|
To
get to the Final Four, Duke had to play some very solid but not truly
outstanding teams. Certainly,
Missouri was underseeded at #9 with Kareem Rush on that team, UCLA proved
during the season that they could beat anyone and USC showed their mettle
by taking out the #2 and #3 seeds, but Duke was the decided favorite in
all three games. And despite
struggling a bit at times in all three contests, Duke maintained a
comfortable lead for most of the game.
On the other hand, this year's Final Four lineup was collectively
the most formidable duo Duke has ever faced in the event. While no one was
quite at the level of UNLV in 1990/1991 or Arkansas in 1994, Maryland
& Arizona were two of the best teams in the country and immense
challenges. While many
pundits were picking Duke to win the whole thing, there were quite a few
who didn't think the Devils could survive a fourth meeting with the Terps
and many others who thought the Wildcats were too much on a roll to lose.
It's rare when Duke is ever considered to be an underdog, and I
thought this helped to focus the team.
The
1999 team was a truly outstanding unit, but there was a sense of hubris
about that team and Duke's fans that year.
All year long, as Duke whipped opponent after opponent, there was a
sense of playing for the national title and not enjoying the moment.
The year-long whispers about early departures and divisive cliques
combined with the shouts from all about Duke's invincibility,
combined with such odious distractions as bandwagoning Duke
"fans" like Kevin Costner created an atmosphere not unlike 1991.
UNLV in 1991, to be exact--a giant waiting to be slain. This year, however, one got the sense that the team was truly
enjoying the ride, savoring each big win and embracing every challenge.
And while there were some disparate personalities on this year's
group, the team's unity was obvious in the way they shared the ball and
talked about each other.
This
year's national champion was very different from Duke's first two. The
1991 squad was young and extremely wild, filled with talented players who
sometimes squabbled on the court. That
team suffered a number of punishing losses as they learned how to win
without three departing seniors, and even though they won the ACC regular
season for the first time in five years, they were brutalized in the ACC
tourney title game by UNC. That
experience served to focus them as they breezed into the Final Four,
nipped UNLV in one of Coach K and Christian Laettner's greatest games,
then survived an overachieving Kansas squad in the finals.
That team was not expected to win, and as an overwhelming underdog
against UNLV, received a lot of support from neutral fans.
The 1992 team was akin to a boy band, drawing mobs of screaming
girls wherever they went. The
supremely arrogant and confident Laettner helped draw a lot of the venom
away from the rest of his team, as he became a sort of super-villain to
the rest of the country. But that
team, a bit thinner and much more efficient than the 1991 team, coldly
swept aside the competition in the regular season, overcoming numerous
injuries and distractions. The
tournament was a real struggle, however, in contrast to the 1991 team's
joyride. After playing some
uninspired contests in the early rounds, it took a supreme effort from
Laettner to get by Kentucky, and the team ground one out against Indiana.
After a poor first half against Michigan, Duke got its act together and
put them away down the stretch.
This
year's team was as young as the 1991 squad, though it had superior senior
leadership. Despite its
youth, it had a lot of experience, much like the 1992 team.
It featured superb point guard play, with Bobby Hurley himself
commenting this year that he thought Jason Williams was better overall
than he was. (He did mention
that Jason needed to start winning titles, though.)
The 1992 team had the experience of already winning a title and a lot of upperclassmen, giving them confidence and
toughness. The 2001 team
became tougher and tougher as the season went on, going through the same
sort of injury problems as the 1992 team but finding new ways to reinvent
themselves. As a result, the
team looked fresh and energetic heading into the tournament, allowing them
to wear down other teams. The
2001 Duke team believed that they would win every game, no
matter what the situation, and once their defense rose to meet their
offense, this belief became fact. Much
like the 1994 squad, they were the ultimate "next play" team--no
matter what happened on a play, good or bad, the team was able to focus on
the next play and excel. And
this quality enabled them to win the national title.
Perhaps its ultimate legacy will be that this was Duke's most
unselfish team of all time. After
the bickering Tar Heels fell apart in the ACC finals, Joe Forte referenced
his own team's problems by referring to Duke as "a true team."
This unselfishness came from the top, as Coach K has noted, in that
Shane frequently let Jason Williams take a lot of the shots when
appropriate. An even more
direct example comes from Nate James, who had to give up his starting slot
to a freshman, did it without complaint, and found many ways to break out
of his slump and contribute. This
Duke team lacked the flash and thunderous dunks of the 1999 and 1992
squads and didn't blow teams off the court like they did either, but it
never lost focus in a game. While
the team sometimes experienced nervousness because of its youth, their
energy and intensity always overcame this.
Talent + coaching + heart
= National Champions.
** Maryland
No
one wanted this game more than the Terps, who had statistically outplayed
Duke in 2001 but only won one of three games.
This was one time that the week of preparation wasn't really
necessary--both teams knew what was coming. However, the extra week helped
in one important area: the physical rehab of Carlos Boozer.
Carlos was the only man really playing well against the Terps in
their Cameron loss until he got hurt.
The Terps were jamming Duke's three point shooters, preventing them
from shooting from essentially anywhere on the court without a hand in
their face. This left the
post essentially open, but without Boozer in there, Duke wasn't able to
take advantage. In the ACC
semis, Duke had to rely on tough defense and a brief
but very hot shooting streak to hold on.
In this game, Boozer would prove to be the difference.
Odd
as it may sound, when Duke went down by 22 in the first half, I thought
that if the Devils managed to rally even just a bit, they had an excellent
chance of winning. Duke's
"Gone in 54 Seconds" game had bruised Maryland's psyche to such
a large extent that losing another lead would cause them to fold--and this
is precisely what happened. Once
Duke stiffened defensively and started to patiently strike back on
offense, the Terps just panicked. The
defense worked because they went after the Maryland players' comfort zones
and made them do things they didn't want to do. With Blake, Duhon stayed
in front of him and forced him to the sidelines, using his quick hands to
stab at his dribble. With
Baxter, Boozer and Sanders teamed up to force him away from the basket and
make him shoot rather than bull his way in.
With Dixon, James chased him around exclusively in the second half,
cutting off his penetration and forcing him to take long-range shots.
With Morris on the bench with foul trouble and no one else really
stepping up on offense, Dixon was the one player Duke had to worry
about--and James played one of the best defensive games of his career.
Taking it from the top: the game started not unlike their ACC
semis matchup, with the Terps
taking a quick 7-0 lead. Morris
started off with a three while Duke missed its first four shots. The Terps also dominated the boards early, scoring on an
early putback--a theme that would continue to be in evidence throughout
the evening. Duhon broke the
spell with a steal and nice pass to Sanders, who was fouled as he was
making a layup. When Jason Williams fouled Juan Dixon as he was taking a
three, it resulted in a three-shot foul and a 12-4 Maryland lead.
The two teams traded baskets
for a while, with Duke unable to make much of a dent in the lead. They
abandoned the misfiring outside shot and went to the dribble-drive and
tried to get Boozer the ball down low.
While Carlos missed his first shot, he hit his second on a smooth
turnaround jumper. But a
drive by Jason and a rebound dunk from Casey were each met by Terrapin
baskets.
After
Casey's dunk, Maryland went on an 8-0 run, fueled by 2 rebound baskets, 4
Duke misses and a couple of Duke turnovers.
The Terps led 25-11 and were gaining momentum. After a Dunleavy drive for a score, Maryland really went to work.
Dixon hit back-to-back threes and the Terps got a reverse three
point play--a free throw and then a tip of a foul shot miss.
Nate and Shane were playing like the desperate seniors they were,
however, with Nate getting a steal and tossing it down to Shane in
transition, and Nate tipping in a miss for another score.
After a runout by Byron Mouton after a Battier turnover and then a
Steve Blake three, the Terps led by the astonishing score of 39-17--Duke's
largest deficit of the year. Seven minutes remained in the first half, and the game was
looking like a virtual rerun of the first Duke-Maryland clash.
Not
a single three pointer had fallen for Duke in the first half, and the team
desperately needed something--anything--to get them going.
Leave it to the fifth-year senior, the man who always came up big
against his hometown team, the man who was still seeking to redeem himself
after an awful Senior Day performance--who else but Nate James would hit
Duke's first three? And it
was from the corner, of course. After
a Maryland free throw, Dunleavy tapped in a Battier miss and Duke suddenly
had a little momentum. Chris
Duhon drew a charge on Morris and Duke capitalized when Battier fed the
ball into Boozer for a little half-hook.
Two Maryland free throws stopped the momentum
a bit, but James drove for a basket in his fourth big play in just five
minutes. He then rebounded a
Dixon miss that resulted in a Battier three.
The margin was suddenly down to 13 with four minutes left in the
half and one could sense Maryland's throat tightening a bit.
A
rare Duhon turnover led to a Dixon basket, but Battier came right back to
score on a drive. Shane then
drew a charge on Tahj Holden and hit a couple of free throws.
The score was now 44-33--Duke had halved Maryland's margin. After a
Williams free throw, Steve Blake turned the ball over, which led to Jason
finding Carlos inside for a dunk. After
tight defense by Boozer forced a Lonny Baxter miss, Duhon drove on him and
drew a foul. The margin was
now eight and the Terps were suddenly finding it very hard to breathe.
The score stood at 46-38 and Duke was looking to get even closer,
but Boozer missed 2 free throws and James lost the ball to Dixon, who hit
a very long three before the half ran out to push Maryland's lead back to
11. Still, despite
just hitting 14-40 shots and getting whipped on the boards, Maryland had
not been able to completely put Duke away.
The Terps had turned the ball over 12 times, which helped Duke get
back in it. It would take a redoubled effort to regain momentum after
Dixon's three.
Battier came out right away and rebounded a Williams miss,
drawing Morris' fourth foul. His
2 free throws drew Duke within 10 once again.
After a Maryland free throw, Duhon found the senior for another
three, making the margin 7. Sanders
was called for fouling Baxter, who hit a couple of free throws.
Maryland was holding Duke off, but one could sense that Duke was
going to keep hammering away until they got the lead back. Jason drove and drew a foul, sinking both free throws.
Then Battier had a spectacular block on Baxter, directing the ball
out to Williams. Jason
grabbed it and threw it upcourt to Duhon, who nailed a big three.
The lead was now just 4 points just a minute into the half.
Duke had come out ready to attack.
Maryland proved that they weren't ready to give up by getting
a 6-2 mini-run, with timely offensive rebounding once again coming to its
aid. Duhon continued
to turn it up, scoring on a floater.
Battier also continued to be everywhere, first dishing to Boozer on
a post-up and then blocking another Baxter shot.
This one went out to James, who gave it up to Williams, who then
knifed through the Maryland defense for a drive.
After it looked like Maryland was going to get another comfortable
lead, the Devils had suddenly closed within 58-56 with fifteen minutes
left. After a Blake basket,
Jason got a lucky tip on a Duhon miss and slammed home a rebound.
Duke had three chances to tie the score or take a lead, but missed
each time, while senior center Mike Mardesich managed to cash in on a
putback. Duhon drove again
and put up another one of his floaters, but this time he was fouled in the
act and converted the three point play.
Duke was now agonizingly close at 62-61, but the Terps weren't
quite ready to give up the lead.
Maryland responded with a 7-1 run that culminated in a Dixon
three, his only basket of the half. With
ten minutes to go, it looked like Maryland might be able to hold on.
Enter Shane Battier. He
sank a three in the corner to draw Duke within 4.
After a minute of missed free throws by both teams, Battier
came up with a steal and threw it ahead to Duhon.
Chris waited for the trailing Battier, who hit a 25' jumper to
bring Duke within 1. After a
couple of Danny Miller foul shots, Dunleavy drove and found Boozer open
for a dunk. After a Baxter
free throw, Jason dribbled around the top of the arc, got behind a Battier
screen, and nailed a three. This
gave Duke its first lead of the game with about seven minutes left.
Morris answered right away for Maryland but Williams gave Duke
another lead with a drive. Morris answered that with a tip-in, giving
Maryland a 76-75 lead with 5:24 left.
Maryland's last lead of the game came on a Morris free throw.
They would be outscored 19-7 the rest of the way.
After
Boozer regained the lead with a couple of free throws, Duhon swiped the
ball from Morris and passed it to Jason.
He missed the three, but James was there once again to get the
tip--that was pure desire. A
huge collision between Duhon and Blake resulted in Chris getting a mild
concussion and sitting out for a couple of minutes.
Maryland hit the free throws and got within 1 with 3:35 left--a
virtual eternity. Battier was
hit going for a rebound and hit a couple of freebies.
Maryland really started to become unravelled as Dunleavy stole a
ball that Miller bounced off his foot. Running down the clock a bit, Jason
passed it to Carlos for an easy inside score.
Duke had what now seemed like an immense lead.
Baxter then fouled out on an extremely questionable call,
although Boozer only hit 1 free throw.
Still, Duke now had a 2-possession lead.
Blake hit a free throw to cut it to 85-80, but Jason again expertly
wound down the clock, once again finding Boozer as the shot clock was
running down. The Terps
tipped in a miss, but Jason drove for an easy bucket to make it 89-82 with
about a minute left. James
rebounded a Blake miss and passed it to Carlos, who eventually got fouled
and made 2 freebies with around forty seconds left.
Maryland wasted twenty seconds on a series of attempted tap-ins,
and they finally came up with a rebound basket.
But down 7 points, it became harder to come back, especially with
Baxter out. Jason then closed
things out with 2 free throws, a steal, and then another steal.
Duke
had come all the way back and made it look easy down the stretch. The
22-point comeback was the biggest in Final Four history, and every player
contributed. James had 6 offensive rebounds, leading all players. Duhon's
defense disrupted the Maryland leader Blake.
Boozer's awesome 7-8 performance from the field was the offensive
key. Only one player did not
step up significantly in this game: Mike Dunleavy.
He would have to wait another night for that to happen.
It
took everything that Duke had to beat a team that in many respects, was the
second-best in the country. Their
talent, depth and experience made them virtually
unbeatable when they were focused and confident.
The Terps went through
a slump early in the year because they weren't focused and in the middle
of the year because they lost confidence, but once they were hit with a
true sense of urgency (the talk that the Terps might not even make the tournament
was growing louder), they regrouped and beat every team in their path.
Every team except one.
** Arizona
Conspiracy theories aside, this really was a dream matchup for
the national title. The two
teams ranked at the top meeting at the end for the highest of stakes. Arizona
had gone through an interesting transformation by the end of the year.
They had started off as a group of boorish woofers, proclaiming
that they would go undefeated and go down as one of the greatest teams of
all time. But their early, stinging losses, their trouble with the
NCAA and most of all, the death of coach Lute Olson's wife Bobbi made the
team grow up and refocus. By
being dismissed as a national threat midway through the year, they were
able to quietly improve and pull off some big wins.
Their steady march through the tournament was remarkable, pulling
off two huge wins against bruising Big Ten teams Illinois and Michigan
State. The latter win was especially impressive, where they forced a
deliberately- styled Spartan team to freelance, something which quickly
proved to be disastrous. Some thought that the Wildcats had a slight edge going into
the finals, given their easy win over MSU and their tough frontline.
I actually thought that Arizona was a better matchup for Duke than
MSU. They had very little
depth and while they had a great frontline, it wasn't so overwhelming that
Duke would get whipped on the boards the way they had against Maryland.
Michigan State's tremendous ability to get offensive rebounds could
have really hurt Duke, although with Duke's skill at forcing turnovers
that might have been lessened.
Duke's top priority in this game was shutting down the skilled
and quick Arizona backcourt
of Jason Gardner (a player whom Coach K recruited heavily) and Gilbert Arenas. The
initial defensive assignments were very interesting. Arizona played a
hybrid matchup-zone that was heavy on man principles, designed to bottle up and frustrate Jason Williams.
Duke for its part assigned Shane Battier to guard 7-1 Loren Woods,
while sending Duhon to shadow Gardner and Williams to check the injured
Arenas. Gardner was quick
enough to play tight on Williams but not let him drive by him, and as
Jason's shot was not falling, Gardner shut off the drive even more.
On the other hand, while Woods was able to exploit his height
mismatch with Battier a few times, he was still shooting just a bit out of
his comfort zone for much of the day.
He wasn't going to overpower Battier, and Duke was willing to
gamble that he'd miss enough shots to make it a good matchup--especially
since Coach K was using Boozer and Sanders in tandem to wear down Woods on
the other end. Defensive ace
Richard Jefferson was left to freelance in the post and perimeter, but he
didn't prove to be much of a defensive disruption.
Woods did prove to be a bigger defensive threat than anticipated,
snuffing out several sure layups with his shotblocking.
Overall, the two teams were remarkably evenly matched.
Duke had trouble forcing turnovers for easy baskets, but Arizona
could only manage a small advantage on the boards.
The two teams stymied each other from the perimeter, with Duke's
hot second half shooting ultimately giving them enough of a cushion
to hold on. But the true
beauty of this game from a Duke perspective is that every player had a
role in winning it. Nate
James had a crucial three point play at a time when Duke wasn't getting
anything to drop. Casey Sanders played good defense and came up with a critical
steal. Chris Duhon expertly
ran the team, utterly shut down Gardner, and hit some important shots of
his own. Boozer befuddled
Woods with some eye-popping low-post moves and rebounded like a fiend.
Dunleavy played mad bomber, making Arizona pay time and again.
Williams, though he struggled and had 6 turnovers, proved
once again that he's the ultimate "next play" player by draining
a knockout three. And Battier
was Battier. After struggling
through a 3-10 game, he made his last 4 shots in Winning Time.
He came up with a few more plays for his remarkable defensive
highlight reel, and was the heart of the team's effort.
To
the game itself: Arizona had a much as a 5 point lead early on, but it was
clear that the game was still very much in an exploratory phase.
Both teams were struggling to cope with their opponents' defensive
schemes, and both stuck with their gameplan early on even if it cost both
teams (but especially Duke) a few points.
Duke missed its first three shots while the Wildcats started out
hot, going low to Woods for easy baskets. Jason had an early drive for a score but never was able to
muscle his way to the basket as easily again.
Battier dished to Dunleavy for a three to tie the score at 6, but
Arizona scored 5 in a row, thanks to a turnover and Woods offensive
rebound. Duke went inside,
with Williams finding Carlos Boozer inside for a three point play.
After Wright scored inside, Duhon found Battier for a deep three to
bring Duke within a single point, signalling to all that Duke was not
going to fall into a hole early on. After
several misses by both teams and a couple of Woods free throws, Duke
countered with Battier finding Nate James in the corner for a long 2
pointer. After another 'zona
basket, Duke went on a 6-0 run to take their first lead of the game--a
lead they would never relinquish. Duhon
started with a floater, and then Boozer scored on 2 consecutive post-ups
that were very impressive.
The
two teams traded baskets at that point, with punch and counterpunch. Loren
Woods scored inside, then Williams got a steal and layin.
A Jason Gardner drive was matched by one from Battier.
Finally, Arizona managed to tie things up at 27 with about three
minutes left in the half. This
was an important time of the game, as both teams were trying to find some
way of gaining momentum and sustatining it through the second half.
Battier drove and found Duhon for a huge three, helping to spread
Arizona's defense a bit more. The
Wildcats looked to Woods once again, who hit a jumper, but
was matched by Duhon finding Jason for his first three of the game.
Duke led 33-29 with 2:32 left, but then gave away their lead thanks
to some timely Arizona offensive rebound.
Jason had spent much of the half on the bench thanks to three
fouls, but Duke brought him on the court for their last possession.
It was a good decision, as Jason snaked in and got his shot
goaltended. As a result, Duke
led 35-33 at the half. Not
much had been settled at that point, and both teams knew that early
second-half momentum would be critical.
Duke
struck first on a Battier drive, but Wright answered right away. Boozer
then came into the game and hit a turnaround jumper. An exchange of free throws made it 30-37 in favor of Duke.
Duhon then drove deep into the lane before throwing it back to
Dunleavy for a 24' three. One
thing that Duke players do very well is recognize who the hot players are,
and make an effort to get the ball to them.
Mike's three barely disturbed the net, so after a Gardner drive,
Battier found Dunleavy open again for a three. Gardner zoomed downcourt to
try and repeat his drive, only to be met by Battier's swiping away the
ball from him in mid-air and saving it to James. Jason
then found Mike on the wing for another three, and Duke suddenly had a
49-39 lead with sixteen minutes left in the game.
After a Williams free throw, Arizona mounted a 9-0 run thanks to
some more offensive rebounds and a three by Jefferson--their first of the
game.
With
13:39 left, Battier missed a jumper and Arizona had a chance to tie it up
once again. But Jefferson
missed a floater and Boozer grabbed it. The last few possessions for Duke
saw a lot of players hit shots and very few
of them were gimmees. Williams
missed a three, but Duhon grabbed the board and whistled it inside to an
alert Dunleavy for a layup. Sanders
picked up a steal and threw
it ahead to Dunleavy for a dunk, giving Duke a 54-48 lead and a confidence
boost. Jefferson hit a three,
but Sanders found Dunleavy for a three point play on an inbounds--an
extremely sharp find by Casey and a nice finish by Mike.
Boozer rebounded a miss and was the recipient of an excellent pass
from Williams for a slam. A
missed one-and- one by 'zona had Duke smelling blood.
Duhon found Dunleavy in the corner. He faked hard to his left,
which faked his defender into the Duke bench, and then swished the basket
easily. Duke's lead was up to
10 again at 61-51, with under ten minutes to play.
Dunleavy's fake worked so well because it was the sort of pass Duke
had been making all game along the perimeter.
Duke's lead was 12 when Battier got fouled taking a jumper,
getting the ball to drop as well. Arizona
went on a 7-1 run thanks to some foul shots and a Jefferson three.
But Boozer made a great play as he was on the blocks. He was forced
out a bit farther than he likes, and instead of trying to bull his way in,
he waited til he saw Nate James coming and dished to him.
Nate drove on the recovering defender across the baseline, and then
put up a reverse against the backboard.
The basket dropped and he got the foul as well. With seven minutes
left, Duke led 68-59, but the lead wasn't really safe. After Nate's big
play, the Cats had a 6-0 run, fueled by great defense. Then Duhon drove to
the basket and got a three point play of his own--this time the hard way.
Jefferson hit yet another three with 4:41 left to make it 71-68.
The Devils were just trying to hold on, but were still making
winning plays. It was time
for Shane Battier to step up.
First, he followed up a Boozer miss with an emphatic rebound
slam. After 2 Woods foul
shots, he followed up a Dunleavy miss with a crazy tip-in with his back
completely to the basket--he basically slapped it with the back of his
hand and it went in. After
Jefferson hit another short jumper, Duke started to work the clock a
little. Williams drove
towards the basket, then made a hard cut away from it.
For some reason, Woods drifted out to parallel
his progress, and Jason immediately saw Shane open on the baseline. He
lasered a pass into him and Shane rose up and threw down a one-handed jam.
Duhon rebounded a Jefferson miss and passed the ball off to
Williams. With 1:43 left, Jason set up behind a great Battier screen and
pulled the trigger for a back-breaking three.
Duke led 80-72 and everyone could feel that Duke's win was
imminent. After Williams
turned the ball over on a drive,
Woods simply lost it out of bounds. Fouling
immediately, Jason hit 1 shot to make it a three possession game.
Battier rebounded the miss and gave it to Duhon, who was fouled.
Chris hit 1 shot, making it a four possession game.
After Gardner missed with 34 seconds left and Boozer rebounded it,
Duhon walked it up and Olson chose not to foul.
It
hit everyone differently. Duhon,
stunned at things being over, started jumping up and down as he dribbled
the ball, bouncing it harder and harder. Boozer thrust his fists up in the
air. Battier fell to his
knees. Williams joined Duhon
and got the ball back, symbolizing the nature of their relationship this
year. Coach K was jumping up
and down, celebrating as I'd never seen him.
His team had absorbed every lesson and met every challenge, and now
they were champions.
Player-by-Player:
**
Sanders: Casey's starts were well-deserved given the way he stepped
up, but his impact came more from helping to wear down the opposition than
dominating. Simply by getting rest for the now-ready Boozer, limiting his
fouls and playing solid defense, he helped his team.
Of course, he also made a number of other contributions in the
games. When everyone else was
misfiring in the Maryland game, Casey scored 5 of Duke's first 10 points.
Those came on a three point play and a rebound dunk.
Casey also used his superior height to snag 5 rebounds.
Against Arizona, his stats were sparse as Boozer got the lion's
share of minutes, but simply by pounding on Woods he was able to make a
difference. And of course,
his big steal and assist to Dunleavy for a slam were spectacular, but I
actually preferred a later play. He was given the ball in great position but had a shot
blocked out of bounds rather emphatically.
Instead of getting down about it, he simply found Dunleavy on the
inbounds for a three point play. Casey
is a great example of what can happen when a player is patient with his
coach and himself, and works harder for playing time instead of demanding
something he hadn't earned. You
don't have to dominate to help your team, and when a player accepts his
role and excels in it, it gives him a chance to grow beyond it.
**
Battier: When he was needed the most, he came through.
When it looked like Maryland had survived Duke's comeback and went
ahead 69-62 with ten minutes left, it was Shane who hit back-to-back
threes to make it a game again. When Arizona refused to go away down the stretch, it was
Shane who scored 10 points in the last eight minutes, including Duke's
last three field goals. Shane
had 6 blocks in the two games, utterly intimidating Baxter and breaking up
a one-on-one move with an out-of-nowhere block against Gardner.
Battier had 13 field goals in the Final Four, and only 5 were three
pointers. This belies skeptics who dismised Shane as a jump-shooting
specialist who couldn't battle down low.
The fact of the matter is that in Coach K's system, players do what
they do best, and aren't forced into preconceived positional
responsibilites. Shane's
shooting demanded that he take a number of those shots, but he proved time
and again that he could take
it to the basket when necessary, rebound against the big boys when it was
important (and he grabbed 7 offensive rebounds in the FF!), play great
defense on every possession, and play every single second.
Battier's legacy as a hard worker who got the most out of his
talent, his evolution as a defensive
role player into an all-around star, his leadership and charm are
unmatched at Duke. The only player who perhaps surpasses Shane in this
all-around regard is Grant Hill, and Shane's cache as Academic
All-American of the year allows him to trump that.
Certainly, no athlete has been as popular and approachable on
campus as Shane, back when he was a role player and even now as a star.
Make no mistake--Shane is not the greatest player in Duke history.
That would still be Christian Laettner.
Johnny Dawkins is still the greatest scorer, Bobby Hurley the
greatest passer, Mike Gminski the greatest rebounder and shotblocker,
Grant Hill the most versatile and Elton Brand the most intimidating.
But Shane leaves as a combination of all these players, and is
indisputably its greatest defender and now its greatest winner.
Congratulations to the University's finest ambassador.
**
Dunleavy: After a bad game against Maryland, Mike D came up big
against Arizona. CBS has its
"One Shining Moment" clips after the tourney; well, Mike had One
Shining Minute at the start of the second half.
It's remarkable that in the only two games where he was the team's
leading scorer, they happened to be the two biggest contests of the year:
the ACC championship game and the national championship game.
But Mike's three long range daggers in that minute weren't his only
contributions; he had a real nose for the basket in the second half,
scoring on nice passes from Sanders and Duhon as well as on a runout.
While he had trouble guarding Jefferson, Mike didn't make any
mistakes on offense, either. The
best way to describe Dunleavy's
season is "solid".
There were hints of the spectacular at both ends of the court, but
he sometimes deferred too much on offense and had some difficulties on
defense. Still, he pulled in
nearly 6 rebounds a game despite his thin frame and scored 13 ppg.
The best is yet to come.
**
Williams: The one time this year that J-Will didn't dominate didn't matter.
Just as he had bailed Duke out of so many games this year, his
teammates did the same for him. Actually his performance against Arizona reminded me a bit of
the first Temple game this year. Jason
had had a mediocre game, missing a number of shots and turning the ball
over. But with over a minute
left, he hit a three that put Duke up for good.
Against 'zona, he sent home a three point dagger with 1:34 left
that essentially ended the game. The
lesson that Jason truly taught this year is that you can frustrate him and
contain him for awhile, but his relentlessness will eventually allow him
to make plays. Witness the
Maryland game: he had a 1-7, 2 turnover first half.
He scored 6 points in the first six minutes of the second half, on
drives and free throws. After
going cold for a bit, he erupted for 12 points and 2 assists in the last
six minutes of the game, including a three that gave Duke its first lead
with seven minutes left. He scored 6 of Duke's last 8 points, including 2
steals that absolutely killed any thought of a Terp comeback.
And while his foul trouble and bad shooting night disrupted his
game in the finals, he still had the wherewithall to set up behind
Battier's pick and end the game. Jason
finished as the top scorer in the ACC, one of its top assist men, and
broke a 50-year old single-season scoring record at Duke.
If he decides to stick around for a couple
of more years, he could break the scoring, assist, three-point and steals
records at Duke. He did it
with verve, with heart and with charm, proving himself to be as tough as
he was charismatic. No one
backed him down (just as Xavier Singletary of Boston College and Earl
Watson of UCLA) and no situation was too big of a challenge. As Coach K noted, Jason got better in tight games down the
stretch. Like Bobby Hurley a
decade earlier, Coach K simply handed him the ball and let him do his
thing, never trying to limit what he could do, and being patient with his
mistakes. There were times
that he took shots that I thought were crazy and tried to make passes that
weren't there, but then he'd come back and make those shots and passes and
stun the other team. Coach K
has a word for it: "daring."
J-Will's daring and ability are unmatched in Duke history, and in
my dream basketball team, I'd love to have Jason and Bobby in the same
backcourt.
Williams Career Assist
Watch: (4/3)
7.
Grant Hill 461
8. Jason Williams 457
9. Jeff Capel
433
10. Jim Spanarkel 399
**
Duhon: Chris, over the course of the season, has gone from being a plucky
freshman I admired to becoming my favorite player on the team.
He simply embodies the heart of Duke in a way that I can't readily
explain. His personality is reminiscient of Grant Hill's: soft-spoken but
charming, preferring to follow others but ready to lead when necessary.
I have a hunch that by his senior year, he will be regarded as one
of Duke's best- ever leaders--and that is quite a group indeed.
In the final four, Chris averaged 34 minutes a game, and had 12
assists and 3 turnovers. Against
Maryland, he had 8 of his 10 points in the second half, including a huge
three early in the half, a three point play under duress that brought Duke
within 1, and another floater that started another rally.
He also had most of his assists in the half, and utterly stymied
Blake. His smothering of Gardner in the
title game was even more remarkable because he used a completely different
set of tactics. Against
Blake, he made sure to stay in front of him, using his quickness to
recover if Blake decided to shoot. Against
Gardner, he was much more physical, bodying him up and playing him for the
shot, once again using his quickness to prevent him from being beaten. His physical and mental toughness were on display throughout,
as he overcame that whack in the head to come back into the game and
calmly lead the team in Jason's absence the next day.
This ranks as the greatest freshman performance in a Final Four for Duke, and came against 2
incredibly difficult team and individual matchups for Chris.
The Slidell Sniper shot selectively but beat his foes with smarts
and hard work. Chris needs to
work on a number of aspects of his game (including taking more shots and
penetrating more), but his heart and court presence are already at senior
levels.
**
Boozer: Over the last month of the season, Carlos had showed that he
was tired of being considered soft, tired of not playing well against the
best big men in the country. He
absolutely destroyed a good Wake front line and was having his way with
Maryland before he was injured. He
stayed in shape, cheered the team on, and willingly took on any role that
was necessary. He was a
screener and defender against the LA teams, but his hard work between the
regionals and the Final Four paid off on the offensive
end. Simply put, his footwork
was flawless and his hands were excellent.
He quickly and decisively shot when near the basket, and used
pivots, reverse-pivots, and headfakes in a way I hadn't seen him employ much before. Carlos
had a huge responsibility this year--he was asked to be Duke's main man
inside, which meant being left alone a lot to rebound and defend. Certainly, Shane Battier played a lot of help defense in the
post, but Carlos got better and better on defense as the season went
along. And then in late February, things just clicked.
He stopped dropping passes, he stopped making silly fouls when he
was out of position, and he started to dominate.
It took him a while to recover from his beating at the hands of
Brendan Haywood in the UNC@Duke game, but he proved that he had the
toughness and work ethic necessary to improve.
And his injury, if anything, only made him work harder. His defense against UCLA and USC were important factors in
Duke's wins, and his one-week improvement on offense proved to be
essential in the Final Four. Most
impressive was his use of either hand to score; this was because of his
greater aggressiveness and quickness in setting up down low.
Just as he helped his teammates by unselfishly screening and
rebounding in the earlier rounds, his teammates eagerly gave him the ball
when they saw he was ready to dominate.
On this Duke team, the whole was greater than the sum of the parts,
and the parts were mighty impressive on their own.
Carlos had one of the most difficult roles on the team, and he
fully lived up to it as he continued to improve.
**
James: Against his home town team, Nate always came up big.
This disciplined warrior never failed to do whatever it took to
win, and never questioned his coach.
Nate was not spectacular in the Final Four.
He certainly had many better games in his career.
He was asked to do two just things: rebound and play defense.
And he did these things ferociously, especially against Maryland.
He hit that crucial three I mentioned earlier, just when the team
needed someone, anyone to step up. He
had two rebound baskets in the game, the last with four minutes to go
(giving Duke a 3 point lead). He
drove for another basket during Duke's initial comeback, keeping his
team's confidence up. In the second half, he sacrificed his shots for defense,
giving Dixon headaches. Against
Arizona, his three point play was a remarkable confidence boost for the
team after they had gone cold. Nate
will always be remembered as one of the Three Pillars, a man who played
his best when his team was at its worst, a fine defender, an excellent
rebounder, a solid shooter, and a national champion.
Whatever he happens to do next, he will always be a leader of men.
James/Williams scoring watch:
(4/3)
25. David Henderson
1397
26. Jason Williams 1333
27. Tate Armstrong 1304
28. Robert Brickey 1299
29. Jack Marin
1279
30. Joe Belmont
1267
31. Bernie Janicki 1247
32. Tommy Amaker 1168
33. Carroll Youngkin 1156
34. Chris Redding 1141
35. Bob Fleischer 1139
36. Alaa Abdelnaby 1137
37. Nate James
1116
38. Willie Hodge 1115
39. Kevin Srickland 1095
39. Howard Hurt
1095
41. Chris Collins 1091
Bonfire Report:
After watching the game at home, I rushed over with a couple of friends to
see a well-regulated but still wild bonfire.
Virtually every bench on West Campus had been added to the flames,
as well as a bunch of packing crates, a computer, many copies of the
Chronicle, a weightlifting bench, many rolls of toilet paper and other
miscellany. The campus police
were present but not oppressive, allowing students to do their thing but
preventing anyone from doing something as stupid as running into the fire.
There weren't a lot of chants, though there were a few, but rather just
complete glee. Lots of
students ran around the bonfire, often removing articles of clothing.
A number of faculty and employees were also there, as well as other
onlookers--I ran into David Henderson's cousin as I was walking up Campus Drive.
Compared to other recent championship scenes, and recent trouble on
Duke campus from a few years ago, this was what it was supposed to be:
gleeful but not harmful. Unlike
in College Park, people weren't afraid for their lives because of a weak
police presence. And unlike
Tuscon, the police weren't looking for a riot to quell, either.
Welcome Back
Report: The good feelings kept going on
Tuesday in Cameron. Over 7000 fans packed the stadium and stayed despite a
nearly two-hour delay in the team getting there.
Duke Stores was out in force and the concession stands were wisely
open as folks read the commemorative N&O's and Herald-Suns that were
being hawked outside Cameron. When
the team came (with the cheerleaders and pep band warming up the crowd
beforehand), the din was so loud that Nan Keohane couldn't get a word in
edgewise. Even Coach K couldn't get a comment in, as he let the crowd
ring out cheer after cheer: the "Who's Your Daddy?" for Shane,
"Nate's a Bad-Ass", "J-Will
Rock You", "Du-Du-Du Duhon", "Booooooz" and
simple name chants for Mike and Casey. Coach K said "well, you've
just heard the Duke Blue Devils' greatest hits, now available at Duke
Stores." K was gleeful the whole time, cracking
jokes on the players (he noted Andre Buckner's secret cult of fans) and
then he introduced the captains for short speeches.
Shane playfully scolded
the crowd when he noted that back on Senior Day, the team had a lot of
games left to win, and said, "I hate to say I told you so..."
JD told the seniors
that they were the "most winningest" class in Duke history.
Topping JD's question "Any seniors out here?", Nate asked
"Any fifth-year seniors?" and spoke about team goals, as always.
Shane also noted that despite operating on just one hour of sleep,
just seeing the fans was a huge energy boost.
Coach
K came back and touched on the final game, singling out every player. Before
that, he praised the Blue Team and all the hard work they did this year,
the way that Andre Buckner, JD, Ryan, Andy, Andre S, and most especially Dahntay
Jones (who flew up to Minny on his own and wasn't there) made the team
better.
He
singled out Casey for playing good D, Nate for that amazing three point play,
Chris for his own three point play ("the giant killer" floater),
Mike for his threes, Carlos for his amazing pivot moves in the paint
(awesome!), Shane for his ridiculous tip-in and Jason for his killer three down
the stretch. He then
introduced his family (holding his older grandson, Joey) and said the only downer this weekend was not having Debbie and her family
up there. It's obvious that
he loves his grandsons like crazy--he said that he'd recruit "Jo-Jo" as a point guard some day. Joey then cheered
and started clapping, and the
crowd roared and clapped as well. K cracked, "Forget point guard--
he's gonna be a politician!"
As
he was going to leave, the crowd demanded that Jason speak. With chants of
"two more years",
he simply said, "I love you all" and talked about how bringing the title back to Duke where it "needed to
be" was his mission. The crowd
then urged Boozer, Sanders, Dunleavy and Duhon to speak as well before K
cut it off. Chris and Casey both spoke of bringing home more trophies.
Next Game:
Blue-White Game, November 2001!
Coming Soon:
Duke Basketball: The Year in Review
Reported by Rob Clough, tmc@duke.edu
Rob's Archive |
