In the land where the flair for the dramatics is a staple for any Hollywood ending, it was on this night two decades ago “Big Shot Bob” solidified his clutch nickname.
Twenty years to the day, the 3-seed Lakers matched with the 1-seed Sacramento Kings in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. L.A. grabbed a win in Game 1 before Sacramento took the next two, setting up a pivotal fourth game.
The Kings dropped 40 points and jumped out to a 20-point lead at the end of the first quarter. A 31-25 second quarter for the Lake Show cut the deficit down to 14 as the two went into the half.
A competitive third by the Purple and Gold set the stage for a final quarter that will forever be remembered because of one man: Robert Horry.
Vlade Divac would split two free throws to give Sacramento a 99-97 with 11 seconds in the game as the Lakers used a timeout to set up one final play.
Many eyes were on both Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal for the final shot, considering the two had 25-plus points to lead the team.
“The only thing going through my mind was I hope Kobe is able to beat Doug Christie off the dribble and get to the basket,” Horry recalled in a later interview. “If not, we always had the big fella in Shaq to get the rebound.”
Off the inbounds play, Kobe possessed the ball at the wing with Christie providing a heavy defensive pressure. Bryant dribbled to his right (Christie still glued to his hip) and drove to the basket for a contested shot against Divac.
The ball would hit off the front rim into the hands of O’Neal, who promptly went back up for a layup. Divac again made a great defensive play, blocked the shot, and tipped the ball to what appeared to be a vacant area on the court.
While nine players crashed the boards in an effort to grab a rebound, Horry stood alone at the top of the key. The ball took one perfect bounce into his hands and the shot was put up as a determined Chris Webber sprinted towards him trying to make a block.
The great Marv Albert made the call:
“Bryant putting the moves on Christie. Rebound O’Neal, coming up short. Horry for the win…Yes.”
The STAPLES Center crowd erupted as Horry was mobbed by his fellow teammates in celebration following his series-tying shot.
“Oh, I knew it was good,” Horry said. “When you’re playing good, you’re feeling good, and you’re feeling hot, and you let it go and know it’s going to splish-splash.”
Lakers head coach Phil Jackson said in his interview with the media postgame, “I didn’t draw it up like that, but we got the shot we wanted.”
L.A. trailed by as many as 24 points and only led twice during the entire contest: when they scored the first two points of the game and when “Big Shot Bob” hit the final shot.
This marked the second-largest comeback in Lakers playoff history (a 29-point comeback in 1989 vs Seattle is the largest).
Horry scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter alone and without his buzzer-beating winner, who knows if the Lakers defeat the Kings (Sacramento would win Game 5) and earn the chance for a three-peat.
Robert Horry finished his career a seven-time NBA champion, is one of only four players in NBA history to have won a championship with three teams (Houston - 1994, 1995 / Lakers – 2000-02 / San Antonio – 2005, 2007), and will go down as one of the greatest clutch performers in NBA history.