My pick to win it all? Memphis. And not just because of Chicago phenom Derrick Rose. When the tournament turns straight chalk and your favorite team bows out to a Big East also-ran? The most interesting story becomes the athletic, electrifying, and still-with-a-chip-on-their-shoulders Memphis Tigers. I remember a story from 7 months ago, when back in early September John Calipari looked at his team and got goosebumps. “It's taken me eight years of ups and downs and piecing things together to get this team, the kind of team that players want it more than I want it for them.” Eight years of ups and downs, two years of Elite Eights – and all it takes is one exceptional player to bring out the best in them. The Derrick Rose Invitational. Gentlemen, start your engines!!!
The roar of the crowd soars with the ball. Rose has it! It’s begun! Oh, the electricity! The emotions! Dorsey scores immediately, a power move inside, and as the ball snuggles into the net, every Memphis fan is giddy with glee. This is the year!
Every move, every look, every pass is heightened, magnified tenfold. In the final game of the year, and in front of millions across the globe, not one thing is let go. Every turnover is howled at; a colossal mistake. Every pinpoint pass, every hard-fought rebound, is cheered and celebrated and screamed at by a mass of 42,000+ strong. AMAZING. Sizzling. Spine-tingling. Even though we know there’s still 40 minutes left to go, we are convinced that every single move right now denotes what will happen next, what will unfurl, over the entire game. I am hunched so forward on my chair that I’m almost falling off. How can the players even play? What must they be thinking – finally, meeting their equal – and getting challenged, for some of them, for the first time since – ever?
It starts out pretty even. Kansas is definitely clogging up the middle, not really playing zone but some damn good defense all their own, and daring the Tigers to drive into trees or settle for jumpshots. And Derrick Rose, the unflappable Rose, is finding this defense much stickier than in games past, almost losing the ball twice and indeed losing the ball once to those extra-grabby hands. Taking it to the rack – and BLOCKED! But OH! How can he see the whole floor??? How can he drive, with supposedly blinkers on in his determination to get to the goal – and then suddenly reverse direction and freeze the entire defense with such a pinpoint pass to a wide open Robert Dozier – not exactly offensive weapon #1 – who drains a high-arching 15 footer? And when he does drive – despite Russell Robinson sticking to that scouting report like glue that says take away his right, take away his right – he gets the bucket – AND one???? Then before you know it, Memphis is already up 9-3, handing Kansas its largest deficit of the tournament – and you’re going – what??? I thought this would be competitive! HA! Apparently, simply staying with the Tigers has become a competitive sport. Good luck.
Ack! Alley-oop dunk by Kaun? Nobody on him???? Wake up, Dorsey! Pounding the ball inside to Arthur to make it 9-9 even. I am starting to see some zone. Can we have an even game of talent, and not junk it up? Ball instantly stolen away from Dorsey by a quicker guard. UGH.
Whoa! Was that a shot???? A one-armed “heave” coming from out of nowhere by CDR – and it flies in! Amazing! Every Jayhawk was as amazed as I was, watching that ball soar over their heads and wondering where the invisible Dorsey was to guide that errant alley-oop pass in? Oh no, Sherron Collins just blew by Rose for a layup. Nice.
Uh oh – the foul trouble is already starting to pile up. Taggert with his 2nd foul, 12:17 still to go, while the ball was nowhere near him. Great. So now Dorsey comes back in. Kansas, meanwhile – and you have to hand it to them – have a much deeper and more talented frontcourt than Memphis. “So Memphis CAN get into foul trouble. Kansas almost cannot.” Swell. AAGHHH! There goes Dozier committing his second foul, 15 seconds later! And they haven’t even trotted out their super frosh yet, Cole Aldrich, still in his warm-ups on the bench looking bemusedly on. 13-11, 12:05.
What’s up with Rose? After being heralded 24/7 that this would become the Derrick Rose Invitational – and after a scintillating first 3 minutes – Rose has switched to cruise control, giving up the ball much too quickly at the start of the offense, and then shooting 3s and turnaround jumpers rather than taking it to the rack. And is that a screen I saw Dorsey set for him on an off-kelter 17 footer? I thought Memphis is the antithesis of screens? Don’t they hate conventional basketball’s guts??? Yet, here I am, starting to see flashes of the Memphis team that lost to Tennessee again – rather than the team that blew out UCLA, Texas, and MSU in a blitzkrieg run just days ago. Memphis has been trying to answer Kansas’s points in the paint with some post-up moves of their own – but Taggert and Dozier, though long, are more face-up types than back to the basket PFs, and they’re being resolutely limited to one and done by the incredible rebounding machine that is the Jayhawks.
Oh, the balance on Kansas is incredible. Incredible. Double in on the Kansas big guys – and they kick it out to Mario Chalmers, who is like a ridiculous 47% from beyond the arc, and he knocks it down. When they start shooting 3s – as Memphis has been cold so far – watch out! 13-18!
Crap! Dorsey over the back – his 2nd foul! 9:42! And the howls in the arena rain down like Judgment Day. Is this the end? Is there that much riding on one call??????
Oh, wait . . it was only his first. Ah, no big deal. They’re now saying CDR has finally met this match in the 6’6” Brandon Rush. Rose is clearly bothered by somebody. Someone needs to step up or this whole thing is going down the drain.
DORSEY with a STEAL! And cross-court layup! This senior wants to PLAY! Haha, gets right in Aldrich’s chest with a hearty thump and scream – though not AT Aldrich – letting them know that the Tigers still got some tooth. A steal! By Rose – then in the rush to beat that damn zone/man switch back upcourt – stolen again by Chalmers! Who lays it up in the blink of an eye. A flying alley-oop DUNK by Darrell Arthur! Transition basketball in its finest! And suddenly I gape: 15-22??? Has Memphis been down so much in the entire tournament???? NO! 8:18. C’mon, boys!!!
Awww, awww, Rose answers. 2 crisp assists to shooters on the wing, 3s raining down from every which direction – and we’re back in the hunt! First trip up, he spins into the lane and draws the focus of an entire nation – then kicks it out sharply to Anderson on the wing for the 3. Then – again, slashing into the paint – looking like he was taking on the entire Western Front – and kicking it out to Dozier – whom I didn’t know was a 3 point shooter? But who apparently can nail them when left wide open! 21-24 and we’re quickly within shouting distance again. 7:25.
Roy Williams with a Kansas sticker on his shirt in the stands? LOL – over our miseries so quickly, eh? OH, there’s teamwork! There’s heart!!! Dorsey with a BLOCK of Kaun’s apparent slip of the screen and wide open layup – Antonio Anderson immediately zips off the other way with it, speeding in for the transition layup with a freight train of players behind him – but NO! ROSE!!!! Flying up to the rim to save that ball! But without enough momentum to put it back – so he comes back to earth and lands right on the baseline, mere micro-inches away from the out of bounds line – and uses his butt to save his balance. For one frail second, he balanced there, frozen, too afraid to move in fear of a whistle. Everybody else freezes too. Nobody bumps him. And then – heart afire with decisiveness – Rose spins around 180 degrees into the air and snaps a quick, super-strong overhead pass out 20 feet to CDR, who is perfectly stationed on the wing, rises to meet it, and goes up for the 3, all in one smooth motion – and BAM! THERE is the LEAD! There is Memphis, with the go-ahead basket! 26-24!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6:21.
28-28 tie at 3:50, and Dorsey, CDR, and Rose are pretty damn tired. I don’t think I’ve seen Rose take a breather yet. At this point, you can no longer deny the depth of talent on the Kansas team. What worked out well for a deep rotation against C-USA is not going to cut it here, and Cal is sticking to his Thoroughbreds, Rose, CDR, and Anderson, pretty much the entire way. 3 guards against 4 – which one would you take? I’ll like to think that truly great players can overcome that . . but c’mon. Memphis is already losing the rebounding battle against Kansas’ stellar and deeper frontline. Is it possible for its guards to win the battle in the backcourt? Can talent and desire overcome fatigue?
“Where is Rose?” Packer wonders. “He has not made a field goal in 7 minutes.” He is only 1 for 4 so far . . and herein lies the problem. He’s been cut off on every drive, with a big defender and his own guard defender staying with him and clogging down the lane on every possession, and now he gets caught in mid-air trying to bail himself out – and a turnover! Pass picked off like that! Crap! And in a total reversal of previous games – it is now the Memphis guards who are slipping on the floor as the Kansas guards zoom past them – the Memphis guards who are getting beat on drives and who can’t even beat out the Kansas big men for a loose ball careening dangerously towards the wings. Kansas is not exactly playing a zone – but it seems to be some sort of hybrid – and it is potent enough to contain the most dangerous duo in backcourt history. And as the seconds tick off towards halftime – the Kansas team seems to be getting fresher and more aggressive by the minute – and their fans are standing and cheering for their Rock Chalk Jayhawks. These are the bluebloods, the revolving door of talent, the close-your-eyes-and-pick-anyone-and-they-can-be-the-leading-scorer type of club, and the lack of eye-catching wins earlier in the season notwithstanding, the weakest #1 seed notwithstanding. It doesn’t matter anymore, none of that matters. If your team can peak on championship night? Then none of the rest matters at all. 28-33, 1:02, timeout Memphis.
And they completely mess up the last possession. They kept the ball for the entire last minute before the half too. What happened? I don’t know. Rose dribbles out 25 seconds of it. Then they try something but it’s almost stolen – then Anderson has to take a hurried 3 with a hand in his face before the shot clock expires – then Taggert somehow comes up with a miraculous rebound, but still they can’t get anything. A screen? Yet another screen for Rose? All that does is make Kaun jump out at Rose and frighten him, double team him, so that he gives the ball up to someone else – and it’s scuffled out of bounds with 0.1 left on the clock. Okay . . What do you do with 0.1 left on the clock? Nothing. Buzzer. Endgame. 28-33 halftime.
So either Rose is still sick from the gummy bears – or this Kansas defense is something else. I pick the latter. If he wants to win this game – it has to start with him. That’s a little unfair, but that competitor in him has to come out and ROAR. It can’t shoot jumpshots. It can’t give the ball up. It needs to ATTACK. If I were coach Cal, I’ll use the full allotment of time at the half to get that point across – and leave everybody else alone. There’s plenty of other things that needs fixing too – but none of that matters, if we don’t have Rose.
Second half: Oh, some LIFE!!!!!!!!! Rose takes it strong to the rack – no, he intends to find Dozier waiting there in the wings – and the ultra-lengthy forward dribbles once and then lets that tiger roar with a DUNK! As Kansas turns to go back on offense – Anderson forces a turnover from Chalmers! Gets a big congratulatory slap on the back from Dorsey. Frightening moment as they almost lose it – Kansas, ticked off, applies the double trap on CDR – but Rose recovers it and hands it to Anderson – who, with the shot clock winding down to 5, 4, 3 – takes a three – and HITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TIE SCORE, 33-33! This is the bloody lowest scoring opening 2nd half I’ve ever been this excited about! It’s a game again!!! 18:52.
Oh, what a beautiful cut by Anderson to take that bounce pass from Dorsey – takes on TWO defenders! AND finishes – AND one! Gorgeous! Couldn’t be prettier! LOB to Dorsey! Who finishes with a DUNK, then pulls the ball out of the net and smiles for his Kodiak moment, flashing a wide grin and pointing his finger towards the stands. Thank you, Rose, for the assist. Oops, but then picks up his 3rd foul a couple seconds later, guarding Kaun. Cal hollers and swears along the sidelines and immediately pulls Dorsey for his mistake. 38-39, 15:15.
OH, FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Rose we’ve all come to see! Grabs the loose ball from a wild shot from Sherron Collins, flies the length of the court, and you can see it in his eyes, he’s taking it all the way – and he beats two Kansas defenders up the court for a flying layup that rims in. 42-43, and despite all kinds of shots being missed by Dozier/Taggert, being outrebounded by 8 so far, and having some trouble driving despite Kansas not playing zone, the Tigers are still, almost a bit miraculously, in the hunt. We need more plays like that from Rose. When will he take over? When will it come?
Huh. With a slim lead now, 44-47, Kansas goes to its 2nd set of zone on defense – except now it’s a box and one on CDR. Ahhhhh! Some breathing room for Rose! And say hello to Mr. Robert Dozier, the one-man zone breaker. After scoring through the heart of the defense, Rose comes up the court on the next trip and now drives into the jungle again, except this time he makes a dangerous pass to Dozier – who collects it and goes up strong for the basket – and ONE! Oooohhh . . except he can’t make the “and one”. Is free throw shooting still an issue?
ROSE FOR THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And as the place erupts in wild cheers – the whistle cuts across swiftly, sending the white flag from Self that Kansas is sinking. This damn zone isn’t working, is it??? 3 times now, and 3 times the Tigers have broken it and scored. You put a box and one on CDR? So Rose can step back and bury the 3. 49-47 now, with Memphis finally taking the lead after a loooooong time – and Kansas needs a timeout. 8:08.
ROSE! YYYYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The best play is a broken play! In the sets, Rose seems almost tentative to drive, continuously looking for holes that just aren’t there. With a loose ball in his hands? Oh, he becomes a rocket of dynamite! Rose roars up the court, grabbing that rebound and cutting straight through the scrambling defense for the climb to the rim – AND ONE! Oh, how much an open lane – any opening, any seam – can light up his eyes! He reminds me so much of Tony Parker, just a terror in the open court. He is the star attraction, and for so long tonight he’s held it in, or rather – Kansas has done a number on him to hold it in. But not anymore. He can’t. Kansas has gone cold on the offensive end – and the Tigers have taken full advantage, grabbing every opportunity by the throat. Just a little more than 5 minutes to go – and with that scintillating move – with that nonchalant turn-around-and-walk-off from the basket as the whistle comes – haha, it seems every time Rose makes a big play, Bill Self has to call a timeout to try to ground that freshman back into reality. Hear those fans screaming for you? Hear Billy Packer singing your praises? Oh, oh, how beautiful this spring blooms! And to see the Memphis-blue-clad nation waving their banners, their flags, their programs – oh, oh, Rose!!!! You carry the hopes of a city. Can you fulfill them? 53-47, 5:10, timeout Kansas.
HOW DID HE DO THAT?????????? 3 seconds on the clock – crazy inbounds play – nowhere to go – a defender right in his face – AND he’s off-kelter? But he just heaves that shot up there – and as the buzzer sounds – banks it in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY FREAKIN’ COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shot of the game???????? A near impossible lead now, 56-47, 4:16.
Crap – what a mean thing to do, pulling a 1-2-2 zone on us now? With only 3 minutes to go??? With the shot clock winding down, Rose has to take another 3, from almost the same spot as the miracle shot he’d just made earlier – but this one rattles out. OH!!!!!!!!!!! SAVED by Dozier! Then a shaky pass – again, SAVED by Rose! And they work it inside – power forward to power forward – and Taggert with the ball banks it home! Huge shot, because when Kansas rushes down the court and gets blocked – now Memphis has a 7 point lead, 58-51, with a little more than 2 minutes to go – and they have to foul.
They do. They’ve tried everything in the book. They’ve tried, even, every junk defense known to man, or at least can be covered within the last 48 hours. Now? Now they will try to make a reality of the myth that Memphis cannot shoot free throws. Rose is the one getting mugged. Oh no! That was only the 6th team foul! Now they mug Dozier. Crap . . .
He hits them BOTH! YAY! 60-51, 2:12!!!
SHIT! Ball stolen away by Kansas! Then kicked out – for the THREE??????? Deadly turnaround of 5 quick points right there, and suddenly we’re in danger???? 60-56! Nothing’s safe anymore! Still 1:43 left! Goddamn it! How can the clock tick so slow???
They foul CDR immediately, not even bothering to wait for the inbounds play. Cool Hand Luke CDR swishes both. 62-56, but now I’m frightened by Kansas’ newfound swagger at the 3. We are guarding their perimeter play like tigers. But – OH NO! Dorsey fouled out! Dorsey fouled out! 1:23 still to go! We need his rebounding strength! And Cal covers his face with his hands – but then swiftly recovers and hurries his team over. Ok, relax, guys. The lead is still yours. It’s Kansas that has its backs to the wall. Protect that lead!!!
Oh crap. They foul CDR – and though he looks up with earnest concentration and rocks his body with that rhythmical, tap-shoulder dribble, tap-shoulder dribble thing he has going on – he CAN’T HIT! It was a 1 and 1! And now the Tigers have to defend with their life, 62-58, 1:14!
Ok, so much for that. They must have the mantra in their head not to foul, because Arthur turns around on Taggert and banks home a shot that looked astoundingly easy in 15 seconds flat. The score is now a heart-pounding 62-60, and I don’t know what to think. It seems to be anybody’s ballgame now. Rose takes the inbounds ball and jogs up the court, the din of the feverish crowd in his ears, and he’s waving everyone off – forget it, it’s mine now, this lead has dwindled down to 62-60, and there’s no way I’m letting us lose. There’s still too much clock . . they will get one more possession . . so we need some points here, fast . . and Anderson, after being a shaky recipient of Rose’s pass, calls timeout. 0:44 left.
Absolutely nothing good seems to come out of these timeouts – how come? CDR gets the rock – drives – NO GOOD! Wild shot goes nowhere! And now Kansas grabs that ball and is high-tailing it to the other end as if the place was on FIRE! A tangle at the basket! NO CALL! Anderson comes away with it! Run, run, run, there is no other choice, this might be it!!! And out of the left wing guns CDR, with that long pass up from Anderson to him – meets the defender at the basket at 90mph – WHISTLE! FOUL! 2 shots coming up!
But the nightmare becomes a reality. 16 seconds left. The chance to ice the game with the entire world watching. And CDR goes for some dramatics. Missed the first. MISSED THEM BOTH??????????????? WHAT are you thinking????? But oh, oh, oh – Dozier! Saves that ball in a heart-pounding moment that could’ve killed all their chances – a lifetime of hopes. The ball lands in the hands of Rose – who’s promptly double teamed and fouled. PHEW! Now there’s only 10.8 seconds left, and I have confidence that our super frosh won’t miss.
So Derrick’s at the line. Baby – this game is in your hands now. 2 shots. 0:10 left before the celebration starts on Beale Street. You have the chance, to win this game, to win this game of all games – for your team, your city, and for yourself. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the #1 pick in the draft. But it would be infinitely sweeter if he could make these last 2 free throws to ice the game. No way does the Jayhawks deserve to win. They did some things very nicely; they have a boatload of talent; but they are not special enough, not memorable enough, not interesting enough, to deserve the win. This Memphis team – as much as you can disagree with many aspects of how they play – you cannot disagree with this kid right here. Derrick Rose. What must be going through his mind right now? All those childhood dreams, of shooting the shot that wins the game? This is it. The biggest stage. The biggest moment. The biggest 2 shots of your life.
Missed the first???????? C’MON! C’mon, Derrick. The Kansas bench is getting to its feet. They smell hope. Rose never wavers with his eyes – never gets distracted. He’s in his own cocoon now. Concentrate. Takes that ball again – raises it high over his head and flexes his muscles – then brings it down again, dribble, dribble, dribble – and then with one forward motion – shoots. Oh thank God! It’s GOOD! 63-60! We’ve got that crucial point at least! Now the onus is on Kansas!
WTF??????????????????#@&#?#!@($@&$)(@$#(%*#)!!! CHALMERS with the THREE???????? 2.1 left??????? Oh no – OVERTIME????????????
Um . . I mean, wow. Good game, Kansas. Er, really great. We have no more Dorsey for the OT! F***! How much does it hurt watching the final game of your college career – the most important one – from the bench? UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rose looks ok. Bloody pissed off, but at least physically ok with his leg/cramp. Between him and CDR, they’d lost the game for Memphis at the FT line, missing 4 of their last 5, and one of them a 1 and 1 opp. No sweat though. Let’s play.
Oh, oh, crap. Kansas is going to win. No doubt about it. Rose is damn tired. So is CDR. They cannot get by their man, thus, no driving lanes, and thus, no bloody baskets either. On the other end . . suddenly Kansas is so loose that it can get anything it wants – including a lob and a dunk. Awesome. The clock is ticking down, and now it’s not the friendly clock on your side when you have the lead, winking at you; it’s the clock of DOOM. Half of the OT is already over – and the Tigers have not yet scored???? 63-69????? What more can go wrong? Rose is walking the ball up the court – and now Cal needs to take a 2nd timeout to try to stop the bleeding. 2:29.
65-69, we’ve worked so hard to come this far – and its just heartbreaking to see Rush gambol the length of the court like a deer for a freebie dunk – oh, missed it! But Dozier had already flown by and Rush gets his own miss for the second chance shot. “We need a 3, we need a 3,” Packer begins chanting ominously, and I suddenly wonder if all those blow-out games hurt Memphis – because now Rose is doing what losing teams do – let the ball roll on the floor to save that one tenth of an extra second, before picking it up, hurriedly waving to Anderson to stop gawking at him and run back on O, when suddenly, out of the corner – a THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A rim-rattling THREE by my new hero CDR! Ah, he has all 5 of Memphis’s points so far in the OT! And suddenly, with 58.8 seconds left, we’re alive again, 68-71!
Um . . what??????? Sorry, but I agree with Packer here, and we do NOT need to foul. We just need to play 35 seconds of solid, solid defense. We’re down 68-71 already, you want to be down further, 68-73? Yes, apparently, we do. CDR fouls bloody Mario Chalmers with 45 seconds to go, and the team that does not shoot 3s particularly well is now trying their own hand at employing that dangerous strategy of trading foul shoots for 3s. Memo to Coach Cal: that only works if they miss!!! Which they do not. 68-73.
Oh, it’s over. It’s completely over. And the nightmare begins. Rose is staring at the floor as Collins walks victoriously to the free throw line, that light in his eyes as he feels the hum of the crowd . . the sun shining down from the basketball gods. What an epic game. And now – the clock doesn’t matter, all the prior 44 minutes of the game doesn’t matter – because all of that is done, and the 2 made baskets by Collins at the free throw line just iced it. CDR with a good look at a 3 – “they didn’t need a 3,” Packer insists – but as it bounces off harmlessly – I don’t know, maybe you can blame the coaching a little bit here, the decision-making a little bit there. But in the end – this was David vs Goliath. 2 superstars, Rose and CDR, got worn down in the end by the super depth and talent of Kansas. What was apparent in the beginning of the season with the preseason ratings became frustratingly true. How much hope does that give to the rest of us, stuck in this oil-crazed recession economy? None. The rich get richer. 68-75 final.
Post-game thoughts: You know, everyone is pointing to the 4 missed free throws in the final minute or so of regulation as the reason why the game was lost by Memphis. This is pretty stupid. Yes, ok, they are very important, and missing them was pretty glaring. But they’re only that way if the game becomes tight. How did the game become tight? By blowing a 9 point lead with 2:12 to go and letting Kansas score, almost at will, in about 12 seconds flat each trip down. You can’t ever relax. You can’t ever think that you have it won, because that Miracle Minute of the Duke – Maryland game in 2001 always haunts my memory whenever I see two championship-caliber teams duel it out and one has a “comfortable” lead that was never, in fact, comfortable. They’re not ever gonna quit. And when Memphis tried to lengthen the game at the end – they started playing ‘not to lose’ rather than to win. And Kansas saw the opening. Kansas wanted to win. And suddenly, it became Memphis trying to stop Kansas from winning, rather than Memphis staying on top and in control for the win. It completely flip-flopped, and it was not just because of the free throws. Kids are not machines. Memphis got out-rebounded too, and it obviously hurt a lot to lose Dorsey and not have him for the OT. Boy, those last 2 minutes were just about the longest in recent memory. Choke job? Definitely. This one hurts a lot.
Kansas was the definition of balance. It had 7 guys play 20+ minutes in the national championship game, and it’s got one of everything you could possibly want: 4 guards and 3 big men; 3 seniors, 2 juniors, and 2 sophomores. If you can’t win with that much talent and depth, how can you win? The 4 guard rotation was also able to wear down Memphis’ 3 guard rotation of Rose, CDR, and Anderson. I really don’t think CDR missed those free throws because of the Memphis “inability to shoot free throws” tagline being thrown about all year. It was fatigue, plain and simple. How many minutes did that super duo play on Monday night? 45 + 42 = 87 out of a possible 90. There you go. Add Anderson and that’s 129 out of a possible 135. Sure, Rush and Chalmers also played on exhaust fumes, combining for 82 of a possible 90 between them. But did they have to go to the line in the endgame? No.
Who knew, when Brandon Rush tore his ACL prior to the draft last summer, that he would end up leading his team to college basketball’s most coveted prize? Depth, athleticism, and talent. You can take 8 years to build that up. And all it takes, is one decision, one decision that is not even yours to make – and it all goes awry. Good luck, Derrick, in the NBA! And Duke – can I circle 2010 as our title run?
The roar of the crowd soars with the ball. Rose has it! It’s begun! Oh, the electricity! The emotions! Dorsey scores immediately, a power move inside, and as the ball snuggles into the net, every Memphis fan is giddy with glee. This is the year!
Every move, every look, every pass is heightened, magnified tenfold. In the final game of the year, and in front of millions across the globe, not one thing is let go. Every turnover is howled at; a colossal mistake. Every pinpoint pass, every hard-fought rebound, is cheered and celebrated and screamed at by a mass of 42,000+ strong. AMAZING. Sizzling. Spine-tingling. Even though we know there’s still 40 minutes left to go, we are convinced that every single move right now denotes what will happen next, what will unfurl, over the entire game. I am hunched so forward on my chair that I’m almost falling off. How can the players even play? What must they be thinking – finally, meeting their equal – and getting challenged, for some of them, for the first time since – ever?
It starts out pretty even. Kansas is definitely clogging up the middle, not really playing zone but some damn good defense all their own, and daring the Tigers to drive into trees or settle for jumpshots. And Derrick Rose, the unflappable Rose, is finding this defense much stickier than in games past, almost losing the ball twice and indeed losing the ball once to those extra-grabby hands. Taking it to the rack – and BLOCKED! But OH! How can he see the whole floor??? How can he drive, with supposedly blinkers on in his determination to get to the goal – and then suddenly reverse direction and freeze the entire defense with such a pinpoint pass to a wide open Robert Dozier – not exactly offensive weapon #1 – who drains a high-arching 15 footer? And when he does drive – despite Russell Robinson sticking to that scouting report like glue that says take away his right, take away his right – he gets the bucket – AND one???? Then before you know it, Memphis is already up 9-3, handing Kansas its largest deficit of the tournament – and you’re going – what??? I thought this would be competitive! HA! Apparently, simply staying with the Tigers has become a competitive sport. Good luck.
Ack! Alley-oop dunk by Kaun? Nobody on him???? Wake up, Dorsey! Pounding the ball inside to Arthur to make it 9-9 even. I am starting to see some zone. Can we have an even game of talent, and not junk it up? Ball instantly stolen away from Dorsey by a quicker guard. UGH.
Whoa! Was that a shot???? A one-armed “heave” coming from out of nowhere by CDR – and it flies in! Amazing! Every Jayhawk was as amazed as I was, watching that ball soar over their heads and wondering where the invisible Dorsey was to guide that errant alley-oop pass in? Oh no, Sherron Collins just blew by Rose for a layup. Nice.
Uh oh – the foul trouble is already starting to pile up. Taggert with his 2nd foul, 12:17 still to go, while the ball was nowhere near him. Great. So now Dorsey comes back in. Kansas, meanwhile – and you have to hand it to them – have a much deeper and more talented frontcourt than Memphis. “So Memphis CAN get into foul trouble. Kansas almost cannot.” Swell. AAGHHH! There goes Dozier committing his second foul, 15 seconds later! And they haven’t even trotted out their super frosh yet, Cole Aldrich, still in his warm-ups on the bench looking bemusedly on. 13-11, 12:05.
What’s up with Rose? After being heralded 24/7 that this would become the Derrick Rose Invitational – and after a scintillating first 3 minutes – Rose has switched to cruise control, giving up the ball much too quickly at the start of the offense, and then shooting 3s and turnaround jumpers rather than taking it to the rack. And is that a screen I saw Dorsey set for him on an off-kelter 17 footer? I thought Memphis is the antithesis of screens? Don’t they hate conventional basketball’s guts??? Yet, here I am, starting to see flashes of the Memphis team that lost to Tennessee again – rather than the team that blew out UCLA, Texas, and MSU in a blitzkrieg run just days ago. Memphis has been trying to answer Kansas’s points in the paint with some post-up moves of their own – but Taggert and Dozier, though long, are more face-up types than back to the basket PFs, and they’re being resolutely limited to one and done by the incredible rebounding machine that is the Jayhawks.
Oh, the balance on Kansas is incredible. Incredible. Double in on the Kansas big guys – and they kick it out to Mario Chalmers, who is like a ridiculous 47% from beyond the arc, and he knocks it down. When they start shooting 3s – as Memphis has been cold so far – watch out! 13-18!
Crap! Dorsey over the back – his 2nd foul! 9:42! And the howls in the arena rain down like Judgment Day. Is this the end? Is there that much riding on one call??????
Oh, wait . . it was only his first. Ah, no big deal. They’re now saying CDR has finally met this match in the 6’6” Brandon Rush. Rose is clearly bothered by somebody. Someone needs to step up or this whole thing is going down the drain.
DORSEY with a STEAL! And cross-court layup! This senior wants to PLAY! Haha, gets right in Aldrich’s chest with a hearty thump and scream – though not AT Aldrich – letting them know that the Tigers still got some tooth. A steal! By Rose – then in the rush to beat that damn zone/man switch back upcourt – stolen again by Chalmers! Who lays it up in the blink of an eye. A flying alley-oop DUNK by Darrell Arthur! Transition basketball in its finest! And suddenly I gape: 15-22??? Has Memphis been down so much in the entire tournament???? NO! 8:18. C’mon, boys!!!
Awww, awww, Rose answers. 2 crisp assists to shooters on the wing, 3s raining down from every which direction – and we’re back in the hunt! First trip up, he spins into the lane and draws the focus of an entire nation – then kicks it out sharply to Anderson on the wing for the 3. Then – again, slashing into the paint – looking like he was taking on the entire Western Front – and kicking it out to Dozier – whom I didn’t know was a 3 point shooter? But who apparently can nail them when left wide open! 21-24 and we’re quickly within shouting distance again. 7:25.
Roy Williams with a Kansas sticker on his shirt in the stands? LOL – over our miseries so quickly, eh? OH, there’s teamwork! There’s heart!!! Dorsey with a BLOCK of Kaun’s apparent slip of the screen and wide open layup – Antonio Anderson immediately zips off the other way with it, speeding in for the transition layup with a freight train of players behind him – but NO! ROSE!!!! Flying up to the rim to save that ball! But without enough momentum to put it back – so he comes back to earth and lands right on the baseline, mere micro-inches away from the out of bounds line – and uses his butt to save his balance. For one frail second, he balanced there, frozen, too afraid to move in fear of a whistle. Everybody else freezes too. Nobody bumps him. And then – heart afire with decisiveness – Rose spins around 180 degrees into the air and snaps a quick, super-strong overhead pass out 20 feet to CDR, who is perfectly stationed on the wing, rises to meet it, and goes up for the 3, all in one smooth motion – and BAM! THERE is the LEAD! There is Memphis, with the go-ahead basket! 26-24!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6:21.
28-28 tie at 3:50, and Dorsey, CDR, and Rose are pretty damn tired. I don’t think I’ve seen Rose take a breather yet. At this point, you can no longer deny the depth of talent on the Kansas team. What worked out well for a deep rotation against C-USA is not going to cut it here, and Cal is sticking to his Thoroughbreds, Rose, CDR, and Anderson, pretty much the entire way. 3 guards against 4 – which one would you take? I’ll like to think that truly great players can overcome that . . but c’mon. Memphis is already losing the rebounding battle against Kansas’ stellar and deeper frontline. Is it possible for its guards to win the battle in the backcourt? Can talent and desire overcome fatigue?
“Where is Rose?” Packer wonders. “He has not made a field goal in 7 minutes.” He is only 1 for 4 so far . . and herein lies the problem. He’s been cut off on every drive, with a big defender and his own guard defender staying with him and clogging down the lane on every possession, and now he gets caught in mid-air trying to bail himself out – and a turnover! Pass picked off like that! Crap! And in a total reversal of previous games – it is now the Memphis guards who are slipping on the floor as the Kansas guards zoom past them – the Memphis guards who are getting beat on drives and who can’t even beat out the Kansas big men for a loose ball careening dangerously towards the wings. Kansas is not exactly playing a zone – but it seems to be some sort of hybrid – and it is potent enough to contain the most dangerous duo in backcourt history. And as the seconds tick off towards halftime – the Kansas team seems to be getting fresher and more aggressive by the minute – and their fans are standing and cheering for their Rock Chalk Jayhawks. These are the bluebloods, the revolving door of talent, the close-your-eyes-and-pick-anyone-and-they-can-be-the-leading-scorer type of club, and the lack of eye-catching wins earlier in the season notwithstanding, the weakest #1 seed notwithstanding. It doesn’t matter anymore, none of that matters. If your team can peak on championship night? Then none of the rest matters at all. 28-33, 1:02, timeout Memphis.
And they completely mess up the last possession. They kept the ball for the entire last minute before the half too. What happened? I don’t know. Rose dribbles out 25 seconds of it. Then they try something but it’s almost stolen – then Anderson has to take a hurried 3 with a hand in his face before the shot clock expires – then Taggert somehow comes up with a miraculous rebound, but still they can’t get anything. A screen? Yet another screen for Rose? All that does is make Kaun jump out at Rose and frighten him, double team him, so that he gives the ball up to someone else – and it’s scuffled out of bounds with 0.1 left on the clock. Okay . . What do you do with 0.1 left on the clock? Nothing. Buzzer. Endgame. 28-33 halftime.
So either Rose is still sick from the gummy bears – or this Kansas defense is something else. I pick the latter. If he wants to win this game – it has to start with him. That’s a little unfair, but that competitor in him has to come out and ROAR. It can’t shoot jumpshots. It can’t give the ball up. It needs to ATTACK. If I were coach Cal, I’ll use the full allotment of time at the half to get that point across – and leave everybody else alone. There’s plenty of other things that needs fixing too – but none of that matters, if we don’t have Rose.
Second half: Oh, some LIFE!!!!!!!!! Rose takes it strong to the rack – no, he intends to find Dozier waiting there in the wings – and the ultra-lengthy forward dribbles once and then lets that tiger roar with a DUNK! As Kansas turns to go back on offense – Anderson forces a turnover from Chalmers! Gets a big congratulatory slap on the back from Dorsey. Frightening moment as they almost lose it – Kansas, ticked off, applies the double trap on CDR – but Rose recovers it and hands it to Anderson – who, with the shot clock winding down to 5, 4, 3 – takes a three – and HITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TIE SCORE, 33-33! This is the bloody lowest scoring opening 2nd half I’ve ever been this excited about! It’s a game again!!! 18:52.
Oh, what a beautiful cut by Anderson to take that bounce pass from Dorsey – takes on TWO defenders! AND finishes – AND one! Gorgeous! Couldn’t be prettier! LOB to Dorsey! Who finishes with a DUNK, then pulls the ball out of the net and smiles for his Kodiak moment, flashing a wide grin and pointing his finger towards the stands. Thank you, Rose, for the assist. Oops, but then picks up his 3rd foul a couple seconds later, guarding Kaun. Cal hollers and swears along the sidelines and immediately pulls Dorsey for his mistake. 38-39, 15:15.
OH, FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Rose we’ve all come to see! Grabs the loose ball from a wild shot from Sherron Collins, flies the length of the court, and you can see it in his eyes, he’s taking it all the way – and he beats two Kansas defenders up the court for a flying layup that rims in. 42-43, and despite all kinds of shots being missed by Dozier/Taggert, being outrebounded by 8 so far, and having some trouble driving despite Kansas not playing zone, the Tigers are still, almost a bit miraculously, in the hunt. We need more plays like that from Rose. When will he take over? When will it come?
Huh. With a slim lead now, 44-47, Kansas goes to its 2nd set of zone on defense – except now it’s a box and one on CDR. Ahhhhh! Some breathing room for Rose! And say hello to Mr. Robert Dozier, the one-man zone breaker. After scoring through the heart of the defense, Rose comes up the court on the next trip and now drives into the jungle again, except this time he makes a dangerous pass to Dozier – who collects it and goes up strong for the basket – and ONE! Oooohhh . . except he can’t make the “and one”. Is free throw shooting still an issue?
ROSE FOR THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And as the place erupts in wild cheers – the whistle cuts across swiftly, sending the white flag from Self that Kansas is sinking. This damn zone isn’t working, is it??? 3 times now, and 3 times the Tigers have broken it and scored. You put a box and one on CDR? So Rose can step back and bury the 3. 49-47 now, with Memphis finally taking the lead after a loooooong time – and Kansas needs a timeout. 8:08.
ROSE! YYYYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The best play is a broken play! In the sets, Rose seems almost tentative to drive, continuously looking for holes that just aren’t there. With a loose ball in his hands? Oh, he becomes a rocket of dynamite! Rose roars up the court, grabbing that rebound and cutting straight through the scrambling defense for the climb to the rim – AND ONE! Oh, how much an open lane – any opening, any seam – can light up his eyes! He reminds me so much of Tony Parker, just a terror in the open court. He is the star attraction, and for so long tonight he’s held it in, or rather – Kansas has done a number on him to hold it in. But not anymore. He can’t. Kansas has gone cold on the offensive end – and the Tigers have taken full advantage, grabbing every opportunity by the throat. Just a little more than 5 minutes to go – and with that scintillating move – with that nonchalant turn-around-and-walk-off from the basket as the whistle comes – haha, it seems every time Rose makes a big play, Bill Self has to call a timeout to try to ground that freshman back into reality. Hear those fans screaming for you? Hear Billy Packer singing your praises? Oh, oh, how beautiful this spring blooms! And to see the Memphis-blue-clad nation waving their banners, their flags, their programs – oh, oh, Rose!!!! You carry the hopes of a city. Can you fulfill them? 53-47, 5:10, timeout Kansas.
HOW DID HE DO THAT?????????? 3 seconds on the clock – crazy inbounds play – nowhere to go – a defender right in his face – AND he’s off-kelter? But he just heaves that shot up there – and as the buzzer sounds – banks it in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY FREAKIN’ COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shot of the game???????? A near impossible lead now, 56-47, 4:16.
Crap – what a mean thing to do, pulling a 1-2-2 zone on us now? With only 3 minutes to go??? With the shot clock winding down, Rose has to take another 3, from almost the same spot as the miracle shot he’d just made earlier – but this one rattles out. OH!!!!!!!!!!! SAVED by Dozier! Then a shaky pass – again, SAVED by Rose! And they work it inside – power forward to power forward – and Taggert with the ball banks it home! Huge shot, because when Kansas rushes down the court and gets blocked – now Memphis has a 7 point lead, 58-51, with a little more than 2 minutes to go – and they have to foul.
They do. They’ve tried everything in the book. They’ve tried, even, every junk defense known to man, or at least can be covered within the last 48 hours. Now? Now they will try to make a reality of the myth that Memphis cannot shoot free throws. Rose is the one getting mugged. Oh no! That was only the 6th team foul! Now they mug Dozier. Crap . . .
He hits them BOTH! YAY! 60-51, 2:12!!!
SHIT! Ball stolen away by Kansas! Then kicked out – for the THREE??????? Deadly turnaround of 5 quick points right there, and suddenly we’re in danger???? 60-56! Nothing’s safe anymore! Still 1:43 left! Goddamn it! How can the clock tick so slow???
They foul CDR immediately, not even bothering to wait for the inbounds play. Cool Hand Luke CDR swishes both. 62-56, but now I’m frightened by Kansas’ newfound swagger at the 3. We are guarding their perimeter play like tigers. But – OH NO! Dorsey fouled out! Dorsey fouled out! 1:23 still to go! We need his rebounding strength! And Cal covers his face with his hands – but then swiftly recovers and hurries his team over. Ok, relax, guys. The lead is still yours. It’s Kansas that has its backs to the wall. Protect that lead!!!
Oh crap. They foul CDR – and though he looks up with earnest concentration and rocks his body with that rhythmical, tap-shoulder dribble, tap-shoulder dribble thing he has going on – he CAN’T HIT! It was a 1 and 1! And now the Tigers have to defend with their life, 62-58, 1:14!
Ok, so much for that. They must have the mantra in their head not to foul, because Arthur turns around on Taggert and banks home a shot that looked astoundingly easy in 15 seconds flat. The score is now a heart-pounding 62-60, and I don’t know what to think. It seems to be anybody’s ballgame now. Rose takes the inbounds ball and jogs up the court, the din of the feverish crowd in his ears, and he’s waving everyone off – forget it, it’s mine now, this lead has dwindled down to 62-60, and there’s no way I’m letting us lose. There’s still too much clock . . they will get one more possession . . so we need some points here, fast . . and Anderson, after being a shaky recipient of Rose’s pass, calls timeout. 0:44 left.
Absolutely nothing good seems to come out of these timeouts – how come? CDR gets the rock – drives – NO GOOD! Wild shot goes nowhere! And now Kansas grabs that ball and is high-tailing it to the other end as if the place was on FIRE! A tangle at the basket! NO CALL! Anderson comes away with it! Run, run, run, there is no other choice, this might be it!!! And out of the left wing guns CDR, with that long pass up from Anderson to him – meets the defender at the basket at 90mph – WHISTLE! FOUL! 2 shots coming up!
But the nightmare becomes a reality. 16 seconds left. The chance to ice the game with the entire world watching. And CDR goes for some dramatics. Missed the first. MISSED THEM BOTH??????????????? WHAT are you thinking????? But oh, oh, oh – Dozier! Saves that ball in a heart-pounding moment that could’ve killed all their chances – a lifetime of hopes. The ball lands in the hands of Rose – who’s promptly double teamed and fouled. PHEW! Now there’s only 10.8 seconds left, and I have confidence that our super frosh won’t miss.
So Derrick’s at the line. Baby – this game is in your hands now. 2 shots. 0:10 left before the celebration starts on Beale Street. You have the chance, to win this game, to win this game of all games – for your team, your city, and for yourself. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the #1 pick in the draft. But it would be infinitely sweeter if he could make these last 2 free throws to ice the game. No way does the Jayhawks deserve to win. They did some things very nicely; they have a boatload of talent; but they are not special enough, not memorable enough, not interesting enough, to deserve the win. This Memphis team – as much as you can disagree with many aspects of how they play – you cannot disagree with this kid right here. Derrick Rose. What must be going through his mind right now? All those childhood dreams, of shooting the shot that wins the game? This is it. The biggest stage. The biggest moment. The biggest 2 shots of your life.
Missed the first???????? C’MON! C’mon, Derrick. The Kansas bench is getting to its feet. They smell hope. Rose never wavers with his eyes – never gets distracted. He’s in his own cocoon now. Concentrate. Takes that ball again – raises it high over his head and flexes his muscles – then brings it down again, dribble, dribble, dribble – and then with one forward motion – shoots. Oh thank God! It’s GOOD! 63-60! We’ve got that crucial point at least! Now the onus is on Kansas!
WTF??????????????????#@&#?#!@($@&$)(@$#(%*#)!!! CHALMERS with the THREE???????? 2.1 left??????? Oh no – OVERTIME????????????
Um . . I mean, wow. Good game, Kansas. Er, really great. We have no more Dorsey for the OT! F***! How much does it hurt watching the final game of your college career – the most important one – from the bench? UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rose looks ok. Bloody pissed off, but at least physically ok with his leg/cramp. Between him and CDR, they’d lost the game for Memphis at the FT line, missing 4 of their last 5, and one of them a 1 and 1 opp. No sweat though. Let’s play.
Oh, oh, crap. Kansas is going to win. No doubt about it. Rose is damn tired. So is CDR. They cannot get by their man, thus, no driving lanes, and thus, no bloody baskets either. On the other end . . suddenly Kansas is so loose that it can get anything it wants – including a lob and a dunk. Awesome. The clock is ticking down, and now it’s not the friendly clock on your side when you have the lead, winking at you; it’s the clock of DOOM. Half of the OT is already over – and the Tigers have not yet scored???? 63-69????? What more can go wrong? Rose is walking the ball up the court – and now Cal needs to take a 2nd timeout to try to stop the bleeding. 2:29.
65-69, we’ve worked so hard to come this far – and its just heartbreaking to see Rush gambol the length of the court like a deer for a freebie dunk – oh, missed it! But Dozier had already flown by and Rush gets his own miss for the second chance shot. “We need a 3, we need a 3,” Packer begins chanting ominously, and I suddenly wonder if all those blow-out games hurt Memphis – because now Rose is doing what losing teams do – let the ball roll on the floor to save that one tenth of an extra second, before picking it up, hurriedly waving to Anderson to stop gawking at him and run back on O, when suddenly, out of the corner – a THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A rim-rattling THREE by my new hero CDR! Ah, he has all 5 of Memphis’s points so far in the OT! And suddenly, with 58.8 seconds left, we’re alive again, 68-71!
Um . . what??????? Sorry, but I agree with Packer here, and we do NOT need to foul. We just need to play 35 seconds of solid, solid defense. We’re down 68-71 already, you want to be down further, 68-73? Yes, apparently, we do. CDR fouls bloody Mario Chalmers with 45 seconds to go, and the team that does not shoot 3s particularly well is now trying their own hand at employing that dangerous strategy of trading foul shoots for 3s. Memo to Coach Cal: that only works if they miss!!! Which they do not. 68-73.
Oh, it’s over. It’s completely over. And the nightmare begins. Rose is staring at the floor as Collins walks victoriously to the free throw line, that light in his eyes as he feels the hum of the crowd . . the sun shining down from the basketball gods. What an epic game. And now – the clock doesn’t matter, all the prior 44 minutes of the game doesn’t matter – because all of that is done, and the 2 made baskets by Collins at the free throw line just iced it. CDR with a good look at a 3 – “they didn’t need a 3,” Packer insists – but as it bounces off harmlessly – I don’t know, maybe you can blame the coaching a little bit here, the decision-making a little bit there. But in the end – this was David vs Goliath. 2 superstars, Rose and CDR, got worn down in the end by the super depth and talent of Kansas. What was apparent in the beginning of the season with the preseason ratings became frustratingly true. How much hope does that give to the rest of us, stuck in this oil-crazed recession economy? None. The rich get richer. 68-75 final.
Post-game thoughts: You know, everyone is pointing to the 4 missed free throws in the final minute or so of regulation as the reason why the game was lost by Memphis. This is pretty stupid. Yes, ok, they are very important, and missing them was pretty glaring. But they’re only that way if the game becomes tight. How did the game become tight? By blowing a 9 point lead with 2:12 to go and letting Kansas score, almost at will, in about 12 seconds flat each trip down. You can’t ever relax. You can’t ever think that you have it won, because that Miracle Minute of the Duke – Maryland game in 2001 always haunts my memory whenever I see two championship-caliber teams duel it out and one has a “comfortable” lead that was never, in fact, comfortable. They’re not ever gonna quit. And when Memphis tried to lengthen the game at the end – they started playing ‘not to lose’ rather than to win. And Kansas saw the opening. Kansas wanted to win. And suddenly, it became Memphis trying to stop Kansas from winning, rather than Memphis staying on top and in control for the win. It completely flip-flopped, and it was not just because of the free throws. Kids are not machines. Memphis got out-rebounded too, and it obviously hurt a lot to lose Dorsey and not have him for the OT. Boy, those last 2 minutes were just about the longest in recent memory. Choke job? Definitely. This one hurts a lot.
Kansas was the definition of balance. It had 7 guys play 20+ minutes in the national championship game, and it’s got one of everything you could possibly want: 4 guards and 3 big men; 3 seniors, 2 juniors, and 2 sophomores. If you can’t win with that much talent and depth, how can you win? The 4 guard rotation was also able to wear down Memphis’ 3 guard rotation of Rose, CDR, and Anderson. I really don’t think CDR missed those free throws because of the Memphis “inability to shoot free throws” tagline being thrown about all year. It was fatigue, plain and simple. How many minutes did that super duo play on Monday night? 45 + 42 = 87 out of a possible 90. There you go. Add Anderson and that’s 129 out of a possible 135. Sure, Rush and Chalmers also played on exhaust fumes, combining for 82 of a possible 90 between them. But did they have to go to the line in the endgame? No.
Who knew, when Brandon Rush tore his ACL prior to the draft last summer, that he would end up leading his team to college basketball’s most coveted prize? Depth, athleticism, and talent. You can take 8 years to build that up. And all it takes, is one decision, one decision that is not even yours to make – and it all goes awry. Good luck, Derrick, in the NBA! And Duke – can I circle 2010 as our title run?
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