So…uh…What Exactly Happened On That Tony Parker Shot?
By Jae Bradley
In case you were unable to watch Game 1 because you were stuck in the middle of the Yukon (which sounds bad enough as it is…) while being hunted by a hungry wolfpack (this couldn’t be the plot of some movie starring Liam Neeson, could it?), here’s how Game 1 went down in 30 words or less:
A. It was a back-and-forth game, with the Heat taking a slim lead heading to the fourth quarter…
B. …and then Tony Parker won the game on this ridiculous shot.
Crazy. And because there’s so much craziness going on…I break down “The Shot” frame-by-frame.
Let’s get started.
First thing to notice, 10 seconds left on the shot clock, 17.3 seconds left on the game clock. The Spurs are winning by two points, so if they don’t score here, and Miami regains possession, Miami has a chance to tie (or win) the game.
The Spurs run a “Horns” set here, which is when their two big men set high ball screens, while their two remaining player set up shop on either corner three areas. LeBron is guarding Tony Parker, but he and Mike Miller are about to switch because of Kawhi Leonard’s imminent pick on LeBron.