NEW ORLEANS - It was the national championship game that had everything. There was the shot that launched a legendary career. And there was the heartbreaking turnover of the ages. Two extremes, two huge swings of emotion, in one 10-second span.
First, it was North Carolina's turn. Trailing by one with 30 seconds left, the Tar Heels inbounded the ball and looked to find an opening for the winning basket. With Georgetown in a 1-3-1 zone and the great freshman Patrick Ewing manning the middle, North Carolina knew they'd need a jump shot to win. So they passed around the wing a few times, taking time off the clock, before a young freshman found an opening in the zone.
Future NBA all-star James Worthy passed the ball to the young freshman - a skinny kid by the name of Michael Jordan - and Jordan calmly sank the jumper that put North Carolina ahead, 63-62. North Carolina's bench was celebrating.
But it wasn't over. Georgetown still had 10 seconds and a timeout to use to try to score the winning basket. Guard Fred Brown had the ball for Georgetown, no doubt looking to get the ball in to either Ewing or Sleepy Floyd, who had given the Hoyas the lead just before Jordan's shot. But, with time running out, Brown inexplicably passed the ball right to North Carolina's Worthy, and the Tar Heels were able to run out the clock after the turnover.
After the game, despite attempts by his coach to comfort him, Brown was devastated. He later said that he made the bad pass in part because Georgetown had been practicing in white jerseys all week, but were wearing blue for the national championship game.
Fortunately for Brown, the man who made the winning shot for North Carolina ended up becoming the greatest basketball player of all time. Losing a game on a shot that launched a legend helped put Brown's turnover on the back burner a little bit. People still remember his bad pass, but not as much as they remember Jordan's clutch shot.
Another thing that's not remembered about the game is that despite the winning shot, Jordan wasn't the biggest star for North Carolina that day. That honor went to Worthy, who, aside from being in the right place to catch Brown's errant pass, scored a game-high 28 points. Ewing also starred, scoring 23 points with 10 rebounds. In all, five players who played in the 1982 National Championship game went on to have distinguished NBA careers.
It was a game with 15 lead changes, one where neither team ever led by more than a handful of points. But it's best remembered for its final basket, its final lead change, where a freshman guard hit the shot that launched a legend.
Showing posts with label North Carolina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North Carolina. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
March 23, 1957: Wilt's lost opportunity
KANSAS CITY - It should have been a classic college basketball game. The Kansas Jayhawks, led by the often-unstoppable Wilt Chamberlain, were up against top ranked North Carolina for the national championship. Everything pointed to this game being a college basketball classic, and for 30 minutes, it was. And while it's still remembered as one of the more memorable college basketball games ever played, it could have been so much more.
Led by all-American Lennie Rosenbluth, the Tar Heels took a 29-22 lead at halftime against Kansas, but Chamberlain started leading the Jayhawks back. In fact, it took Kansas only 3:20 to take the lead, going ahead 36-35. Kansas had outscored North Carolina 14-6 in only 3:20, a great display of scoring prowess.
And then, the game slowed down. Kansas was ahead 40-37 with 10:00 left in the game when both teams decided to start stalling. In the days before the shot clock, stalling was a perfectly legal strategy, and it was used often in close games, as coaches often held the ball for a final possession. And so, what had been a great, tight, often tense game was ruined by two coaches stalling.
From the 10:00 mark to the 5:00 mark, neither team attempted a shot. They finally started to pick up the play with 5:00 left, but not by much, and the game was tied 46-46 after regulation. From there, it looked like Kansas would have the advantage, as they still had Wilt, and North Carolina's great Rosenbluth had fouled out with 20 points.
Instead, both teams continued their stalling ways. Each team scored just one basket in the first overtime and didn't score at all in the second. It was 48-48 entering the third overtime when the two teams finally started to try scoring again. And once they did, the game returned to its legendary status.
A pair of free-throws put Kansas up 53-52 with :20 left in the third overtime. North Carolina's Tommy Kearns tried for a game-winning basket but had his shot blocked by Chamberlain. However, Chamberlain was called for the foul, putting Kearns on the line. Kearns made both free throws to give the Tar Heels a 54-53 lead with six seconds left. From there, there was little doubt what Kansas would try to do. As the Jayhawks tried to get the pass in to Chamberlain for a game-winning shot, Kearns tipped the pass away, clinching the national title for North Carolina.
As Wilt got older and turned into the most dominant force in basketball, he considered the 1957 national championship game to be his biggest failure as an athlete. For their part, the Kansas fans never blamed him for losing that game. It's probably best that they didn't. If their coach had just let the team play instead of ordering the stalling tactic, perhaps there wouldn't have been a reason for Wilt to feel shame.
Led by all-American Lennie Rosenbluth, the Tar Heels took a 29-22 lead at halftime against Kansas, but Chamberlain started leading the Jayhawks back. In fact, it took Kansas only 3:20 to take the lead, going ahead 36-35. Kansas had outscored North Carolina 14-6 in only 3:20, a great display of scoring prowess.
And then, the game slowed down. Kansas was ahead 40-37 with 10:00 left in the game when both teams decided to start stalling. In the days before the shot clock, stalling was a perfectly legal strategy, and it was used often in close games, as coaches often held the ball for a final possession. And so, what had been a great, tight, often tense game was ruined by two coaches stalling.
From the 10:00 mark to the 5:00 mark, neither team attempted a shot. They finally started to pick up the play with 5:00 left, but not by much, and the game was tied 46-46 after regulation. From there, it looked like Kansas would have the advantage, as they still had Wilt, and North Carolina's great Rosenbluth had fouled out with 20 points.
Instead, both teams continued their stalling ways. Each team scored just one basket in the first overtime and didn't score at all in the second. It was 48-48 entering the third overtime when the two teams finally started to try scoring again. And once they did, the game returned to its legendary status.
A pair of free-throws put Kansas up 53-52 with :20 left in the third overtime. North Carolina's Tommy Kearns tried for a game-winning basket but had his shot blocked by Chamberlain. However, Chamberlain was called for the foul, putting Kearns on the line. Kearns made both free throws to give the Tar Heels a 54-53 lead with six seconds left. From there, there was little doubt what Kansas would try to do. As the Jayhawks tried to get the pass in to Chamberlain for a game-winning shot, Kearns tipped the pass away, clinching the national title for North Carolina.
As Wilt got older and turned into the most dominant force in basketball, he considered the 1957 national championship game to be his biggest failure as an athlete. For their part, the Kansas fans never blamed him for losing that game. It's probably best that they didn't. If their coach had just let the team play instead of ordering the stalling tactic, perhaps there wouldn't have been a reason for Wilt to feel shame.
Monday, April 5, 2010
April 5, 1993: Time Out
NEW ORLEANS - They've become the most famous recruiting class in college basketball history, five players who set out to together to change college basketball. They wore baggy shorts, played with swagger and energy, and ruled the college game for two years.
By the time the 1993 national championship game rolled around, virtually every basketball fan in America had memorized the names of Michigan's Fab Five: Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson, Jimmy King, Jalen Rose, and Chris Webber. They made the national championship game the year before, five freshmen starters who didn't know that there was supposed to be a learning curve. And even though they got blown out by Duke in that game, everybody assumed they'd be back, and even better, in 1993.
Boy, were they right. They entered the title game with a 31-4 record, having been ranked No. 1 for half the season before ending the year ranked No. 3. Even though their opponent, North Carolina, was equally as talented, this game was supposed to be a coronation, the moment that the Fab Five turned Super Sophs finished their ascent of college basketball.
North Carolina had other plans. The Tar Heels lead 42-36 at the half, and of Michigan's talented starters, only Webber was playing a good game. Michigan hung tough, and were trailing 73-71 with 19 seconds left when Webber rebounded a missed free throw.
Then, the fairy tale came to a screeching halt.
Not able to find a guard to pass to, Webber nearly traveled (acutally, he did travel, but it wasn't called) before dribbling up court. Perhaps flustered by his lucky break, he dribbled into the corner by Michigan's bench, got trapped by two Tar Heels, and called time out.
A time out Michigan didn't have.
And just like that, the dream of the Fab Five was over. The technical foul gave North Carolina two free throws plus the ball, allowing them to put the game away. Webber went pro after that game, becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft. Howard and Rose joined Webber in the NBA the next year, and all three had all-star caliber careers.
Years later, it was revealed that Webber had received illegal payments from a Michigan booster, starting when he was in high school, that added up to more than $200,000. More Michigan players were implicated, though none of the other four members of the Fab Five were shown to receive any money. Eventually, the NCAA stripped Michigan and Webber of all their accomplishments from 1993; the official NCAA record book shows no team finishing second in 1993.
Perhaps the promise of the Fab Five was too good to be true. Perhaps we should have been suspicious about how a school that wasn't a traditional basketball power could get this much talent in one class.
But maybe they got their just reward. They had come painfully close to their dream, 19 seconds from a championship, only to have it all taken away. Starting with a simple time out.
By the time the 1993 national championship game rolled around, virtually every basketball fan in America had memorized the names of Michigan's Fab Five: Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson, Jimmy King, Jalen Rose, and Chris Webber. They made the national championship game the year before, five freshmen starters who didn't know that there was supposed to be a learning curve. And even though they got blown out by Duke in that game, everybody assumed they'd be back, and even better, in 1993.
Boy, were they right. They entered the title game with a 31-4 record, having been ranked No. 1 for half the season before ending the year ranked No. 3. Even though their opponent, North Carolina, was equally as talented, this game was supposed to be a coronation, the moment that the Fab Five turned Super Sophs finished their ascent of college basketball.
North Carolina had other plans. The Tar Heels lead 42-36 at the half, and of Michigan's talented starters, only Webber was playing a good game. Michigan hung tough, and were trailing 73-71 with 19 seconds left when Webber rebounded a missed free throw.
Then, the fairy tale came to a screeching halt.
Not able to find a guard to pass to, Webber nearly traveled (acutally, he did travel, but it wasn't called) before dribbling up court. Perhaps flustered by his lucky break, he dribbled into the corner by Michigan's bench, got trapped by two Tar Heels, and called time out.
A time out Michigan didn't have.
And just like that, the dream of the Fab Five was over. The technical foul gave North Carolina two free throws plus the ball, allowing them to put the game away. Webber went pro after that game, becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft. Howard and Rose joined Webber in the NBA the next year, and all three had all-star caliber careers.
Years later, it was revealed that Webber had received illegal payments from a Michigan booster, starting when he was in high school, that added up to more than $200,000. More Michigan players were implicated, though none of the other four members of the Fab Five were shown to receive any money. Eventually, the NCAA stripped Michigan and Webber of all their accomplishments from 1993; the official NCAA record book shows no team finishing second in 1993.
Perhaps the promise of the Fab Five was too good to be true. Perhaps we should have been suspicious about how a school that wasn't a traditional basketball power could get this much talent in one class.
But maybe they got their just reward. They had come painfully close to their dream, 19 seconds from a championship, only to have it all taken away. Starting with a simple time out.
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