BIG SHOT ROB! GAME FIVE WAS INTENSE

First game of the NBA Playoffs that kept me glued to the couch. The whole second half was one clutch shot or play after another. I was leaning towards the Pistons even though I liked the Spurs since the early days of David Robinson and Sean Elliot. Detroits grit and guts just appeal to me.

As I was rooting for the Pistons, each time Robert Horry made a clutch play (e.g. three-pointer, putback, etc.) I would yell, "You the MAN, Bob! You are SO MONEY!"

I could have written a lengthy post praising Horry, but Bill Simmons just does a better job. He gives me another reason why follow his articles like a squirrel on an acorn:

...Here's the point: Even if Horry had retired in 2003, we would have remembered Big Shot Bob for life. But he saved his defining moment for Sunday night, throwing a rattled Spurs team on his back in Detroit and making … I mean … it would almost demean what happened to write something like "some huge 3-pointers" or "a number of game-saving plays." Considering the situation (a budding Spurs collapse that seemed eerily reminiscent of the 2004 Lakers series), the circumstances (nobody else on his team was stepping up) and the opponent (one of the best defensive teams ever, playing at home), Horry's Game 5 ranks alongside MJ's Game 6 in 1998, Worthy's Game 7 in 1988, Frazier's Game 7 in 1970 and every other clutch Finals performance over the years. If Horry hadn't scored 21 of his team's last 35 points, the Spurs would have been "Dead Man Walking" heading back to San Antonio. Instead, they're probably going to win the title Tuesday night.
.....
In a league loaded with guys who believe they're better than they actually are, Horry understands his own strengths and limitations better than anyone. That's what makes him so great. And that's why I like the poker analogy for him. He's the guy sitting at the table with a towering stack of chips, the guy who never chases a bad hand, the guy who makes your heart pound when he's staring you down. You never remember the hands he lost, but you always remember the ones he won. And when he finally cashes out and gets up from the table, you hope you never have to see him again. (full article)