Tim Duncan knows it. He had his best look of the game against Shane Battier with just under 50 seconds remaining in Game 7 and the San Antonio Spurs trailing the Miami Heat by two points. At 6'11, Duncan had three inches on Butler, but after Duncan went up, what transpired in the following seconds is still a mystery to many.
Duncan made his move to the hole and missed a tough hook, but then missed a tip-in from right underneath the hoop. Duncan put too much on the tip and the ball almost completely missed the rim. The pressure was on at this moment, but pressure never seemed to get the best of Duncan, who was 4-0 in NBA Finals before losing to the Miami Heat in seven games.
Duncan's situation differed somewhat to Patrick Ewing's. First of all, the Knicks and Pacers were playing in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Also, the Knicks were leading that game until Reggie Miller decided to go off on the Knicks in the final seconds of this Game 7. The Knicks' season rode on Ewing's shot as time wound down in a do-or-die moment, whereas the Spurs had a little more breathing room.
However, the similarities are vast and in a way, Duncan's miss was worse. Both had open looks at the basket and they were makeable shots. Also, more importantly, the shots would have tied both games. The reason why Duncan's miss is worse is because he had two chances to tie the game.
Duncan was hard on himself in the postgame, but the last thing he wants to do is blame himself for the loss. The Spurs had multiple chances down the stretch, but they simply couldn't make a bucket in the final two minutes of the game.
We leave you with Ewing's miss and the link to Duncan's miss.
