Brian Shaw reminisces on clutch 3s in Game 7 vs. Portland

Naveen Ganglani

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Brian Shaw reminisces on clutch 3s in Game 7 vs. Portland
What was Brian Shaw thinking when he was left open for those two crucial 3-pointers he hit against the Trail Blazers?

MANILA, Philippines – During his current trip to the Philippines, 3-time NBA champion and former Denver Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw spoke to the media about one of the most memorable games ever in National Basketball Association history: the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals.

Shaw’s Lakers trailed Portland, 71-58, entering the final quarter of the do-or-die contest, with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. Behind the brilliant play of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles rallied to steal the win en route to claiming that year’s NBA title over the Indiana Pacers in 6 games. 

But Los Angeles – which would go on to win two more titles in 2001 and 2002, forming a dynasty – might not have prevailed against Scottie Pippen, Rasheed Wallace, Steve Smith, and the Trail Blazers if not for two clutch 3-pointers hit by Shaw in the fourth period – one from the corner, and the other from the wing which tied the game at 75 with 3:37 to go in the game.

 

Shaq and Kobe took things over from there, launching one of the best reigns the NBA has ever seen.

“During the break between the third and fourth quarters, Phil Jackson said to us that we were spending too much time trying to get the ball inside to Shaq (that season’s MVP), and so he said, ‘Hey, when he kicks the ball back out on the double-team, be ready to shoot,’” Shaw said on Wednesday, July 29.

“So when your coach gives you the confidence, and tells you he wants you to shoot the ball when they kick the ball back out, you know that’s all we needed to hear.”  

Shaw, now 49, is currently in the Philippines for NBA Fit Week. The former head coach will conduct drills to help share his knowledge of coaching to other coaches here in the country while improving the skills of high school and college players.

Smith, who scored 18 points in his team’s loss, revealed during an episode of NBA TV’s Open Court talk show that he suggested to the Blazers bench to double-team Shaq using Glen Rice’s defender rather than Shaw’s. 

Rice has earned a reputation for being a well-respected shooter throughout his NBA career, but Smith believed the risk of leaving Shaw open outweighed the risk of leaving Rice free.

 

“We had to double [Shaq], right? So I said come off Glen Rice, and everybody thought I was a fool,” Smith said.  

“Because I figured [if] you come off Glen Rice, he’s going to make or miss the shot, but if you run Glen off the 3, you have a better chance. 

“Brian Shaw is going to make the next play. Our coaching staff wanted to come off Brian Shaw, and, here we go.”

“I was just fortunate that those shots were falling and they were able to give us some momentum and get us back in the game, in position to win that game so we can go on and win the Finals that year,” Shaw commented about his made 3-pointers.

When asked if his clutch shots were the reason the Lakers’ dynasty was formed, he mentioned the contributions of his teammates as the main factor, but also said that those jumpers significantly helped propel them to their first title.

“It was a part of it. I mean, obviously, without Kobe doing what he does and Shaq doing what he does, as well as Robert Horry and the rest of the guys, [we wouldn’t have won.]”

“But that definitely gave us a lot of confidence coming back in that situation and winning,” said Shaw.

“And I think it did spur the first of the 3 championships that we got.”

– Rappler.com

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