INDIANAPOLIS - Two college players, two different clutch situations, two different reactions.
After getting blown away in the national championship game by UNLV the previous season, Duke came back the next year determined to take the one extra step that had thus far eluded the school in its illustrious basketball history. Meanwhile, UNLV was looking for improvement of its own, and entered this year's semifinal matchup with Duke undefeated, looking to become college basketball's first unbeaten champion since 1976.
Unlike the previous year's matchup, this one was close throughout. There were 17 ties and 25 lead changes as each team threw its best punches at the other. The game was tied 77-77 late when Duke had the ball late. Then, fate intervened and gave two different players a chance to be the hero, one for each team.
First, Christian Laettner. Laettner had already established himself as a clutch college player the year before, and in the 1990-91 season further worked to establish himself as the best college player in the country. He was well on his way to being named the Final Four's most outstanding player when he was fouled after an offensive rebound with 12.7 seconds to go.
During a timeout before the free throws, as Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski looked Laettner in the eye and asked "you got 'em?" Laettner responded, simply, "I got 'em." Krzyzewski then made plans for Duke's final defensive possession, knowing full well the Blue Devils would be ahead by two in just a few moments.
Laettner hit the two free throws, just like everybody expected him to. Duke was ahead 79-77, and UNLV took the ball upcourt. In their huddle during the same timeout, coach Jerry Tarkanian called for a play where either forward Larry Johnson or guard Anderson Hunt would take the final shot. As it turned out, Johnson was open beyond the 3-point line and got the ball with no Duke player anywhere near him.
Johnson pump-faked ... and froze. He didn't shoot. Instead, he passed off to Hunt, who took a tougher 3-point attempt with a hand in his face that fell off the rim. By the time the rebound was tracked down, the buzzer had sounded and the UNLV's unbeated run was over.
In the face of a shot to win the game, Johnson froze. Sure, he wasn't a great 3-point shooter, but he was wide open, and his team ran the play for him. He just didn't want the shot. Laettner, meanwhile, wanted the ball in clutch situations, something he proved throughout his college career. He thrived on the pressure.
And so UNLV failed in its bid to be an undefeated champion, while Duke moved on to the national championship game, this time succeeding in winning the school's first national title.
Showing posts with label Christian Laettner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian Laettner. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
March 28, 1992: Laettner, part 3
PHILADELPHIA - Anybody who watched will always remember where they were. Just close your eyes, and it comes back to you. The ending is transfixing: Antonio Lang watches the ball fall through the hoop at the buzzer and collapses in a heap in the lane, completely in shock. Thomas Hill walks in shock toward the sideline, hands on his head. When he turns around, you can see the tears.
But here's the amazing thing: Lang and Hill were on the winning team. Their reaction wasn't one of players who just had their souls ripped out, but rather of players so happy, in such a state of celebration, that they went into shock.
It was that kind of game.
Rewind your memory now. Remember the incredible, mind-blowing play between Duke and Kentucky that day in Philadelphia. Remember that, despite all the pressure in the game itself, the teams combined to shoot 61 percent from the floor. Or that, in the second half and overtime, when the game stayed tight and each possession had added importance, they upped that percentage to 63 percent.
Remember the time out late in the game, when Duke point guard Bobby Hurley reminded his players, "if they score, remember to call time out." You could say he was showing a lack of confidence in his teammates. Or you could say that he simply knew how the game was going to turn out. Because when Sean Woods fired that off-balance 13-footer with less than five seconds to play, it should have come as no surprise that it barely cleared the outstretched fingertips of Christian Laettner and somehow found the bottom of the net. Kentucky was up 103-102 with 2.1 seconds left. And Hurley remembered to call time out.
In all reality, that's how it should have been remembered. Woods' shot should have been the biggest shot in the history of Kentucky basketball, the miracle shot that ended the greatest game ever played and knocked the defending champions out of the tournament.
But Duke still had 2.1 seconds. Sure, they had to go the length of the floor, but they still had 2.1 seconds. And they still had Laettner, the greatest clutch player in NCAA tournament history, and one who, if he got his hands on the ball, you knew damn well he was going to make the shot.
And so close your eyes again. Watch Grant Hill throw a 75-foot pass that somehow hit a double-teamed Laettner in the hands as he stood on the free-throw line. Watch as Laettner somehow found the time to fake to the right and dribble once before spinning to his left, falling away, and hitting the most famous shot in college basketball history.
And Lang is forever laying on the floor in shock. And Thomas Hill is forever crying on the sideline. And the rest of the Duke players and coaches are piled on Laettner somewhere near midcourt, celebrating the most improbable ending to the greatest college basketball game ever played.
But here's the amazing thing: Lang and Hill were on the winning team. Their reaction wasn't one of players who just had their souls ripped out, but rather of players so happy, in such a state of celebration, that they went into shock.
It was that kind of game.
Rewind your memory now. Remember the incredible, mind-blowing play between Duke and Kentucky that day in Philadelphia. Remember that, despite all the pressure in the game itself, the teams combined to shoot 61 percent from the floor. Or that, in the second half and overtime, when the game stayed tight and each possession had added importance, they upped that percentage to 63 percent.
Remember the time out late in the game, when Duke point guard Bobby Hurley reminded his players, "if they score, remember to call time out." You could say he was showing a lack of confidence in his teammates. Or you could say that he simply knew how the game was going to turn out. Because when Sean Woods fired that off-balance 13-footer with less than five seconds to play, it should have come as no surprise that it barely cleared the outstretched fingertips of Christian Laettner and somehow found the bottom of the net. Kentucky was up 103-102 with 2.1 seconds left. And Hurley remembered to call time out.
In all reality, that's how it should have been remembered. Woods' shot should have been the biggest shot in the history of Kentucky basketball, the miracle shot that ended the greatest game ever played and knocked the defending champions out of the tournament.
But Duke still had 2.1 seconds. Sure, they had to go the length of the floor, but they still had 2.1 seconds. And they still had Laettner, the greatest clutch player in NCAA tournament history, and one who, if he got his hands on the ball, you knew damn well he was going to make the shot.
And so close your eyes again. Watch Grant Hill throw a 75-foot pass that somehow hit a double-teamed Laettner in the hands as he stood on the free-throw line. Watch as Laettner somehow found the time to fake to the right and dribble once before spinning to his left, falling away, and hitting the most famous shot in college basketball history.
And Lang is forever laying on the floor in shock. And Thomas Hill is forever crying on the sideline. And the rest of the Duke players and coaches are piled on Laettner somewhere near midcourt, celebrating the most improbable ending to the greatest college basketball game ever played.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
March 24, 1990: Laettner, Part 1
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - All great players must start somewhere. All reputations for great clutch ability have to come from one original, trend-setting performance.
Entering the 1990 NCAA tournament, the Duke Blue Devils hadn't yet become the team that struck fear in all teams who played them in the NCAA tournament. Sure, they had been to the Final Four three of the previous four seasons, but they hadn't yet won the title, and so weren't quite yet considered among college basketball's elite.
One of Duke's top players in 1990 was a sophomore forward named Christian Laettner. Though he would become later known as one of the best college basketball players of all time, in 1990, he was simply an overachieving sophomore, starting on a top-10 team.
The Blue Devils advanced to the East Regional final in 1990, winning their first three tournament games fairly easily. Their opponent in the regional final was top-seeded Connecticut. UConn had advanced to this game on the strength of a last-second shot off of a length-of-the-floor pass to beat Clemson in its previous game, so the Huskies should have been used to playing tight games.
Duke and Connecticut played a classic game that night in the Meadowlands, with the game going to overtime. With Connecticut ahead by one with 2.6 seconds left, Duke sent Laettner in to inbound the basketball. UConn made the fatal mistake of taking their eyes off the inbounds passer for only a moment, but it was enough. Laettner caught the return pass, dribbled to the free-throw line, pumped once, then drained the jumper that sent Duke back to the Final Four.
Though a shot like that would have been the highlight of the career for most players, for Laettner, the shot has almost come to be forgotten. Since Duke got trounced in the 1990 title game by UNLV, his heroics to get them there have been overshadowed by shots he made the subsequent two years. But it was his shot against Connecticut that started his reputation as the best big-game player in college basketball history.
The shot (no sound):
http://www.thoughtequity.com/video/clip/306073_008.do
Entering the 1990 NCAA tournament, the Duke Blue Devils hadn't yet become the team that struck fear in all teams who played them in the NCAA tournament. Sure, they had been to the Final Four three of the previous four seasons, but they hadn't yet won the title, and so weren't quite yet considered among college basketball's elite.
One of Duke's top players in 1990 was a sophomore forward named Christian Laettner. Though he would become later known as one of the best college basketball players of all time, in 1990, he was simply an overachieving sophomore, starting on a top-10 team.
The Blue Devils advanced to the East Regional final in 1990, winning their first three tournament games fairly easily. Their opponent in the regional final was top-seeded Connecticut. UConn had advanced to this game on the strength of a last-second shot off of a length-of-the-floor pass to beat Clemson in its previous game, so the Huskies should have been used to playing tight games.
Duke and Connecticut played a classic game that night in the Meadowlands, with the game going to overtime. With Connecticut ahead by one with 2.6 seconds left, Duke sent Laettner in to inbound the basketball. UConn made the fatal mistake of taking their eyes off the inbounds passer for only a moment, but it was enough. Laettner caught the return pass, dribbled to the free-throw line, pumped once, then drained the jumper that sent Duke back to the Final Four.
Though a shot like that would have been the highlight of the career for most players, for Laettner, the shot has almost come to be forgotten. Since Duke got trounced in the 1990 title game by UNLV, his heroics to get them there have been overshadowed by shots he made the subsequent two years. But it was his shot against Connecticut that started his reputation as the best big-game player in college basketball history.
The shot (no sound):
http://www.thoughtequity.com/video/clip/306073_008.do
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