April 4, 1983: The Dunk

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - It's one of the most memorable finishes in the history of American sports. Derek Whittenburg throwing up a desperation 3-pointer that falls well short, Lorenzo Charles catching the errant shot and, in one motion, going up for a two-handed dunk right before the clock hits zero. Dazed, players from both teams need a split-second to realize what just happened, and then the celebration begins in earnest, including a scene of Jim Valvano running crazily around the court, trying to find somebody to hug.

North Carolina State's second NCAA championship was one of those moments that defines why so many people follow sports so passionately. Virtually everybody who has ever watched an NCAA tournament game since 1983 has seen a clip of his championship-winning dunk, followed by his coach's manic excitment.

If Charles' dunk had been the only story, the game would still live on for the ages. But it's the details that make it more and more fascinating. You had the typical David-vs.-Goliath matchup, as Houston was considered the odds-on favorite to win the game. You had a North Carolina State team that had trailed with less than a minute to go in 7 of their final 9 games, only to improbably win all of them. And you had the legacy of Jim Valvano, whose outgoing personality made him a media darling during the tournament and has made him beloved even today, 17 years after his death.

The national championship game was just the lastest in a series of close games for the Wolfpack. They needed two overtimes to win their opening-round game against Pepperdine, trailing by 6 with a minute to play in the first extra session. They trailed UNLV in round 2 most of the game, before Thurl Bailey put back his own miss with 4 seconds left to give them the win. AFter a blowout of Utah in round three, they beat conference rival Virginia in the final moments, getting two free throws from Charles with 23 seconds to play to clinch that win.

But it all boiled down to that improbable final sequence in the championship game. Getting the ball with 44 seconds left in a tie game, Valvano told his team to hold the ball until there were 10 seconds left (this was before a shot clock), then to run a play. But nothing the Wolfpack did during this tournament went according to plan, and this was no exception. The offense bogged down, leading to Wittenburg's desperation, 30-foot heave that had no prayer of going in. Expecting overtime, everybody just watched the shot fall hopelessly short, including Houston all-American Akeem Olajuwon, who had 20 points and 18 rebounds in the title game to help him be named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

But Olajuwon remains the last player to earn that award despite not winning the title, as he, and the rest of his Houston teammates, failed to box out Charles, who was standing by himself in the lane, in perfect position to grab the rebound and enter into history.