Most Heartbreaking Moments of 2012-2013
By David MacKay
#3) Tim Duncan slaps the floor in game 7
The most mild-mannered, even-tempered, gentle giant in the NBA lost his cool in the final minute of the NBA Finals. He had just blown what should have been an easy layup to tie the game and, for perhaps the first time in 16 seasons, let his frustration show. It was so difficult to watch because after all he’d given the Spurs in his resurgent season, he was clearly putting the blame on himself.
It was such a surreal thing to see that I thought I had imagined it for a moment. Replay after replay was not enough to convince me, but his post-game interview made me believe my eyes. The Big Fundamental was visibly shaken. He hung his head as he responded to the question, “Is game six you think what’s going to stick in your mind the most about this series?”
"“For me? No, game seven. Missing a layup to tie the game, making a bad decision down the stretch, unabale to stop Dwyane and LeBron; probably, for me, game seven is always going to haunt me.”"
When asked if he would be back next season, he thought about it for a moment before saying, “I have a contract that says I am…” That one really hit home for me. In that moment, arguably the steadiest man in NBA history’s heart wasn’t in it; and that pained mine.