Spurs cite Vince Carter's Game 3 buzzer-beater as turning point

The San Antonio Spurs are rolling along now, in a position to sweep the Portland Trail Blazers out of the playoffs on Monday night, but ask the team, and they'll point to their lowest moment this postseason as the reason why they are in the position they are in.

That came in Game 3 of the opening round, when Dallas Mavericks forward Vince Carter hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to put the Mavericks up 2-1 in that series.

Since then, the Spurs are 6-1, and can advance to their third consecutive Western Conference Final with just a single win in any of their next four games.

“Down 2-1, Dallas really made it a series. They played great basketball — everybody was playing very well on that team and they made it hard on us,” Spurs guard Tony Parker said, via the Toronto Star. 

“In Game 7 you have to show up because if you don’t the season’s over. I think we learned from it, and so far we’re playing good.”

Boris Diaw agreed, noting that the series has helped to focus the team.

“We had our back against the wall and we had to play good,” Diaw said. “We’ve been playing the same way since then — so probably a turning point for us.”

Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts has certainly noticed a difference in the Spurs.

“This is as well as I’ve seen them play all season,”Stotts said. “By Game 7 against Dallas, they came out of the gate and they haven’t stopped since then.”

The Blazers are the last team to have taken a series to a seventh game after trailing 3-0, but no NBA team has lost a seven-game playoff series after taking a 3-0 lead.