I think this video gets posted more often here at 48MoH than any other Spurs highlight. It’s got three Memorial Days, not to mention a number of days where I was bored and just wanted to see some greatness.
Up until that shot and those playoffs the Spurs had been post season flame-outs (the Iceman-Admiral eras). Sean Elliot was a great player. Also, look at some of the talent Portland had on their roster…looks like a 1990’s Collegiate who’ who: Brian Grant, Walt Williams, Stoudamire, Jim Jackson, Stacey Augmon, and Sheed Wallace. Funny thing here is this collection of Blazers would basically blow a similar huge lead the very next year in game 7 against the Lakers.
Somebody send a link to Sheed. Get him mad. GO CELTICS GO! (Next best thing at this point, right? LA losing is not quite as satisfying as Spurs winning. But it’s pretty damn close.)
That game was the beginning of the healing process for many of us Spurs fans that had to deal with the heartache of all the playoff exits from the years before. Especially for me growing up as a kid watching the Gervin team always lose to the lakers…..
It is an amazing shot… But from an objective standpoint I have to say that it was amazingly bad shot selection! If it hadn’t gone in, everyone would have eviscerated Elliott for shooting it!
You’re a hero, you’re a goat, an no one critiques shot selection unless you miss.
It’s true. Look at Artest the other night. He goes from hero to goat in about thirty seconds. Made not one, but two terrible shot choices. But then won the game with a crazy desparation put-back. (I rarely speak of Artest without the word “crazy” coming up at some point.) Skill and determination mean a lot, but luck is important, too.
On the other hand, there is something to be said for a player sometimes not playing by the book, going with his intuition. The context of that shot is that in the second half Sean Elliot had hit something like five out of six three pointers. He was certainly feeling like he couldn’t miss. (He also had some health issues, which nobody else knew about. How much did that effect his thinking?) He also had two big rebounders waiting for a put-back should he miss. There was enough time left on the clock that the Spurs still could have fouled to stop the game (admittedly leaving them with bleaker odds). And as good as San Antonio’s defense was that season, and as deflated as Portland was after the comeback that that shot capped off, the Spurs had pretty good odds of getting a stop at the other end. It actually foreshadowed the championship game a few weeks later, when the Spurs had to get one last stop after Avery Johnson’s winning basket with some time left on the clock.
The Spurs did not always have great offense that year. Or even good offense. But they did hit big shots, and they could sure get defensive stops like nobody’s business. All things considered, I’m not sure it was that bad a decision.
I forgot how stacked that Portland team was, but not how I felt when Sean hit that shot! Each of the four titles was sweet, but the emotion brought about by the first one can never be matched!
I was 12, my first playoff game as a birthday present, and the second present was a brand new camera. I got a shot, and because of the angle and where I was, “all” I got was the foot with heel just hovering the sideline!
I had it autographed by Sean the next year.. goosebumps still.
Am I the only one who thinks that hearing the NBA on NBC theme song at the end of this clip was *almost* as good as seeing the shot again? That theme song epitomized NBA basketball in the ’90s and brings back a TON of memories (basketball and non-basketball).
I totally forgot Will Perdue was a Spur until seeing him on the sidelines in utter disbelief.
Now that I do remember, I recall him playing some very solid reserve defense that year when 50 went to the bench.
Sigh. I miss solid 7-footers off of the bench. Think about: Greg Kite, Luc Longley, Ty Corbin, etc. Where are all of those kinds of guys now? Gortat seems like about the only one. Everyone else is a “stretch-four”.
25 Comments
May 30th, 2010 at 9:31 pm
What a SF…what a shot..
May 30th, 2010 at 10:09 pm
Love it! However, although I remember watching this back then, I was only 9. If only I was the fan I am now back then.
May 31st, 2010 at 3:58 am
And I thought when we got RJ last summer we would get Sean Elliott #2….
May 31st, 2010 at 5:40 am
I saw that game in person. Incredible determination. After that shot we knew it finally was our year.
May 31st, 2010 at 6:36 am
I think this video gets posted more often here at 48MoH than any other Spurs highlight. It’s got three Memorial Days, not to mention a number of days where I was bored and just wanted to see some greatness.
May 31st, 2010 at 6:38 am
Up until that shot and those playoffs the Spurs had been post season flame-outs (the Iceman-Admiral eras). Sean Elliot was a great player. Also, look at some of the talent Portland had on their roster…looks like a 1990’s Collegiate who’ who: Brian Grant, Walt Williams, Stoudamire, Jim Jackson, Stacey Augmon, and Sheed Wallace. Funny thing here is this collection of Blazers would basically blow a similar huge lead the very next year in game 7 against the Lakers.
May 31st, 2010 at 7:52 am
I am happy those fiesta floor colors are history as well!
gSg
May 31st, 2010 at 8:07 am
Man, I never thought I would feel nostalgic about that pink and aqua logo.
I miss Mario! I miss David! Why didn’t I name my firstborn Elliot Avery like I said I would? I miss smothering, relentless defense!
But thanks for the video post, 48M. Never gets old…
May 31st, 2010 at 8:22 am
Somebody send a link to Sheed. Get him mad. GO CELTICS GO! (Next best thing at this point, right? LA losing is not quite as satisfying as Spurs winning. But it’s pretty damn close.)
May 31st, 2010 at 8:27 am
That game was the beginning of the healing process for many of us Spurs fans that had to deal with the heartache of all the playoff exits from the years before. Especially for me growing up as a kid watching the Gervin team always lose to the lakers…..
May 31st, 2010 at 9:45 am
It is an amazing shot… But from an objective standpoint I have to say that it was amazingly bad shot selection! If it hadn’t gone in, everyone would have eviscerated Elliott for shooting it!
You’re a hero, you’re a goat, an no one critiques shot selection unless you miss.
May 31st, 2010 at 10:28 am
mike
It’s true. Look at Artest the other night. He goes from hero to goat in about thirty seconds. Made not one, but two terrible shot choices. But then won the game with a crazy desparation put-back. (I rarely speak of Artest without the word “crazy” coming up at some point.) Skill and determination mean a lot, but luck is important, too.
On the other hand, there is something to be said for a player sometimes not playing by the book, going with his intuition. The context of that shot is that in the second half Sean Elliot had hit something like five out of six three pointers. He was certainly feeling like he couldn’t miss. (He also had some health issues, which nobody else knew about. How much did that effect his thinking?) He also had two big rebounders waiting for a put-back should he miss. There was enough time left on the clock that the Spurs still could have fouled to stop the game (admittedly leaving them with bleaker odds). And as good as San Antonio’s defense was that season, and as deflated as Portland was after the comeback that that shot capped off, the Spurs had pretty good odds of getting a stop at the other end. It actually foreshadowed the championship game a few weeks later, when the Spurs had to get one last stop after Avery Johnson’s winning basket with some time left on the clock.
The Spurs did not always have great offense that year. Or even good offense. But they did hit big shots, and they could sure get defensive stops like nobody’s business. All things considered, I’m not sure it was that bad a decision.
May 31st, 2010 at 1:49 pm
I hope to see this again and again and especially on its twentieth anniversary in 2019.
May 31st, 2010 at 2:46 pm
The part I love the most about that shot, is the way he regathers and just instinctively lifts his heels up so he doesn’t tread on the sideline.
May 31st, 2010 at 4:23 pm
I forgot how stacked that Portland team was, but not how I felt when Sean hit that shot! Each of the four titles was sweet, but the emotion brought about by the first one can never be matched!
May 31st, 2010 at 7:05 pm
I was 12, my first playoff game as a birthday present, and the second present was a brand new camera. I got a shot, and because of the angle and where I was, “all” I got was the foot with heel just hovering the sideline!
I had it autographed by Sean the next year.. goosebumps still.
Nice
May 31st, 2010 at 9:01 pm
Beautiful! I LOVE it. Gives me goose bumps even now.
June 1st, 2010 at 5:40 am
That shot is still one of the more underrated shots in NBA Playoff history, IMO.
June 1st, 2010 at 7:45 am
Am I the only one who thinks that hearing the NBA on NBC theme song at the end of this clip was *almost* as good as seeing the shot again? That theme song epitomized NBA basketball in the ’90s and brings back a TON of memories (basketball and non-basketball).
June 1st, 2010 at 7:47 am
Still gives me the chills….
June 1st, 2010 at 7:51 am
@TrueFan
Totally agree. That, along with the Bulls intro music…..that’s as good as it gets…
June 1st, 2010 at 1:36 pm
nothing much better than that.
June 1st, 2010 at 2:05 pm
I totally forgot Will Perdue was a Spur until seeing him on the sidelines in utter disbelief.
Now that I do remember, I recall him playing some very solid reserve defense that year when 50 went to the bench.
Sigh. I miss solid 7-footers off of the bench. Think about: Greg Kite, Luc Longley, Ty Corbin, etc. Where are all of those kinds of guys now? Gortat seems like about the only one. Everyone else is a “stretch-four”.
June 3rd, 2010 at 4:37 am
Definitely one of the best moments I ever lived! Thanks Sean for all the memories!!
June 3rd, 2010 at 4:07 pm
I remember being on the riverwalk that day and everyone watching the game on the tv’s in the restaurants…staff included
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