Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Robert Horry made a career out of making big baskets in the playoffs. From the start of his career in Houston to its final stop in San Antonio, Horry sank too many clutch shots to mention. It also earned him the nickname “Big Shot Bob.”
Among his greatest hits, Horry’s buzzer-beating three-pointer in Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals stands out as the most well-known, and rightfully so.Without that shot, the Los Angeles Lakers would have fallen 1-3 down in the series against the Sacramento Kings, and their three-peat bid would have been in peril. But Horry made that shot, and the Lakers won their third straight title that year. It’s a play that has been replayed over and over in the last two decades.
During his recent appearance on the “First Team” podcast, the seven-time NBA champion talked about the play known as “What the fu**”.
The “What the fu**” play
In several past interviews, Horry revealed that the play they were running in that particular situation was what the Lakers dubbed as “What the fu**”. According to Horry, he was supposed to set a high pick for Kobe Bryant who was to drive to the basket.
If Horry’s defender would switch and follow Kobe, the “Black Mamba” would kick it back out to “Big Shot” for the win-or-go-home shot. Rob said that’s how he earned the reputation as one of the greatest clutch basket-maker of all time.
“You look at all my big shots I made with the Lakers, I think nine out of 10 came from Kobe, kicking it to me and having that belief in me,” explained Horry. “That one, he had a direct line to the basket. He missed it. Shaq missed the tip, and Vlade Divac did what most people are supposed to do – tip it out.”
Not a lucky shot
Divac has consistently argued that he made the right decision to tip the ball as far from the basket as possible. However, he said that Horry was in the right place and at the right time. And Rob made a lucky shot. “Big Shot” disagreed with Divac and insisted that he was at the top of the key for a couple of reasons.
“People always want to say, ‘Why were you standing there?’ First of all, it’s two things that’s going on in my mind. Kobe’s going to kick it back to me, number one. And number two is I’m going to get the ball and knock down a three because I’m the type of guy who is going for the win, going for the dagger,” added Robert.
Horry was one of the few players that Bryant trusted the ball with if the game was on the line. Of course, Kobe’s priority was to take the shot himself. But considering he was one of the most well-guarded players ever, his “Big Shot” was his most reliable option. And on that fateful 2002 night, Robert delivered.
