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Thrilling Finishes Becoming the Norm
2/20/2012 11:34:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sometimes you just have to laugh. Or, if you're a Duke fan, at least smile in wonder, like happening upon a rainbow on what appeared to be an ordinary, overcast day.
Surprise endings, especially happy ones, will do that.
There are many things for which Mike Krzyzewski's Duke teams are noted – record numbers of victories, national titles, Final Four appearances, ACC championships, superlative players. Thanks to an eight-day stretch in February 2012, add remarkable escapes to the list.
Back when the earth was young, conjuring victory in the face of near-certain defeat was a Dean Smith specialty, maddeningly managed by masterfully manipulating substitutions, fouls, and timeouts to the very last tick of the game clock. From the early 1990s until recently every North Carolina media guide included a section four or five pages long called UNC's “Fantastic Finishes.” Most came under Smith.
So far there's no such section in Duke's media guide, although there could be. Make that should be after Krzyzewski and his Blue Devils delivered bookend stunners to bracket his 65th birthday on Feb. 13.
First came a rally from 10 points down in a Feb. 8 game at Chapel Hill, capped by an Austin Rivers 3-pointer that was airborne as the buzzer sounded. Next came a second-half revival at Cameron Indoor Stadium, a Feb. 16 rush from 20 points down to bury N.C. State amid a cauldron of supportive cheers.
“They were both amazing,” Duke junior Andre Dawkins said of the rallies. “I don't know which one is more impressive. Hopefully we can stay away from the comebacks from now on.”
Krzyzewski has engineered an impressive array of escapes over his career, perhaps most notably a pair that came on Christian Laettner shots in NCAA tournament play.
One Laettner haymaker landed against Connecticut to close out a 79-78 win in the 1990 East Regional, sending the Blue Devils to a third consecutive Final Four. The other, a turnaround jumper at the buzzer, topped Kentucky in overtime in the 1992 East Regional final, sending Duke to a second straight NCAA title.
Laettner's improbable shot against the Wildcats, fed by a long pass from Grant Hill, still ranks among the most celebrated plays in college basketball history.
But for rapid-fire fascination, for the sheer, rollercoaster thrill of the unexpected erupting, receding, then erupting again, the 2012 Duke squad will long be remembered for a pair – and perhaps more; there's still time – of the more stunning comebacks in recent ACC history.
(That eventful roster doesn't include the time the Blue Devils were themselves on the receiving end of a last-second dagger, delivered at Cameron by Florida State's Michael Snaer on Jan. 21.)
First came a visit to Chapel Hill that burnished the lore of a rivalry that, for sustained excellence across decades, is unmatched in American sports.
Duke has certainly been on the receiving end of bitter outcomes against the Tar Heels, never more so than in 1974. Smith's team won by a point at Cameron on a steal and layup by forward Bobby Jones with one second left. Six weeks later the Heels famously rallied from eight points down with 17 seconds to go, eventually winning in overtime at Carmichael Auditorium.
Wait long enough, and the wheel comes full circle.
Nearly four decades after its famous lightning rally, North Carolina quickly moved to a double-digit lead less than six minutes into the second half at the Dean Smith Center. Riding a school-record 31-game winning streak, UNC looked in total control.
Until it wasn't. Consecutive 3-pointers by Tyler Thornton and Seth Curry, consecutive turnovers by the Tar Heels, consecutive baskets by Ryan Kelly, and suddenly the Devils were within a possession of victory.
Then Rivers landed the knockout punch and Duke had a did-I-just-see-that? 85-84 win. Just as Cameron fell instantly silent when Snaer's three went through the net for FSU, so Dean Dome denizens deflated like pricked balloons as Duke's precocious freshman scoring leader made his indelible mark in a series that's the ACC's signature attraction.
The N.C. State game was part of a different series: home games in which Duke came out a beat off-key and paid a penalty. Both of the team's conference losses, to FSU and Miami, occurred at Cameron. Prolonged lethargy almost compromised home wins over St. John's and Maryland.
“Really, we have two different basketball teams in us,” Dawkins said after the N.C. State rally. “It's kind of a Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-type thing. We've got a team that can be bad and be on the verge of being blown out of the gym and then we can also be a really good team that goes 35-10 in the last 10 minutes. (Actually 34-12.) We've just got to find a find a way to harness that last 10 minutes for 40 minutes.”
As late as the 11:33 mark of the second half, when the Wolfpack led 61-41 on a pair of Lorenzo Brown free throws, Duke looked lost. Then Duke looked found.
“It's an amazing win,” Krzyzewski declaimed afterward. “They thoroughly outplayed us for about 29 minutes, then we thoroughly outplayed them for 11.”
A key was the Devils' ability to discomfort Brown, one of the ACC's few quality playmakers. The sophomore led his team with 19 points and 5 assists compared to 3 turnovers.
But, for all its flash, basketball is a battle of attrition, a wearing process in which fatigue, fouls, doubt, and stress take a toll on individual and team performance. In such circumstances, the more committed defensive squad usually prevails. “We're not a great defensive team,” Krzyzewski said, “but for portions of games we play great defense.”
Even as Wolfpack teammates got into deep foul trouble, limiting the options for gesticulating coach Mark Gottfried, Duke applied wearing pressure on Brown. “We made it hard for him to initiate the offense, or even get the ball to start the offense,” Kelly explained.
The result was a 78-73 win in which Krzyzewski utilized his bench to maximum effect, employing nine Blue Devils for at least nine minutes each. “It shows what we are capable of doing, especially under a lot of pressure,” Kelly of the N.C. State win. “If we can play like that for 40 minutes, we'll become a great team.”
The 2012 Blue Devils have provided several stirring examples of perseverance in the face of oncourt adversity. That may not make them a great team, but it surely qualifies the current unit as a memorable one.
Surprise endings, especially happy ones, will do that.
There are many things for which Mike Krzyzewski's Duke teams are noted – record numbers of victories, national titles, Final Four appearances, ACC championships, superlative players. Thanks to an eight-day stretch in February 2012, add remarkable escapes to the list.
Back when the earth was young, conjuring victory in the face of near-certain defeat was a Dean Smith specialty, maddeningly managed by masterfully manipulating substitutions, fouls, and timeouts to the very last tick of the game clock. From the early 1990s until recently every North Carolina media guide included a section four or five pages long called UNC's “Fantastic Finishes.” Most came under Smith.
So far there's no such section in Duke's media guide, although there could be. Make that should be after Krzyzewski and his Blue Devils delivered bookend stunners to bracket his 65th birthday on Feb. 13.
First came a rally from 10 points down in a Feb. 8 game at Chapel Hill, capped by an Austin Rivers 3-pointer that was airborne as the buzzer sounded. Next came a second-half revival at Cameron Indoor Stadium, a Feb. 16 rush from 20 points down to bury N.C. State amid a cauldron of supportive cheers.
“They were both amazing,” Duke junior Andre Dawkins said of the rallies. “I don't know which one is more impressive. Hopefully we can stay away from the comebacks from now on.”
Krzyzewski has engineered an impressive array of escapes over his career, perhaps most notably a pair that came on Christian Laettner shots in NCAA tournament play.
One Laettner haymaker landed against Connecticut to close out a 79-78 win in the 1990 East Regional, sending the Blue Devils to a third consecutive Final Four. The other, a turnaround jumper at the buzzer, topped Kentucky in overtime in the 1992 East Regional final, sending Duke to a second straight NCAA title.
Laettner's improbable shot against the Wildcats, fed by a long pass from Grant Hill, still ranks among the most celebrated plays in college basketball history.
But for rapid-fire fascination, for the sheer, rollercoaster thrill of the unexpected erupting, receding, then erupting again, the 2012 Duke squad will long be remembered for a pair – and perhaps more; there's still time – of the more stunning comebacks in recent ACC history.
(That eventful roster doesn't include the time the Blue Devils were themselves on the receiving end of a last-second dagger, delivered at Cameron by Florida State's Michael Snaer on Jan. 21.)
First came a visit to Chapel Hill that burnished the lore of a rivalry that, for sustained excellence across decades, is unmatched in American sports.
Duke has certainly been on the receiving end of bitter outcomes against the Tar Heels, never more so than in 1974. Smith's team won by a point at Cameron on a steal and layup by forward Bobby Jones with one second left. Six weeks later the Heels famously rallied from eight points down with 17 seconds to go, eventually winning in overtime at Carmichael Auditorium.
Wait long enough, and the wheel comes full circle.
Nearly four decades after its famous lightning rally, North Carolina quickly moved to a double-digit lead less than six minutes into the second half at the Dean Smith Center. Riding a school-record 31-game winning streak, UNC looked in total control.
Until it wasn't. Consecutive 3-pointers by Tyler Thornton and Seth Curry, consecutive turnovers by the Tar Heels, consecutive baskets by Ryan Kelly, and suddenly the Devils were within a possession of victory.
Then Rivers landed the knockout punch and Duke had a did-I-just-see-that? 85-84 win. Just as Cameron fell instantly silent when Snaer's three went through the net for FSU, so Dean Dome denizens deflated like pricked balloons as Duke's precocious freshman scoring leader made his indelible mark in a series that's the ACC's signature attraction.
The N.C. State game was part of a different series: home games in which Duke came out a beat off-key and paid a penalty. Both of the team's conference losses, to FSU and Miami, occurred at Cameron. Prolonged lethargy almost compromised home wins over St. John's and Maryland.
“Really, we have two different basketball teams in us,” Dawkins said after the N.C. State rally. “It's kind of a Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-type thing. We've got a team that can be bad and be on the verge of being blown out of the gym and then we can also be a really good team that goes 35-10 in the last 10 minutes. (Actually 34-12.) We've just got to find a find a way to harness that last 10 minutes for 40 minutes.”
As late as the 11:33 mark of the second half, when the Wolfpack led 61-41 on a pair of Lorenzo Brown free throws, Duke looked lost. Then Duke looked found.
“It's an amazing win,” Krzyzewski declaimed afterward. “They thoroughly outplayed us for about 29 minutes, then we thoroughly outplayed them for 11.”
A key was the Devils' ability to discomfort Brown, one of the ACC's few quality playmakers. The sophomore led his team with 19 points and 5 assists compared to 3 turnovers.
But, for all its flash, basketball is a battle of attrition, a wearing process in which fatigue, fouls, doubt, and stress take a toll on individual and team performance. In such circumstances, the more committed defensive squad usually prevails. “We're not a great defensive team,” Krzyzewski said, “but for portions of games we play great defense.”
Even as Wolfpack teammates got into deep foul trouble, limiting the options for gesticulating coach Mark Gottfried, Duke applied wearing pressure on Brown. “We made it hard for him to initiate the offense, or even get the ball to start the offense,” Kelly explained.
The result was a 78-73 win in which Krzyzewski utilized his bench to maximum effect, employing nine Blue Devils for at least nine minutes each. “It shows what we are capable of doing, especially under a lot of pressure,” Kelly of the N.C. State win. “If we can play like that for 40 minutes, we'll become a great team.”
The 2012 Blue Devils have provided several stirring examples of perseverance in the face of oncourt adversity. That may not make them a great team, but it surely qualifies the current unit as a memorable one.
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