During the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, two things were trending worldwide on Twitter.
One was "LeBron's Game 3."
That's understandable. King James was flat-out terrible Tuesday night.
The other: "Gary Neal."
Huh?
Chances are, if you don't live near the Riverwalk, you are not very familiar with the Spurs guard.
But now you are.
Twitter blew up right along with Neal's big game.
"Gary Neal out there looking like @StephenCurry30," David Lee tweeted.
Gary Neal out there looking like @stephencurry30 ... #stephcenter
— David Lee (@Dlee042) June 12, 2013
"Gary Neal. Uncounscious," tweeted Hangover III's Ken Jeong.
"Gary Neal with the Heat check #GreenLight," Spurs legend David Robinson tweeted.
Gary Neal with the Heat check #GreenLight
— David Robinson (@DavidtheAdmiral) June 12, 2013
The Spurs needed a spark after they were run off the court in Miami in Game 2.
They got it out of Neal in the form of 24 points on the back of hitting six of the Spurs' NBA Finals record 16 3-point field goal, including a buzzer-beater at the end of the first half that ended a Miami run, and turned the tide for good in the Spurs favor.
So, who is Gary Neal you ask?
Well, we'll tell you.
- Born in Baltimore, Maryland. Led his high school basketball team to a Maryland state championship as a junior, averaging a triple-double on the season.
- Neal was the Atlantic Ten Rookie of the Year in 2004 for La Salle University.
- He went undrafted in 2007. Yep, nobody wanted him.
- Neal went to Europe to continue his basketball career, playing five seasons for such basketball powerhouses as Pinar Karsiyaka (Turkey), FC Barcelona Basquet (Spain), Pallacanestro Treviso (Italy) and Baloncesto Malaga (Spain).
- In 2010, the Spurs signed him to a three-year deal, playing an important role for the team backing up Tony Parker for the last three seasons.
- He is a hilarious pitchman for Northside Ford in San Antonio with teammate Tiago Splitter.
If you didn't know who Gary Neal is, you do now. And so do the Miami Heat.
