Big Shot Rob

If I had a vote for Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, Robert Horry would have earned my vote last night. “Big Shot Rob” lived up to his name and absolutely bailed out the Spurs in Game 5 of the Finals. I hadn’t watched any of game until the end of the third, but just in time for the Robert Horry Show. While Tony Parked was busy turning over the ball and Duncan was busy missing free throws (BEND YOUR F*CKING KNEES!), Horry waited until crunch time to deliver everything and anything San Antonio need to win.

The stat line will say Horry scored 21 of SA’s last 35 points but it doesn’t tell the whole story. He was grabbing HUGE offensive rebounds. His help defense was instrumental in keeping the Pistons out of the lane. He nailed some clutch 3s and NEVER hesitated to fire them up there (how many role players have balls like that?). And maybe most impressive is that he played all of overtime with 5 fouls. Horry put an epic performance and certainly vaulted himself into legendary status in my mind. Seriously, the guy will have won his sixth ring by Friday (from 3 different teams: Rockets/Lakers/Spurs). He’s been vital to each of those teams. Who wouldn’t want to be this guy? Multimillionaire sixth man who is forever remembered for his playoff heroics in crunch time and not a superstar so there no pressure to carry the team to a title. Aside from Shaq is there another player you’d rather be?

And it wouldn’t be me, if I didn’t point out a Tarheel and magnify their faults/weaknesses. If the Rasheed Wallace trade helped Detroit win the title last year, he damn well may have cost them a title this year. I mean my God! How do leave Robert Horry open in crunchtime…in a playoff game...to double team GINOBOLI?? Not just open, WIDE OPEN. Are you kidding me? I know Larry Brown or one of the coaches was smart enough to tell him in the timeout not to leave Horry. “Don’t let Horry beat us?” Didnt he realize Horry had just hit 4 threes and scored 18 point in an 17 minute span? Rasheed’s brainfart has to be up there with Sleepy Floyd and Chris Webber on the all time boneheaded plays. Ironically, he almost pulled a Webber before overtime. He tried to call timeout before the buzzer sounded to end regulation. Only problem is they didn’t have any left. Luckily time had barely expired. Unfortunately though, he’ll have to endure a lifetime of Finals highlights/montages where he’s shown double-teaming Manu Ginoboli to set up probably the championship wining three. The bigger question now is: does this mean he has to hand over his championship belt to Horry and Duncan?