Duke 104
Grand Rapids Hoops (CBA) 74

(November 11, 2000)

  Duke thumped the Grand Rapids Hoops of the CBA 104-74 on Saturday the 11th in Cameron, but it was a much closer game than the final score would indicate.  While Duke was ahead for the entire game, they only led by 10 at the half and didn't start to extend their lead until five minutes into the second half.  The Devils tightened up their rotation a bit for this contest, with 7 players getting most of the minutes in the first half and most of the regulars playing deep into the second half.  The Hoops had some quality players, led by former UNC-Charlotte star Sean Colson, former Auburn player Bryant Smith and of course Tony Lang, a fixture on the early 90's final four teams for Duke.  Grand Rapids had earlier beaten Michigan by 1 point and lost to Mississippi State by 2, so they were expected to give Duke a  good game but not to have a real chance at beating them.

The biggest story of this game was Jason Williams' foul trouble.  He  went out with four fouls early in the second half, but the Devils showed they're rather different from last year's edition in one important way: Chris Duhon simply came off the bench and promptly found Dunleavy on an amazing pass.  Moreover, his long stint in the second half energized Williams when he came back into the game, who quickly reeled off three of the most incredible passes I've ever seen.  Duhon has truly proven that he's a  capable "sixth starter".

Grand Rapids brought a lot of depth and quite a bit of size (with two 7-footers), but none of their players really excelled at anything in particular.  Colson played a lot of point but seemed to prefer shooting over creating shots.  Riley and Lauderdale were huge but didn't get a lot of attempts.  Their best overall player was Bryant Smith, who did a great job at attacking Duke off the dribble.  What made GR tough was their experience and strength, which allowed them to outfight the Devils for rebounds.  Their ability to score one-on-one prevented Duke from getting into a solid rhythm offensively for much of the game.

What did Duke do to counter?  Simply put, Duke has 6 players who can put up 20 points or more on any given night.  Battier and Boozer both went over 20, Dunleavy was right behind at 19, James pitched in with 11 and Duhon & Sanders had 12 apiece off the bench.  Chris in particular showed flashes of brilliance as he had to play extended minutes at the point in the second half when Williams went out with his fourth foul.  This turned out to be the game's turning point, as Duke turned what had been an 8-10 point margin into a lead that soon turned into 15 and then 20 points.  The Devils also stepped up their effort on the boards and took better care of the ball, as well as taking better shots.  They played harder and smarter and simply whipped the Hoops in the game's last fifteen minutes.

Duke started strong and threatened to blow the Hoops out.  Dunleavy dropped a nice pass into Boozer's hands, who drove and turned for the hoop.  Williams then found Battier trailing on the break and Shane nailed the three.  After Carlos hit two foul shots, Duke put some pressure on the inbounds.  Dunleavy intercepted it and hit Shane for a short jumper.  Duke led 9-2 at that point, but Sean Colson scored 7 points to tie things up at 9.  The Devils went on a 10-2 run that began with Battier finding James in the corner for one of his usual threes.  Shane got fouled in the post and hit two, and then found Dunleavy for a three.  Duke's defense helped generate the next score, where Boozer got a deflection in the lane that Duhon picked up.  Williams then passed it to Duhon on the break, who got a goaltending call.

Grand Rapids then cut it to 6 thanks to Tony Lang and Bryant Smith, but Williams found James for another three.  Williams continued to dominate the floor action by finding Boozer in perfect position for a dunk and Sanders on the break, getting fouled as well.  The Devils had their biggest lead at 12 but it dropped back to 8 in just a couple of minutes, thanks in part to a couple of baskets from 7-4 Priest Lauderdale, one of them a posterization of Boozer.  Boozer didn't get mad, he got even, by hitting a nice 10' over Lauderdale and then getting a rebound basket after a Duhon miss.  The Devils simply couldn't shake the Hoops, and some bad turnovers by Sanders and Williams didn't help their cause as the lead was cut to 38-32 with five minutes left in the half. 

Duhon provided a spark when he came off the bench, finding Boozer for the basket and one, and then taking his man off the dribble on a superb drive.  Late in the half, he hit a couple of free throws after getting an offensive rebound, but turned the ball over with 28 seconds left in the half, leaving the door open for GR to get a final shot.  Artie Griffin nailed a long three, and Duke lost a chance to take a big lead into halftime, settling for a 10 point advantage.

Coach K kept his troops in the locker room for a long time, no doubt calmly relating the team's assorted defensive deficiencies to them.  The two teams traded baskets in the first four minutes of the half, with Battier taking a more active role.  He sank a three and posted up after getting a great entry pass from Boozer, who had flashed to the high post.  Duke was up 59-48 at this point, but then Tony Lang hit a three for the Hoops, which may have been his first ever three in Cameron!  Dunleavy found James inside for a tough basket, but the Hoops stayed within 8 with a bit over fifteen minutes left in the game. 

It was Duhon time.  He came down on a break and sank a three, and then did it again a couple of possessions later.  Suddenly, Duke was up by 17 and ready to close in for the kill.  Battier found Dunleavy for a three, which was answered by the Hoops.  Battier fired up a three which missed, but an alert Casey Sanders tapped it in.  This sparked a 10-0 run which put the game away.

Duhon found Boozer on an incredible thread-the-needle play, and was replaced by Williams.  Jason started by driving and bouncing it forward to Boozer, who was in perfect position to slam it home.  The cool Williams then  broke his defender's ankles on a fake, bounced it to Boozer with his left  hand and watched as Carlos threw it down.  Shane finished up the run with a tough drive.  The Devils weren't through; after a GR basket, Dunleavy threw an inbounds alley-oop to Boozer that brought the house down and then hit a couple of free throws.  Things got a bit ugly when ex-Razorback  Corey "Loser" Beck cold-cocked Sanders after a Duke miss, but the refs caught  it and threw him out. 

The rest of the game was mop-up duty, as Dunleavy got free to hit a couple of long jumpers, Battier closed out his night with another three, and Sanders was all over the boards.  He also scored Duke's last 6 points.     The victory was more a tribute to Duke's superior offensive firepower than to shutting down their opponent.  While Duke's guards need to do a better job at keeping their man in front of them, Duke's forwards need to react a bit quicker when this does happen.  The Devils did do a better job at reacting to screens being set, and rotated over much more quickly when shooters got loose. 

Tony Lang got a nice round of applause at the start of the game and again when he left.  He scored 11 and grabbed 5 boards, playing with his usual tenaciousness.  He blew the crowd a kiss as he left the building.    

Nick Horvath didn't play because of a foot injury; Coach K is hoping he returns for the game against Princeton.  

** Negatives:  

  1. Pressure defense.  Duke didn't do much pressing in this game and gave GR a bit too much respect at times.  The Devils did a much better job at clogging the passing lanes in the second half, but it was a stepped-up rebounding effort that eventually won the game.   

  2. Blocking out.  Duke gave up 20 offensive rebounds, with GR getting 3 shots at the basket on some attempts.  This helped offset GR's mediocre shooting percentage until Duke put the game away.   

** Positives:  

  1. Penetration.  Williams and Duhon both excelled at getting into the lane and either dishing off or pulling up.  The Devils were frequently able to get open shots by using head fakes and taking an extra dribble.  

  2. Shot selection.  Despite only shooting 10-27 (37%) from three, virtually every single shot was a good one.  I was happy to see Battier continue to shoot despite only hitting 7 of 18, and Duhon continue to plug away despite shooting an airball.  At the same time, Duke wisely started to pound away inside when their threes weren't falling in the first half.    

  3. Chemistry.  One can sense this team really starting to come together. The new key is Duhon and getting him completely integrated with the rest of the team.  He's already playing Duke-quality defense, and he's becoming more and more confident on offense.  Combine this with Dunleavy's formidable perimeter skills and you have a group that may set a team record for assists.     

Player By Player:  

** Boozer: Carlos came out with another dominant performance, this time against two 7-footers with NBA experience.  Every aspect of his game was in top form: strong drives for dunks, baseline jumpers, long jumpers, foul shots, aggressive rebounds.  His only ugly misstep was a badly-timed hook that wound up as an airball.  His almost telepathic communication with Williams was marvelous, as he did a great job of getting open time and again.  Although his assorted scoring moves were great, my favorite Boozer play was his entry pass to Battier.  It was a smart basketball play, and showed that he's unselfish and quite capable of operating out on the perimeter.  While he did sink several jumpers, he didn't forget that his bread-and-butter was down low.  His strength and hands make him very tough to stop on the low blocks, and his touch means that most anything he fires up will go in.  If Carlos continues to play with this kind of intensity and brains, Duke will be tough to stop.  About the only thing that's not outstanding is his defense, which is merely good.  He sometimes is out of position and doesn't always have a hand up when another post player shoots a jumper.      

** Battier: Shane had the sort of game that proved he's ready to aggressively lead his team.  Despite an off shooting night, he continued to fire away from the field and play hard defensively.  He took his first charge of the season and did a great job relocating the ball.  He wrestled away a couple of balls from GR players and got a few deflections.  Even though he scored 21, it didn't feel like a dominant performance, perhaps because he missed so many shots and went through long stretches without scoring.  I was also a bit distressed over his low rebound total, as the Smiths and Lang outrebounded Battier, James and Dunleavy 20-13.  Shane's passing and decision-making was excellent, as he found James and Dunleavy open for threes on quick relocation passes.     

** Dunleavy: Mike had half of the play of the night: inbounding the ball at midcourt, he noticed Boozer had a clear lane to the basket.  He threw it up perfectly to Carlos, who caught it in the air and threw it down for an awesome slam.  Otherwise, he looked smooth but not spectacular.  He  mishandled the ball a couple of times and threw an alley-oop to Sanders that went way above his head.  He did find Battier and James for baskets on some slick passes and quit making mistakes in the second half.  His defense was just OK as he had trouble stopping B.Smith off the dribble, but drew a charge in the second half.  His shooting was outstanding and his shot  selection even better, as he worked very hard at getting the best possible  shot.    

** James: Nate had a very strong first half, nailing two threes and working hard on defense.  He was the only Devil working hard on the boards, storming in on the defensive end to rip them down.  He also was the hardest working Devil in the passing lanes, notching 2 tough steals.  James essentially brought his usual heart and hustle to the proceedings.  He started the second half off with a rebound basket and early free throw, and drove for another basket on a great Dunleavy feed.  Nothing spectacular about his play, but his consistency and nose for the ball will be the difference in some games.     

** Williams: Jason only shot 1-7 and fouled out, yet he had a fantastic floor game.  His only field goal of the game was a nice 12' jumper on the break, but he was ripping off assist after assist in the first half.  He had 7 assists to five different players in the first half, finding players around the basket and the perimeter.  He did have trouble dealing with Sean Colson, who burned him for 7 points in the first few minutes.  Williams' two assists to Boozer for dunks were some of the greatest passes I've ever seen.  Jason really played like a true point guard, looking to make the other players happy.  His shots all looked good and I was glad that he was still taking them.   

** Sanders: Casey was the first man off the bench and played some solid minutes.  He was a bit shaky on offense despite 12 points, because he reverted back to hesitating or pulling the ball back down instead of attacking the basket.  His finish on the break in the first half was beautiful--he's very hard to handle in transition even when well-covered because of his quickness.  He did have a couple of silly turnovers, including seemingly just handing the ball to Lauderdale.  He was muscled out of getting rebounds in the first half, but was much more aggressive in the second, where he got 6 of his 7.  Getting a cheap-shot from Beck seemed to fire him up, because he really went after shots and rebounds.  His tip-in of Battier was a heads-up play, and his speed got him to the free throw line repeatedly.  He hit 4 of 7, which was not great but an improvement over the last game.  Oddly, he seems much more relaxed when he's shooting for a three-point play as opposed to a 2-shot foul.  He finished by canning a baseline jumper as time expired that bounced a couple of times before going in.  Defensively, Casey did a  good job of containing his men, although I'd like to see him be a bit more active on the defensive boards.  He had a third of Duke's 18 offensive rebounds!  He was pretty much substituting strictly for Boozer, with Dunleavy sliding over to Battier's slot when both Boozer and Battier were out of the game.    

** Duhon:  At times, Chris borders on being spectacular.  At other times,  he still seems a bit reserved on the court.  Once he's truly comfortable in his role, he will be murder.  He really took over down the stretch in the first half, playing great in transition, but blew it with a bad pass and worse defense at the end.  He made up for it in the second half, keeping Colson under control and drawing a charge.  His threes scorched the net in the second half as Duke put the game away.  The team thrived with Duhon at the controls, who truly was interchangable with Williams.  He subbed freely with James or Williams, and the team adjusted well no matter who was in the game.     

** Christensen:  Matt came in to clog the lane a bit and got an offensive rebound.  He also got his customary fouls but also blocked a shot.    

** Sweet: Other than dishing off to Sanders for the last jumper of the game, Andre didn't do much other than play some good defense.  He took a couple of jumpers that didn't fall.  But Andre really is ahead of his years  defensively, showing that he wasn't intimidated by bigger or stronger players.  

** Buckner: Grand Rapids immediately started putting pressure on Andre the minute he entered the game, but the scrappy guard calmly dealt with it.  He missed a couple of jumpers but did hit a free throw.  The crowd really loves him.    

Cameron Craziness: Not much to report.  The student section mostly filled up at the last minute, with just one corner empty.  The only witty thing I heard was "Fee-Fie-Foe-Fum!" for Priest Lauderdale, although the usual cheers for Battier, Williams, and Sanders could be heard.  The upper deck, alas, had plenty of good seats available.  The crowd was mostly lethargic for much of the game, with the players imploring them to make some noise on a couple of occasions.  The crowd did get into it on Duke's run and went beserk when Boozer threw down an alley-oop from Dunleavy.   

Next Game: Let the season begin!  The Devils battle a depleted Princeton Tigers squad, missing its center Chris Young and top shooter Spencer Gloger. Just as important, the Tigers have a new coach, John Thompson III, who took over when Bill Carmody left for the Northwestern job.  Interestingly, the last time Duke took on the Tigers, they lost by 17.  This was back in late 1981, Coach K's second season.  Young signed a pro baseball contract and is thus ineligible by Ivy League rules.  Gloger decided to transfer to UCLA.  Worse, two other Tiger regulars, Ahmed El-Nokali and Nate Walton, will both miss the game with injuries.  And last year's starting forward, Ray Robins, decided to take the year off.  The leading returning scorer expected to start for the Tigers is CJ Chapman at 7.8 ppg.  Frosh Ed Persia is also expected to start and make a difference for the Tigers.  An historic note: Princeton was Duke's first opponent in Cameron Indoor Stadium back in January of 1940.    

Box Score

Reported by Rob Clough, tmc@duke.edu 

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