782: The 1.4 Seconds Reclaimed (4K)

Gregg Popovich really wanted to hug Danny Green and kiss him right now.

That guy had been downright superstar-like today!

At two crucial moments, one in each half, Danny Green had saved the Spurs. Without Green, the Spurs might have completely lost control of the game by the end of the first half.

Without Green, the Spurs would not have taken a two-point lead with 18.2 seconds left in the game, either!

Popovich felt victory was already within reach. The San Antonio Spurs were about to become the first team in this season's playoffs to take down the Grizzlies!

And after this game, the GDP trio would stand atop the NBA's all-time playoff wins list for three-man combinations, with 111 postseason victories!

Today was destined to be a legendary night for the Spurs. Link, who had gone 1-for-8 from three, could not change anything!

Now, Popovich only needed to consider two things. First, how to defend over the final 18.2 seconds. Second, if the Grizzlies tied the game with a two-pointer, how the Spurs would finish them off.

To Popovich, neither problem was difficult at all.

If Link had been hot today, Popovich would definitely have been tearing his hair out. Relying on one-on-one defense against Link in crunch time was far too risky. He would have needed to figure out how to lock Link down without giving everyone else too much room.

But fortunately, Link seemed to have left his shooting touch at home today. Popovich could therefore confidently use man-to-man defense and prevent every Grizzlies player from getting an easy shot.

If the Grizzlies tied the score, Popovich would draw up separate plays for Duncan and Green—Plans A and B. By then, even one point would be enough for the Spurs to kill the game. So even if