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San Antonio Spurs: Cory Joseph’s Growth

By Tyrone Bowman

December 19, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the ball against San Antonio Spurs point guard Cory Joseph (5) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
December 19, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the ball against San Antonio Spurs point guard Cory Joseph (5) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Patty Mills
Nov 29, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Patty Mills (left) talks with teammate point guard Cory Joseph (right) during the second half against the Orlando Magic at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

San Antonio’s Third-String Point Guard Helps Spurs Return To The Finals

Starting in place of Parker (sat out due to injury) during the second half, Joseph led San Antonio back from a seven-point deficit at the break to play for the championship once again after coming so close the previous season to winning a fifth title.

The Spurs outscored the the Thunder 37-20 during a pivotal third period. Possibly a forgotten reason was Cory, whose one bucket with 8:12 left in the period pulled San Antonio within one.

On the next Spurs possession, Joseph set Boris Diaw up for three and their first lead in more than eight minutes. Altogether, Cory sparked San Antonio to a 14-5 spurt to open the third and his reward was a rest on the bench and a pat on the back.

Besides having two points on 1-of-3 shooting with a dime, Joseph brought energy and defensive tenacity to turn things around. In other words, Cory did the little things to help the Spurs outscore Oklahoma City by seven points while he was on the floor.

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