Today in Spurs History: Sean Elliott's Memorial Day Miracle
For a franchise as historical as the San Antonio Spurs, there's a handful of memorable plays to choose from when deciding which one reigns supreme.
But many fans consider the shot that ignited the Spurs' dynasty to be the risky, yet heroic 3-pointer that Sean Elliott hit on May 31 in Game 2 of the 1999 Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. It will forever remain known as the "Memorial Day Miracle."
With 12 seconds left and San Antonio down two, Mario Elie threw an inbound pass toward the near corner to Elliott that barely missed the outstretched fingertips of Blazers guard Stacey Augmon, who was going for the steal. The delivery was a tad far from where it was supposed to be, nearly forcing Elliott out of bounds.
But after one gather dribble, as his heels hovered over the out-of-bounds line, Elliott's high-arching 3 over the long arms of NBA legend Rasheed Wallace gave the Spurs an 86-85 lead, their first of the game.
While the shot is one of the most famous in NBA Playoff history, it could've been erased from memory if the Blazers scored on the ensuing possession, as Elliott left a full nine seconds on the clock. And instead of a legendary shot, he could have been criticized for rushing a missed 3-pointer rather than going for the game-tying two points.
"That's the shot you take with the clock running out, not with nine seconds left," NBC play-by-play voice Bob Costas said on the broadcast.
Nonetheless, the Blazers never got a solid look at the rim in the closing seconds, as the Spurs would take a 2-0 lead before completing the sweep to advance to the NBA Finals.
It was Elliot's sixth 3-pointer of the game, as he finished with 22 points on 6-7 shooting from deep.
The Spurs would go on to beat the eighth-seeded New York Knicks in five games in the NBA Finals, giving San Antonio its first title in franchise history.
Elliott averaged 14.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists on 47 percent shooting during his 12-year career. Along with his famed shot, fans know him as the lead Spurs broadcast analyst alongside longtime play-by-play voice Bill Land on Bally Sports Southwest.
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