Spurs overcome twenty-six point deficit, win 111-114 over Boston.

The rally of all rallies.

Boston won the opening tip and Jaylen Brown thundered the ball down past Joakim Noah's outstretched arm, wowing even the Texan crowd. Sharpshooter Kyrie Irving hit two three-pointers next, but got blocked on a jumper by Avery Bradley, tasked with defending him in this thriller.

Another exciting matchup would be Gordon Hayward & Kawhi Leonard, as the Claw swiped the ball free and then dropped in his fadeaway shot over the ex-Jazz wing. Leonard would continue to show off his skills, crossing-up Hayward off the dribble and throwing down a tomahawk jam. Meanwhile, Al Horford went to war with Joakim Noah down low, snagging a block as the Celtics capitalized on the fast break.

The Spurs offense stayed strong early in response, with Rudy Gay setting a screen for a nice three by Leonard. Irving would find himself double-teamed, try to pass out to Horford in the corner, but Noah would return the favor with his own block, the ball flying out of bounds. Next, Patty Mills and sophomore Jayson Tatum would exchange blows from long range. Leonard would join the party with another 3PTer, despite Boston being quicker out the gate. In response, the Spurs defense intensified, spanning the whole court in a full court press at times, keeping Boston on edge.

Then the 3rd quarter got underway, and the Celtics crushed the Spurs. They burst into a huge run, winning the quarter 45-22, as San Antonio's scoring went ice cold. The realization set in that the win streak may be over, as two timeouts did little to spark a comeback and the deficit only grew. The Spurs found themselves down big, 92-67 as Jayson Tatum threw down another slam.

Next, the 4th quarter and the turnaround comeback of the season!

"Stop waiting for a miracle! Make it happen!"

Things just kept going right for San Antone, whittling down the lead bit by bit, blow for blow, as Boston went cold on shooting the ball and started turning the ball over. The Spurs defense held strong, passes were deflected left and right by Rudy Gay and Leonard. Somehow, someway, San Antonio got within fifteen points, then within single digits, notched at a spread of three. The Spurs momentarily rejoiced and took wise timeouts down the stretch to give Leonard a blow (who had played the entire game) and then tied the game. And then?

The Spurs took the lead, and a second mini-war ensued, courtesy of Patty Mills getting hot from long range and firing away, not to be discouraged by a chilly start to the game and the lack of impact by Dejounte Murray. Boston would try to recuperate after claiming the lead once more, but it was just one of those nights. A bad shot by Kyrie Irving saw the ball flying out of bounds hard off the front of the rim, and next Kyle O'Quinn would steal an inbound pass and be all by his lonesome streaking up court for the definitive dunk.

A very dejected Kyrie Irving...

In one last ditch effort, Gordon Hayward's floater splashed in as Noah knocked him down hard, drawing a whistle, but Hayward would miss the free throw. O'Quinn would be fouled after catching the rebound, making one of two. "No threes!" Coach Popovich told his team, with the lead at two, and Kyrie Irving would miss a two-point attempt, at the point where O'Quinn would make another one of two from the line to close it out, the ball falling in to the collective leap of joy by the crowd.

Despite shooting 41% earlier in the game, the Spurs improved to 50%, still less than Boston's 55%, but making more three-point shots. Boston dominated the paint early, but the Spurs closed it out at 54-50, including some crucial offensive rebounds that led to scored buckets. Boston stopped turning the ball over at the mark of 18, with 16 being the total steals by the Spurs.

Kawhi Leonard had 26 points and 7 rebounds with 3 steals on 10-15 shooting, 2-5 from deep. Patty Mills made six three-pointers, despite going 8-21 due to the cold start, with 5 assists and two steals. Avery Bradley had a nice dunk once the Spurs regained the seemingly unobtainable lead, finishing with 17 points on 6-11 shooting, including a fast break 3PTer during the remarkable rally. Rudy Gay had 13 points and 3 steals, his wingspan disrupting Boston's play-making. Pau Gasol had 11 points and 6 rebounds with 2 steals, showing off his post arsenal. Joakim Noah had 10 points and 9 rebounds.

In the devastating loss--as Kyrie Irving shook his head, leaving the court--Irving had 23 points with 7 assists on 8-18 shooting; Jaylen Brown had 23 points with 2 steals, going 10-17. Jayson Tatum had 13 points with 7 rebounds; hounded by Leonard, Hayward had just 10 points. Terry Rozier and Al Horford combined for 20 points and 12 rebounds. Marcus Morris had 9 points, 6 rebounds; Marcus Smart had 9 points, a solid bench effort overall that ultimately went awry.

"We never give up. It's just not the Spurs way," Leonard told reporters after the amazing victory.