"As soon as the ball left his hand, Danny Green had a plan.

It is one he lifted from one of the most painful chapters of Spurs history, from a player who made a similar shot facing similar odds nearly eight years ago.

Even before Green pulled a Derek Fisher — swishing a turnaround jumper that appeared to give the Spurs a breathtaking buzzer-beating victory over Dallas — he had mapped his escape from the American Airlines Center.

"I was going to run out of the gym, just like Derek did," said Green. "I said, 'Guys, let's go. Let's get the heck out of here.'

"Nobody wanted to follow my lead.""