. Nobody is going to shut down Curry, but having that Leonard option in our back pocket is a nice feeling.</p>
<p>7. I think it's time to put to bed the notion that <span>Danny Green</span> is a choker. He nailed six threes against the Warriors, including one that send the game to overtime, and he also played pretty good defense on Curry in the first quarter. I don't know why Pop went away from that match-up, really. Green or Leonard need to be on Curry at all times.</p>
<p>8. <span>Boris Diaw</span> not only returned from a month-long absence with a back injury, but he actually came up huge late in the game, with two free throws late in the fourth quarter and a couple of clutch jumpers in overtime. We survived with him as our lone big and the dude even snatched a couple of boards. He also did a good job of checking Curry on switches and was a lot better at stepping out and hedging on him on the pick-and-roll than Duncan was. The Spurs don't win that game without Diaw.</p>
<p>9. The Red Rocket's defense was pretty putrid and <span>Harrison Barnes</span> and Jarrett Jack had their way with him, but damn if he didn't sink two more jumpers, one of which in a spot where he actually had to pump fake and take a lateral step before relaunching. Ideally, he's not a guy you give 19 minutes of playoff burn, but he can be a useful spot player for 8-10.</p>
<p>10. <span>Gary Neal</span> started brightly before quickly regressing to his normal retinue of poor shot selection and absent-minded defense, but I was impressed by his all-out, dogged hustle to chase down <span>Richard Jefferson</span> for that foul. Did he have time to process "Ooh, that's R.J., I bet he'll totally gag these free throws if I can catch him," or did it happen too fast and leave no time for Neal to compute any thought beyond "chase down blue guy". Would Neal have made the same effort if it was Curry on the breakaway? Hopefully we never have to find out. I just thought his desire on the game-turning sequence was worthy of mention.</p>
<p>11. <span>Tiago Splitter</span> didn't play and the Spurs won Game 1. I'm choosing to believe that he'll make a difference on some of those pick-and-rolls.</p>
<p>12. The series already had its STEPHEN CURRY GAME, and the Spurs won it. He's not going for 44 and 11 again. (Right?) (RIGHT?)</p>
<h4><b>And now, the bad... </b></h4>
<p>1. I don't think the Spurs will be running away from the Warriors anytime soon, as long as the Dubs play their small-ball lineup with Curry, Thompson, Jack and Barnes. There's just too much talent, too much raw-shooting ability, on the floor and they're all smart and unselfish enough to make the right pass most of the time to get good looks. If Thompson doesn't foul out of that game, the Spurs were toast.</p>
<p>2. And the main reason they were toast is because there is nobody for Parker to guard on this team. In one brutal third quarter sequence, after Curry had canned a series of jumpers on Tony, Pop switched him onto Thompson who promptly buried two short turnaround J's on Parker and then, after he was switched on Barnes, Parker immediately surrendered a driving dunk to the rookie. The Warriors were pretty much going at him regardless of who he was guarding, which is a major reason why so much of their offense late in that game was Iso-ball to Jack. The results looked good on paper, but for the most part Jack got good looks. As long as Parker is on the floor, the Warriors will have a consistent offense.</p>
<p>3. There is no relief in sight. <span>Cory Joseph</span> had a nice series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/">Lakers</a>, but Curry and the W's are a different animal. Joseph is willing and unafraid and can pressure the ball, but he's too short to bother Curry, who shot 6-of-7 against him, in the slightest. Some of that isn't Joseph's fault -- Duncan was miles and miles away on those high screen rolls -- but I think Pop might want to seriously consider giving De Colo a shot here, because of his size. I think Cory is a player and has a future in the league, but this isn't the series for him.</p>
<p>4. This was not a game that made you feel good about the Spurs mental or physical toughness, getting out-rebounded and out-scored in the paint by 10 points apiece by a midget team.</p>
<p>5. Just because Splitter may be healthy enough to play, I'm not assuming that Pop will play him. I'm also not assuming that we've seen the last of the Curry-Parker match-up. You never know with Pop.</p>
<p>6. There is tremendous pressure on the Spurs to be perfect at home, because I know first hand how tough it is to win at Oracle, especially in the postseason.</p>
<p>7. I didn't hear it until watching the replay, but man the Twitter army wasn't kidding about that screeching lady next to the broadcast crew. I heard her shrill wail, seemingly getting louder and louder from the beginning of the first overtime through the end of the game. It was as if TNT said, "Wait, you think your night is saved because we don't have Reggie Miller on the game? Well listen to <i>this</i>."</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><object width="425" height="350" class="mceItemFlash"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0cVlTeIATBs">
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<p>It'd be a great social experiment to do this 30 times a night in a speed-dating session, first with an unattractive person, then with a model, and track the results. (via <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=0cVlTeIATBs">loki69er</a>)</p>
<p>8. I don't think Jackson is a particularly good coach. All the God stuff in his interviews kind of turns me off and I've noticed that during time outs he has an assistant actually handling the X's and O's while he's the one who handles the big-picture/motivational/inspirational mumbo-jumbo. But even Jackson is smart enough that I suspect we've seen the last of Jefferson in this series, barring a 25-point differential and less than two minutes on the clock or some pretty extreme injury/foul trouble scenarios. It's safe to say that <span>Kent Bazemore</span> will be ahead of him in the rotation.</p>
<p>9. Among the lamer bits of trash talk I heard last night was "What the hell is a Spur, anyway?" And you have to admit, it <i>is</i> kind of a stupid nickname.</p>
<p>10. Curry having a Game 1 like that could have negative big-picture consequences. The more people who watch that, despite the outcome of the game, the more hop on the Warriors bandwagon to see if he can do it again. With the Lakers out and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.welcometoloudcity.com/">Thunder</a> severely compromised, the Warriors are the darlings of the Western conference at the moment. They've got a great home court atmosphere. You can bet the refs will be intimidated there. If you told me I could pick one game for him to go off and have the Spurs still win, I'd pick Game 4, in a scenario where the Spurs go up 3-1. Now that would deflate everybody. A Game 1 though just energizes folks and gives them hope. I'm terrified of this team.</p>
<h4><b>Random musings...</b></h4>
<p>1. Seriously, was even one Spurs fan among you the least bit surprised that Jefferson missed both?</p>
<p>2. R.J. was a -13 in 3 minutes. Think about that. If he played the full 48, the Spurs would've won 208-0.</p>
<p>3. It'd be awfully tough for you or me to be a -13 in some random NBA game in three minutes of court time. Not impossible, but pretty hard.</p>
<p>4. Not all Warriors were red hot in that game, it just seemed like it. Jack was 5-of-15. And they really cooled down as a team from the fourth quarter on. Curry, Thompson and Barnes all finished a tick above 50 percent each, which is really good, obviously, but not supernova.</p>
<p>5. Believe it or not (and I don't know if this a good or bad stat), but the Spurs out-shot the W's from downtown and were way better from the charity stripe.</p>
<p>6. Jack got A LOT of flak for losing Manu on the final play, but I actually thought losing Green on the three at the end of regulation was a more egregious error on his part. As Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith pointed out on <i>Inside the NBA</i>, the Ginobili play was a lot trickier in that not only were three people involved on each side in a double screen -- great play-call from Pop there to create maximum confusion -- but what really threw the play out of whack is that both Manu and Boris set, in Barkley parlance, "TUR-BULL" screens on the play, not really getting a piece of their men at all. Clearly the Warriors were instructed to switch everything, which Jack did, but Barnes stayed with his original guy (Tony) because he found no resistance whatsoever on the attempted screen. The miscommunication on the play is totally understandable and if I was a Warriors fan, it'd be like 328th on the list of things I was upset with about that loss. Ironically, Bazemore, the rookie, was the only guy who did absolutely the right thing on the play.</p>
<p>7. There were, naturally, a lot of comparisons made between this game and the Spurs double OT thriller against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/">Suns</a> in Game 1 of their first round series in 2008, and while a similar series result would be nice, the two games <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/pbp/200804190SAS.html">weren't all that similar.</a> Although the passage of time sure makes it seem like the Suns were up big just like the Warriors were in this game, the truth is that their largest lead was 43-27, with 4:45 to go in the second quarter and that the Spurs whittled it to eight by half and were down just four to eight points for most of the second half and actually took a brief two-point lead with 2:21 to go in regulation.</p>
<p>Both games featured, however, a game-tying three in regulation from the Spurs starting shooting guard and had Manu make the game-winning bucket, and <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200804190SAS.html">his shooting line</a> wasn't that hot in that one either.</p>
<p>8. I still don't like the gray uniforms, but they're growing on me.</p>
<p>9. Watching the second round of the playoffs, it's impossible to not notice how furiously everyone is competing. All these teams are trying their asses off and everyone wants it so bad. The NBA has a well-deserved reputation for players and teams taking scores of games off and the quality of competition on a lot of regular season nights being borderline embarrassing, but man, when there's only eight teams left, there really aren't any better options for your viewing pleasure, even if you're a neutral. Hell, especially if you're a neutral. It's hard to watch the injury-plagued <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blogabull.com/">Bulls</a> play and not be inspired, in a "What am I doing with my life?" sense.</p>
<p>It's like the NCAA tournament, only in a best-of-seven format instead of just one game, and filled with a bunch of incredible athletes who are really good at basketball.</p>
<p>10. I spent all night crunching the numbers and I've checked them and re-checked them. If the Spurs and Bulls just win all their home games the rest of the way, we're gonna have another title y'all.</p>
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2013/5/8/4309510/nba-playoffs-richard-jefferson-bricks-free-throws-spurs-win-game-1-warriorsAaronstampler2013-05-07T12:40:18-05:002013-05-07T12:40:18-05:00X's And O's: Manu Ginobili's Game Winning Three
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7iThVxEJfCDbG-Szxvz5IvH4BDk=/0x0:2683x1789/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/12794557/168208327.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Ronald Martinez</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After a bad shooting night, and nearly being the goat of the game with an ill-advised three-pointer late in the second overtime, Manu Ginobili came up with the biggest shot of Game 1 for the Spurs.</p> <p>On a night where the <a href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">San Antonio Spurs</a> showed a lot of inconsistency, no player had more peaks and valleys than <span>Manu Ginobili</span>. He started off fairly well, scoring 6 points on two shots and tallying 2 assists in the first quarter, and looked to be in "full Manu" mode again after his minutes restriction was taken off after the first round. But once the first quarter buzzer sounded, it was mostly bad for Ginobili as he totaled 16 points on a horrid 5-20 from the field.</p>
<p>One play in particular seemed destined to define Ginobili's night. With just under a minute to go and the Spurs up 3, Ginobili got the ball at the top of the arc and, for reasons only he knows, jacked up a three-pointer from 3 feet behind the arc with 11 seconds left on the shot clock. It missed badly. That led to a Golden State basket in transition, and ultimately gave the <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Warriors</a> a chance to take the lead, which they did with just 3.9 seconds left, 127-126 .</p>
<p>With that little time left, there's almost nothing a team can do except call a timeout, advance the ball to the frontcourt, and have the head coach draw up a play to take the lead. So, that's what the Spurs did, and luckily, Coach Gregg Popovich is one of the best in the league (if not the best) at drawing up quick-hitting plays in crunch-time. And after a quick play to get <span>Tony Parker</span> the ball was stopped by a Warriors foul, this is what Coach Pop gave the world.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Manu_onions_1" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2589933/Manu_Onions_1.png"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">It starts out as a staggered screen for Tony Parker, with Manu Ginobili and <span>Boris Diaw</span> as the screeners. <span>Danny Green</span> is relatively un-involved on the play, but is in the corner to space the floor. <span>Kawhi Leonard</span> is the inbounds passer.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Manu_onions_2" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2589973/Manu_Onions_2.png"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">As soon as Parker gets around both screens, both Ginobili and Diaw begin their actions. Ginobili goes to the left wing, intending to just space the floor, and Diaw cuts towards the basket to try and seal his defender for a quick score. Notice that both <span>Jarrett Jack</span> and <span>Harrison Barnes</span> are highlighted by the yellow circle. Golden State is switching screens on defense, and somewhere along the line, there was a miscommunication leading to both Jack and Barnes covering Parker. That simple issue is what allowed this play to happen.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">.<img alt="Manu_onions_3" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2590037/Manu_Onions_3.png"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">By this time, Jack and Barnes' mistake has left a dilemma for Warriors guard <span>Kent Bazemore</span>. He has to choose whether to go cover Diaw, who is right near the paint, or go defend his man, Ginobili, on the three point line. He makes the correct choice, going to cover Diaw, who is no more than 4 feet from the rim and in great position. That leaves Ginobili wide open on the left wing, and the only defender free to cover him is busy thinking it's his responsibility to cover Parker.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Manu_onions_4" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2590141/Manu_Onions_4.png"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Kawhi, after pump-faking the pass to Diaw, spots the wide-open Ginobili and fires the ball his way. Bazemore does a superb job of trying to recover to challenge the shot, and he does make Manu change his shot (he admitted as much in the post-game interview) but it's too little too late. By the time the pressure arrives, Manu has already risen up and knocked down a three pointer that would put the Spurs up 129-127, and help further Ginobii's reputation for having some <i><a href="http://gifsoup.com/view/410016/sam-cassell-testicle-dance.html" target="_blank">big onions.</a> </i>Meanwhile, Harrison Barnes and Jarrett Jack are left to wonder what exactly went wrong. Something tells me that Mark Jackson informed them shortly afterwards.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Now, let's check out the video.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Zv0wXk-TRnA?rel=0" frameborder="0"></iframe> <br id="1367946537562"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">By watching in real time, it's easier to see just how quickly the defensive breakdown by the Warriors happens, and appreciate how the Spurs were able to capitalize on it immediately. It's a bang-bang play, and deciphering your defensive responsibilities on the fly is difficult, but it's something that needs to be done to win games. This play is a prime example of a young team figuring out how to not make mistakes under pressure. This game was a learning experience for the Warriors, and you can expect that their coach, Mark Jackson, makes sure these types of errors don't happen again.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">As for the Spurs, it capped an incredible comeback, and provided redemption for Manu Ginobili. Coach Pop would go on to praise Ginobili for the game-winner, while still providing a little dose of criticism for his wild shot selection beforehand, saying: "I went from wanting to trade him on the spot, to wanting to cook him breakfast tomorrow morning." Yet again, San Antonio showed their mettle, and made more plays at the end of the game than the opposition, something we've learned to expect under Popovich. And, against a young Warrior team, that may be the deciding factor for the rest of the series.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
</p>
<p>And since it's so pretty, let's see it once again, from a different angle; in slow-mo.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uh8MGVHaShA?list=PL7C4F05A9A6CECF7D" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2013/5/7/4307624/nba-playoffs-breakdown-manu-ginobili-game-winner-spurs-warriorsIan Dougherty2013-05-07T04:04:39-05:002013-05-07T04:04:39-05:00Spurs pull out improbable Game 1 win over Warriors
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/w8YdTlqUuElDP0aZpmHxyFp5Qpg=/0x280:2667x2058/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/12793691/20130506_ajl_ai1_442.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Outshot, outhustled, outrebounded and generally outplayed through 44 minutes, the Spurs waited until what was likely the last possible moment before mounting a comeback that elevated an already memorable game to instant classic status.</p> <p>In his pre-game talk, Pop was asked if he was at all concerned that his team might come out rusty. Pop responded, "I was watching the Miami game and they came out a little bit... what commentators would describe as rusty. It took them the whole quarter to get in the flow defensively and offensively. It scared me. I turned it off. I figure if they can be rusty, we sure as hell can be rusty." At the time, I thought it'd be a great way to start off my recap. After a comfortable victory, I could write about how while a little rust showed, it wasn't enough to keep the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Warriors</a> in the game.</p>
<p>And then the game happened.</p>
<p>When your team wins one of these kinds of games, it validates your dedication to the sport. When your team finds itself on the losing end, few things are worse. Somehow, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a> managed to emerge victorious in Game 1. It took an unbelievable comeback in regulation and two overtimes filled with clutch shots, but the Spurs won.</p>
<p>The Spurs began the game looking very rusty. They missed seven of their first eight shots and Golden State took advantage, jumping into the lead. Early on, I thought the Spurs were getting great looks at the basket; they were simply missing, but surely it'd even out eventually. I thought the Spurs didn't look sharp defensively, but they were still forcing the Warriors to take contested jumpers. That's the game plan, right? The Spurs force their opposition into taking low percentage shots. What I failed to recognize was the possibility that the Warriors just might play their best game possible.</p>
<p>In the first quarter, the Warriors shot 57% from the field while the Spurs only shot 39%. The Spurs were rusty and the Warriors, who didn't have much time off between their first and second round series, were playing with confidence. But, I still thought it'd even out.</p>
<p>Then, into the second quarter, it was more of the same. The Warriors finished the half shooting 55% from the field while the Spurs shot 38%, yet the Spurs only trailed by four, 49-53. The Warriors turned the ball over 10 times in the first half and the Spurs made eight more free throws than Golden State. At halftime, I couldn't help but feel optimistic about the Spurs' chances. The Spurs had played horribly, yet only trailed by a couple of buckets. <span>Tim Duncan</span> was 3 of 8, <span>Tony Parker</span> was 3 of 9 and Manu was 2 of 8, and the Spurs only trailed by four points. This game had to even out in the second half, If nothing else, there was certainly no way the Warriors could continue to convert their shots at such a blistering pace against the Spurs' vaunted defense.</p>
<p>And then the third quarter happened.</p>
<p>I've never seen anything like <span>Stephen Curry's</span> Game 1 third quarter. He was so good offensively, so unstoppable, that it destroyed the Spurs on the offensive end of the floor, too. Curry made 9 of his 12 shots, 4 of 6 from distance, in the third quarter for 22 points. He also had three assists in the quarter as the Warriors' field goal percentage increased from 55% at the half to 61% at the end of the third. He absolutely destroyed the Spurs' home-court advantage, as the stunned crowd didn't know what to do. More than that, one could sense that the Warriors truly believed this was their game to steal. The confidence was oozing from them and they could do no wrong.</p>
<p>The Spurs actually played a fairly good quarter, scoring 31 points in the third as compared to the Warriors' ridiculous 39. Curry just made unbelievable shot after even more unbelievable shot. At the end of the third, the Warriors led by 12, 92-80.</p>
<p>Unable to stop the Warriors' momentum, the Spurs began the fourth quarter poorly. Over the first four minutes, they only managed two points. With 8 minutes remaining, the Spurs found themselves down 16, 82-98. It was looking bleak, very bleak.</p>
<p>At this point fans started heading to the exits and I don't think I could blame them. It really felt hopeless. Curry's onslaught followed by the Spurs horrible start to the fourth just seemed like it was too much to overcome. Oh, and at this point Tim left the game and wandered into the locker room. Turns out that Duncan had the flu and was just too depleted to continue. In Manu's post game remarks, he spoke about Tim. "I realized [how bad Tim was feeling] during a timeout when his eyes were lost and he couldn't even raise his head. Pop was talking to him and he was just lost, staring at the floor. You could tell it wasn't him."</p>
<p>In the next four minutes of action, the Spurs didn't close the gap too much. They were still down 16, 88-104, with less than four minutes remaining. Before, I said it seemed bleak, that may have been generous. However, something important happened that could have indicated a shift. The second most important foul of the evening was called as <span>Klay Thompson</span> tried to force Parker baseline, brinking Thompson's total to six. He'd fouled out and Mark Jackson replaced him with our old friend <span>Richard Jefferson</span>.</p>
<p>In the next 60 seconds, Tony made two free throws, two layups and assisted a Kawhi layup. With 2:42 remaining, the Spurs managed to cut the deficit to eight. But still, at this point, a full comeback seemed improbable. Mark Jackson called a full timeout to calm his young team. Jarret Jack and <span>Draymond Green</span> both finally missed a shot and then came the most important foul of the game. Parker dribbled into the lane, spun and tried to pass back outside, but was picked off. The ball was passed ahead to RJ who looked to be streaking in for an uncontested dunk, but <span>Gary Neal</span> slipped in and caught Jefferson on the wrist of his shooting hand. Now it was free throws for the ex-Spur. He missed them both. This would be huge.</p>
<p>The Spurs defense started switching everything. With Tim unable to play due to the flu, Pop want with a small ball lineup that featured Diaw as the center, which allowed the Spurs to switch on all screens, and since Thompson had fouled out, Jackson's options were limited. The switching seemed to be confusing the Warriors. Kawhi then made a 3-pointer and Tony followed with a layup forcing the Warriors to call another timeout, and now it was a game. The Spurs were only down three points with 1:17 left on the clock.</p>
<p>In the final minute, <span>Boris Diaw</span> hit two clutch free throws to get the Spurs within a point, but Jarret Jack answered by hitting a hotly contested fade-away to push the lead back the three with 29 seconds remaining, and the Spurs took a timeout to set up a play. It was a fairly simple screen the screener play. Danny set a screen for Kawhi on the block. Diaw then set a screen for Danny. Both defenders followed Kawhi leaving Danny wide open for a game-tying 3-pointer. It didn't hit the rim, it was so pure.</p>
<p>The Warriors chose to not call timeout and brought the ball up the floor with the intention of taking the last shot. The ball was in Curry's hands as Kawhi pestered him 35 feet from the basket. He got by Kawhi but picked up his dribble at the free throw line and found himself trapped with Diaw to his front and Kawhi from behind. He threw up a prayer that wasn't answered and the game went into overtime.</p>
<p>It was an unbelievable comeback. Down 16 with four minutes left, everything had to go right and then some. The odds of overcoming a deficit that large, with <a href="https://twitter.com/danmccarneysaen/status/331648424363560960" target="_blank">that little time left are apparently 1 in 200</a>. Everything needed to go right, and did. The Spurs managed to stop the Warriors for the first time that night and a lot of players stepped up and hit clutch shots. Danny "Big" Green's was the biggest, but he wouldn't have gotten that opportunity without the great plays from Tony, Kawhi, Manu and Diaw. It was a fantastic team effort by the Spurs to force overtime.</p>
<p>One minute into the first overtime the Spurs found themselves down five after a Jarret Jack contested two and a 3-pointer by <span>Harrison Barnes</span>. It was not the start that the Spurs' fans, those that were left, were hoping to witness. But, the resilient Spurs would answer once again.</p>
<p>Tony made a jumper and, because it was one of those nights, Boris connected on a corner three. Steph and Kawhi then exchanged clutch buckets and the Spurs were leading by two with 29 seconds remaining.</p>
<p>After the game, Mark Jackson said, "We played a championship team. We fought back. We made shots. Tonight they made shots and we made plays." The Warriors definitely didn't give up, as they seemed to in Game 6 against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.denverstiffs.com/">Nuggets</a>. Golden State did, as Mark said, make plays.</p>
<p>Jarret Jack tied the game with 20 seconds remaining on a layup. At this point, it's probably important to note that both teams were exhausted. Tony missed a few shots in the first overtime that he just about always makes. He simply didn't have any legs. Manu was also spent. On the other side, Curry seemed gassed too, and not having a fouled out Klay Thompson meant the entire offense fell on Steph and Jack. Both teams gave it their all.</p>
<p>In the final play of the first overtime, Manu shot a fade-away, but missed badly. It was well left. This game had to go into two overtimes. It was just meant to be.</p>
<p>In the second overtime, both teams took a while to get going. 90 seconds in, the Warriors scored the first points on a Harrison Barnes' 3-pointer. Tony quickly answered on a spectacular spinning layup. The teams traded baskets, but it was the Spurs who managed to build a lead, their first real one of the game, on another clutch <span>Danny Green</span> 3-pointer. The Spurs led by 5, 126-121, with 60 seconds left in the game.</p>
<p>Obviously, it would be foolish to assume the Warriors were going to give up at this point. Curry was fouled and made both free throws to close the gap to three points. With 50 seconds remaining, Manu received the ball from Tony five feet behind the 3-point line. After standing still for a bit, he decided to launch a three from there with 11 seconds still on the shot clock. He nearly broke twitter with that ill-advised shot.</p>
<p>Curry raced down the floor and made a scooping layup at the 32 second mark, perfectly setting his team up for a 2 for 1 to close the game. Tony took the ball to the rim and barely missed a reverse layup. There was contact and he hit the floor, giving the Warriors a fast break. Curry dished the ball to <span>Kent Bazemore</span> in transition for the easy layin to take the lead.</p>
<p>The Spurs called a timeout to advance to ball with 3.9 seconds remaining. After the Warriors committed the foul they had left to give, the Spurs had 3.4 seconds to work with. I'll let Manu talk you through the game-winner. "Were you the first option?" "No, I wasn't. I wasn't even an option. They told me just go screen and stay far from the play. The play was for Tony or Boris, and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/2013/5/7/4307502/manu-ginobili-game-winner-jarrett-jack-harrison-barnes" target="_blank">Golden State got confused and two went with Tony</a> I started waving at Kawhi because<a href="http://www.poundingtherock.com/2013/5/7/4307564/nba-playoffs-manu-ginobili-game-winner-double-overtime-warriors" target="_blank"> I was wide open and he threw and I shot it because I didn't have another option. I had to shoot it. And it went in</a>."</p>
<p></p>
<div class="read-more">
<strong>See</strong>: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.poundingtherock.com/2013/5/7/4307564/nba-playoffs-manu-ginobili-game-winner-double-overtime-warriors">Manu's game winner</a>
</div>
<p> </p>
<p>Pop had this to say about Manu's last 60 seconds of action, "I went from trading him on the spot to wanting to cook him breakfast tomorrow. That's the truth. And when I talk to him and say, 'Manu?' He'll say, 'This is what I do.' I stopped coaching him a long time ago." Golden State had one more possession with 1.2 seconds left, but Jack's desperation three was way off.</p>
<p>And with that, the Spurs took Game 1 in miraculous fashion. It seemed everything that could potentially go wrong did go wrong for the Silver and Black, yet they never quit. It's a true team. Every one of the Spurs' players stepped up and had a hand in their unbelievable comeback. Down 18 with 8, down 16 with 4. It didn't matter, the team never quit. Sure, some fans left the arena when it seemed hopeless, but if you take anything away from tonight, it's that you can't quit on a team that won't quit on themselves. The Spurs have the opportunity to make this a special year. I'd say they are doing a good job of it thus far.</p>
<p><object height="0" width="0" type="application/x-dgnria" id="plugin0"> <param value="1066" name="tabId"></object> </p>
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2013/5/7/4307718/nba-playoffs-game-recap-spurs-warriors-double-overtime-129-127Fred Silva2013-05-07T01:22:58-05:002013-05-07T01:22:58-05:00Manu's game winner
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dTYCEWBUK3DTu0KLf9z8GBB0Lk0=/0x70:2792x1931/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/12792223/168208419.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Ronald Martinez</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Of all of the fantastic and awesome plays in the fifty-eight minutes of Game 1 action between the Spurs and Warriors Monday evening, which was the moment when you let yourself start believing that the <a href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Spurs</a> had it in them tonight? Mine was when Ginobili got through the lane for the retro slam. Like he was in his twenties again. Like he had long hair flowing about his visage as he left defenders in his wake.</p>
<p>But the <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Warriors</a> had that insane 3rd quarter when <span>Stephen Curry</span> literally could not miss. And by the time the Spurs' 4th quarter comeback started gaining some momentum, this tweet marked the moment with an awesome pop culture reference:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Oh my God this Game. This Spurs run is like the T-1000 walking out of the gas truck explosion.</p>
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball/status/331622103667314688">May 7, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Oh, yeah. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0JMVal0cdY#t=03m05s">The moment against which I judge</a> all fictitious works when they reveal how powerful the bad guy is. Well in this case, my loyal £ers, it's not the bad guys showing their mettle, it's our Spurs. And once they'd set the game back to zero at the end of regulation and the first overtime (and after Manu had showed us just how poor his decision-making can be) this happened.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bk-iD-Yi0MU?rel=0" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>As #20 for the Warriors, <span>Kent Bazemore</span>, tried to <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/2013/5/7/4307502/manu-ginobili-game-winner-jarrett-jack-harrison-barnes" target="_blank">recover and erase Jarrett Jack's mistake</a>, #20 for the Spurs adjusted his usual three-point stroke, and shot a high-arching rainbow (his 20th shot of the game) and it was true. That compelled the remaining faithful Spurs fans in the AT&T Center to blow the roof off the joint.</p>
<p>After the game, Cameron Archer texted me, "<span>Manu Ginobili</span>: goat to god." And I must say I was in no mood to disagree with him on either count. Final, 2OT: Spurs 129, Warriors 127.</p>
<p>What a game.</p>
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2013/5/7/4307564/nba-playoffs-manu-ginobili-game-winner-double-overtime-warriorsJ.R. Wilco2013-05-07T00:19:13-05:002013-05-07T00:19:13-05:00The NBA, where Ginobili happens
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qu7VC7Xl0PX62MAEBxCSDMdF5Sc=/350x70:2130x1257/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/12790923/20130506_ajl_ai1_371.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In a game in which the Spurs were fighting from behind for most of regulation --</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 9px;">In a fourth quarter where the Spurs trailed by 16 --</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 9px;">In a </span>back and forth pair of overtime periods where every clutch play seemed only to set up the next team for another incredible play of their own --</p>
<p>In a second overtime when the Spurs seemed to have it wrapped up after Tony's jumper finally started falling --</p>
<p>In a brain fart of epic proportions when Manu Ginobili shot a <b>deep</b> three with tons of time left on the shot clock only to see the Warriors score the go ahead bucket ...</p>
<p>There came a game winner from the left wing behind the arc with less than 2 seconds to go, from that same Argentine.</p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="1" style="text-align: center;">
<thead><tr>
<th width="20">#</th> <th>Commenter</th> <th># Comments</th>
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<tbody>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/sambunnell">sambunnell</a></td>
<td>215</td>
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<td>2</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Kondor">Kondor</a></td>
<td>159</td>
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<td>3</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Dark%20Black">Dark Black</a></td>
<td>145</td>
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<td>4</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/hurts2bgood">hurts2bgood</a></td>
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<td>5</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/play_splitter">play_splitter</a></td>
<td>122</td>
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<td>6</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/SpursCupcake">SpursCupcake</a></td>
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</tr>
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<td>7</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/FirebatM3">FirebatM3</a></td>
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<td>8</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/JonnyJam">JonnyJam</a></td>
<td>100</td>
</tr>
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<td>9</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Chilai">Chilai</a></td>
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<td>10</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/HoneyBad">HoneyBad</a></td>
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<td>11</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/kenshinsama">kenshinsama</a></td>
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<td>12</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/alamobro">alamobro</a></td>
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<td>13</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/ziijordan">ziijordan</a></td>
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<td>14</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/KawhiSoSerious">KawhiSoSerious</a></td>
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<td>15</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/bahamaspur">bahamaspur</a></td>
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<td>16</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/spursfan87">spursfan87</a></td>
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</tr>
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<td>17</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/chajamamama">chajamamama</a></td>
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<td>18</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Pnk.Dot">Pnk.Dot</a></td>
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<td>19</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/JohnWilSal">JohnWilSal</a></td>
<td>62</td>
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<td>20</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Trey%20Felder">Trey Felder</a></td>
<td>53</td>
</tr>
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<td>21</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/RobertoDR">RobertoDR</a></td>
<td>53</td>
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<td>22</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/syllabear">syllabear</a></td>
<td>52</td>
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<td>23</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/mission20">mission20</a></td>
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<td>24</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/KD1">KD1</a></td>
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<td>25</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/i%20luv%20this%20site">i luv this site</a></td>
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<td>26</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/day_late_friend">day_late_friend</a></td>
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<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/HtownSteelerFan">HtownSteelerFan</a></td>
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<td>28</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/oldtimeyspurfan">oldtimeyspurfan</a></td>
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<td>29</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/forrestgump52">forrestgump52</a></td>
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<td>30</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/theghostofjh">theghostofjh</a></td>
<td>35</td>
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<td>31</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/KOE33">KOE33</a></td>
<td>34</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td>32</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/ishmael_">ishmael_</a></td>
<td>33</td>
</tr>
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<td>33</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/LatinD">LatinD</a></td>
<td>32</td>
</tr>
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<td>34</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/TecateBoltsFan">TecateBoltsFan</a></td>
<td>31</td>
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<td>35</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Badpierre">Badpierre</a></td>
<td>30</td>
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<tr class="alt">
<td>36</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/In%20the%20666">In the 666</a></td>
<td>30</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>37</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/cr0w">cr0w</a></td>
<td>24</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td>38</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Queness">Queness</a></td>
<td>22</td>
</tr>
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<td>39</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/pollackja">pollackja</a></td>
<td>21</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td>40</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/swimwithsharks">swimwithsharks</a></td>
<td>18</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>41</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/CapHill">CapHill</a></td>
<td>17</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td>42</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/rank">rank</a></td>
<td>16</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>43</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Duncan%20is%20a%20Beast!">Duncan is a Beast!</a></td>
<td>16</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td>44</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/canallon">canallon</a></td>
<td>15</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>45</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Alamo">Alamo</a></td>
<td>15</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td>46</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/spurscwby">spurscwby</a></td>
<td>14</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>47</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/TD21">TD21</a></td>
<td>11</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td>48</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/4Him">4Him</a></td>
<td>11</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>49</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/mrbrownstone1482">mrbrownstone1482</a></td>
<td>9</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td>50</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/el.chacal.73">el.chacal.73</a></td>
<td>9</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>51</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/JamieCajamarca">JamieCajamarca</a></td>
<td>8</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td>52</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/AsGoodAs">AsGoodAs</a></td>
<td>7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>53</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/doubleteapot">doubleteapot</a></td>
<td>6</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td>54</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/DWest">DWest</a></td>
<td>6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>55</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/LJ%20Hann">LJ Hann</a></td>
<td>5</td>
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<tr class="alt">
<td>56</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/RobertHorryRobertHorry">RobertHorryRobertHorry</a></td>
<td>5</td>
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<tr>
<td>57</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/lemonparade4">lemonparade4</a></td>
<td>4</td>
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<tr class="alt">
<td>58</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/TerribleTyler56">TerribleTyler56</a></td>
<td>3</td>
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<tr>
<td>59</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/twotonkatrucks">twotonkatrucks</a></td>
<td>3</td>
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<tr class="alt">
<td>60</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/sleep%20research%20facility">sleep research facility</a></td>
<td>2</td>
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<tr>
<td>61</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Ayatollah">Ayatollah</a></td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td>62</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/J.R.%20Wilco">J.R. Wilco</a></td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>63</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/TheSoundUnion">TheSoundUnion</a></td>
<td>1</td>
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<tr class="alt">
<td>64</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/calvinnhobbes">calvinnhobbes</a></td>
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<tr>
<td>65</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/SpursMan">SpursMan</a></td>
<td>1</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td>66</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/comalicious">comalicious</a></td>
<td>1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>67</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Galfusica">Galfusica</a></td>
<td>1</td>
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<tr class="alt">
<td>68</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/biolb">biolb</a></td>
<td>1</td>
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<tr>
<td>69</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/MassCardsFan">MassCardsFan</a></td>
<td>1</td>
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<tr class="alt">
<td>70</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Juan%20Korl">Juan Korl</a></td>
<td>1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>71</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/M3D1T8R">M3D1T8R</a></td>
<td>1</td>
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<tr class="alt">
<td>72</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/myk">myk</a></td>
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<td>73</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/eastbaysd">eastbaysd</a></td>
<td>1</td>
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<td>74</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/notclank">notclank</a></td>
<td>1</td>
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<tr>
<td>75</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/707kid">707kid</a></td>
<td>1</td>
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<tr class="alt">
<td>76</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/LasEspuelas">LasEspuelas</a></td>
<td>1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>77</td>
<td><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/audreypots">audreypots</a></td>
<td>1</td>
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</tbody>
</table>
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2013/5/7/4307510/quickcap-spurs-over-warriors-in-double-overtime-129-127J.R. Wilco2013-05-06T22:06:39-05:002013-05-06T22:06:39-05:00Golden State at San Antonio: Game Thread, Part 2
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Y9ML4vrG0B82je5N69Wa0-EbRyo=/0x0:2667x1778/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/12787453/20130506_ajl_ai1_132.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Now quit your complaining and start working on your mojo!</p>
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2013/5/6/4307216/golden-state-at-san-antonio-game-thread-part-deuxCapHill