HAIL THE SPURS SAVIOR: GARY NEAL

If not for Gary Neal, one of the biggest first round upsets in NBA playoff history could have occurred. The buzzer-beating 3-point heave of the San Antonio Spurs rookie guard sent game five into overtime in which San Antonio eventually won against the Memphis Grizzlies, 110-103. Actually there is a funny story teammate Manu Ginobili told about the first time he worked out with Neal. At the same time, Neal is thankful he is truly blessed that he is in the NBA right now and making the biggest shot of his life, according to the league’s official website.

Manu Ginobili: “It was mid-September. I was working out and he showed up one day. They told me that this was the new shooter we had. I'm not lying when I say that I saw him miss the first 20 shots that he took. I'm not kidding. We were playing open gym and he was shooting confidently. But he wasn't making one.”

Gary Neal: “When I think about where I've been and where I was this time a year ago, in Malaga, Spain, I never could have pictured this, being in a Game 5 of the NBA playoffs with an opportunity to tie the game up and extend the series.”