One Shot
One shot.
Legends rise and fall based on it.
Championships are won and lost on it.
Memories are haunted by it.
Michael Jordan did a lot of great things throughout his career, but the lasting image is him rising up over Byron Russell, draining what would be the Finals-winning shot over the Utah Jazz in the 1998 Finals. Robert Horry, though not an all-time great, is forever remembered for clutch shots in the post-season. Reggie Miller's exploits against the New York Knicks were just short of miraculous. Even guys like John Paxon and Steve Kerr have single moments that cement their place in NBA history, moments etched it time that will never be forgotten. There are opportunities every season for other players to add their names to the list of guys making their mark with a single shot. Some make it, and some, unfortunately don't. It should come as no surprise that the 2013 NBA Finals hinged on one as well.
Game six wasn't the last game of the series, but it was pivotal, with the San Antonio Spurs trying to avoid playing an emotional Game seven against a hungry LeBron James and the Miami Heat. The final minute was a fevered rush of strategy and shots, with the Spurs just a few breaths away from dethroning the Heat. After a James three-pointer, the Spurs, up two, represented by Kawhi Leonard, were at the free throw line, with a chance to make it a likely insurmountable four-point lead. The free throw is both the easiest and the toughest shot in basketball, and history will show that with the championship on the line, Leonard missed one of two and Ray Allen did the rest, sending things to overtime, where the Heat won.
Leonard, and Spurs fans, will likely see that missed free throw in their dreams for quite some time. It's especially unfair for Leonard, who, had he made the shot, still wouldn't have been immortalized for a game-clinching free throw. Those shots are only remembered when they're missed. That this one helped cost the Spurs the game, and then the series makes it even more excruciating. Despite an amazing performance in the Finals as a whole, Leonard has become the recipient of the blame in the eyes of fans. He says he's moving on and that he's fine. He's young, talented, and will have many more opportunities to shine, so there's no reason to doubt him.
The 2013 NBA Championship series is in the books, and when we look back we'll see highlights of LeBron James proving he's clutch in the Playoffs, of Tony Parker making one of the more improbable shots we've ever seen to win a game, and of Ray Allen, doing what he does best, knocking down the game-tying three-pointer in Game Six. Memories of failure fade in the minds of fans in contrast to the shining moments of success. Kawhi Leonard, though, might remember the series differently. He, undoubtedly, will recall his failure to make the biggest free throw of his young career. No matter where he goes from here, even if he wins multiple championships in the NBA, he'll always remember the one that got away. He'll never forget that one shot.
Legends rise and fall based on it.
Championships are won and lost on it.
Memories are haunted by it.
Michael Jordan did a lot of great things throughout his career, but the lasting image is him rising up over Byron Russell, draining what would be the Finals-winning shot over the Utah Jazz in the 1998 Finals. Robert Horry, though not an all-time great, is forever remembered for clutch shots in the post-season. Reggie Miller's exploits against the New York Knicks were just short of miraculous. Even guys like John Paxon and Steve Kerr have single moments that cement their place in NBA history, moments etched it time that will never be forgotten. There are opportunities every season for other players to add their names to the list of guys making their mark with a single shot. Some make it, and some, unfortunately don't. It should come as no surprise that the 2013 NBA Finals hinged on one as well.
Game six wasn't the last game of the series, but it was pivotal, with the San Antonio Spurs trying to avoid playing an emotional Game seven against a hungry LeBron James and the Miami Heat. The final minute was a fevered rush of strategy and shots, with the Spurs just a few breaths away from dethroning the Heat. After a James three-pointer, the Spurs, up two, represented by Kawhi Leonard, were at the free throw line, with a chance to make it a likely insurmountable four-point lead. The free throw is both the easiest and the toughest shot in basketball, and history will show that with the championship on the line, Leonard missed one of two and Ray Allen did the rest, sending things to overtime, where the Heat won.
Leonard, and Spurs fans, will likely see that missed free throw in their dreams for quite some time. It's especially unfair for Leonard, who, had he made the shot, still wouldn't have been immortalized for a game-clinching free throw. Those shots are only remembered when they're missed. That this one helped cost the Spurs the game, and then the series makes it even more excruciating. Despite an amazing performance in the Finals as a whole, Leonard has become the recipient of the blame in the eyes of fans. He says he's moving on and that he's fine. He's young, talented, and will have many more opportunities to shine, so there's no reason to doubt him.
The 2013 NBA Championship series is in the books, and when we look back we'll see highlights of LeBron James proving he's clutch in the Playoffs, of Tony Parker making one of the more improbable shots we've ever seen to win a game, and of Ray Allen, doing what he does best, knocking down the game-tying three-pointer in Game Six. Memories of failure fade in the minds of fans in contrast to the shining moments of success. Kawhi Leonard, though, might remember the series differently. He, undoubtedly, will recall his failure to make the biggest free throw of his young career. No matter where he goes from here, even if he wins multiple championships in the NBA, he'll always remember the one that got away. He'll never forget that one shot.
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