Former NBA forward Robert Horry believes he is one of the kings of clutch.
Horry said Wednesday on ESPN he belongs on the NBA's Mount Rushmore of clutch players alongside Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller and Kobe Bryant:
"MJ, Kobe, Reggie Miller & myself!" – @RKHorry on his Mt Rushmore of clutch players in NBA history
📊 via @bball_ref#NBA #NBATwitter #TheJump pic.twitter.com/pj1teYRX4X
— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) March 17, 2021
This one is sure to generate quite a bit of buzz online, but Robert Horry actually has an interesting case.
The 16-year veteran might not have the same number of buzzer-beaters as some of his more iconic peers. However, he hit two of the most important shots in the 2000s. Let's do some refreshing.
The Los Angeles Lakers trailed the Sacramento Kings 2-1 in the 2002 Western Conference Finals, and things looked bleak in Game 4. Sacramento took a 14-point lead into the break, and it looked for all the world like the Kings would take a 3-1 advantage.
But Horry helped lead L.A. back. He scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half, and the biggest of those came at the very end of the game.
The Lakers trailed by two when Bryant drove on Kings guard Mike Bibby. His layup was no good, and Shaquille O'Neal came up short on the put-back attempt. The ball was batted out to Horry beyond the 3-point arc, and he found nothing but net to tie the series. Los Angeles would defeat the Kings and complete a three-peat.
Just three years later, Robert Horry again turned the tide of a big series, this time as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs and Detroit Pistons were knotted at two games apiece in the 2005 NBA Finals, and Detroit had a two-point lead late in Game 5.
Horry was the inbounder on a side-out play and got the ball right back from Manu Ginobili after Manu was trapped in the corner. Horry drilled the triple to give San Antonio a 3-2 series lead, and the Spurs would eventually win the title in seven games. He scored 21 points in that Game 5.
Maybe Robert Horry isn't deserving of being on this Mount Rushmore, but basketball fans shouldn't sleep on his clutch resume. Plus, of course, he also has seven rings.
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