We all remember the historic game 6 three pointer Ray Allen hit from the corner. But we seem to forget Tim Duncan missing the bunny hook that would have tied game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals with 50 seconds left. Yes, just that short after the most devastating loss in NBA history, the San Antonio Spurs were still within grasp of their 5th title in franchise history. Just a small example of resiliency that had to wait a year to rear its head. Its a moment that Tim Duncan says will always haunt him. It’s a shot the future hall of famer has made throughout his 17 year career. As LeBron James dribbled up the court, Duncan ran back on defense and then slapped the hardwood. We know the rest, The Heat go back to back and the old Spurs will have to live through a whole off-season of what-ifs and what-now.
San Antonio could have broken it all up and try to build around others but their version of the big 3 in Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili have yet to fail them and the option of building around the younger nucleus wasn’t an attractive option. Aside from the addition of Marco Belinelli , the Spurs headed into the 2014 season with the same roster and carried the heartbreak from game 6 and 7 with them through the year. Now in today’s world of sports we rarely see a team go through an off-season without making anything but minimal changes to their roster and because of this, it is rare to see a team get over such a devastating ending to their season and bounce back with the focus and will that these spurs had. A similar scenario occurred in the 1986 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets. The Mets tied up the game with three straight two out singles and a wild pitch in the bottom of the 10th, then Mookie Wilson hits a dribbler to Red Sox first basemen Bill Buckner and it trickles between his legs, Ray Knight scores and the Mets take Boston to a game 7 that they go on to win. This is known as one of the most heartbreaking collapse’s in sports history. The 87′ Red Sox roster was eerily similar to the previous years team, those 87′ Sox finished 5th in the AL East. My point is these 2014 San Antonio Spurs really used the devastation to their advantage. The Spurs finished the season with the number 1 overall seed winning a league high 62 games, finishing top 5 in scoring, assist, defense, and efficiency.
Almost like we see in the movies, this team used that added motivation of heartbreak as fuel for their championship run. They got their dream matchup in the vaunted Miami Heat, as the Spurs leader himself proclaimed “We’re happy that it’s the Heat again.” The Spurs completed their quest for 5 with three straight 20 point beat-downs. Aside from four missed free throws late in game two this could have been the most lopsided sweep in NBA finals history. In only 5 games the Spurs outscored the Heat by 70 points which is the biggest differential in finals history. Some of the most beautiful team basketball you will ever see played, passing up good shots for great shots. This is the way its suppose to be done and ironically no other team in the NBA will use this model to build a dynasty, as we still seem to be stuck in the superstar isolation era.
With the possibility of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili returning , and in hope of resigning two vital role players in Patty Mills and Boris Diaw, who says the San Antonio Spurs cant do it again? Only this time they might have to find the added motivation elsewhere.
