San Antonio Spurs force OT on LaMarcus Aldridge alley-oop

The San Antonio Spurs forced overtime on a crazy last-second possession that ended with a LaMarcus Aldridge alley-oop to tie the game.

The playoffs are just over a week away, but San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies fans are getting a small dose of the atmosphere that is the finale to their regular season matchup tonight.

With under 12 seconds left in regulation, that’s when things got very interesting.

It’s no surprise that Kawhi Leonard did more elite things when his team needed him the most, tying the game with a jumper with 4.9 seconds to play. Leonard now serves as the alpha of this team after Tim Duncan’s retirement and LaMarcus Aldridge’s regression as a first option. Leonard is having the best season thus far of his short NBA career, and head coach Gregg Popovich has put all his trust in Leonard. Because of shots like this, it’s rightfully deserved.

This wasn’t the end of dramatics in this matchup, though. Next came a sighting of vintage Zach Randolph and while Randolph is not the force he once was, he is still a vital piece in contributing to the overall longevity that Memphis has been able to experience.

A player who is mostly known for his old-school playing style, Randolph moves pretty nicely off the down screen to get the turn-around shot to put his team ahead for a victory.

Then came the final play of regulation that was pure art by one of the best in the business. Popovich would use Leonard as a decoy on the final shot and designed a play for the unlikely hero, LaMarcus Aldridge.

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It was a bold play. Memphis was not ready as two defenders instantly went to close-out against what would have been a very difficult shot by Leonard. Popovich utilized his best option in this situation by going to Pau Gasol to throw the inbounds pass.

What a finish to regulation in San Antonio, no matter who wins this one.

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