Tuesday, April 08, 2008
My thoughts on the National Championship game...
First off, I'd like to thank the Jayhawks for winning the national championship. I picked them in my bracket and their victory netted me a hundred dollars in my pool. Thank you KU.
How many times does the exact same thing have to happen before bball coaches start to get it? I'm referring of course to having a 3 point lead with very little time left, and deciding not to foul to send the other team to the line for 2 shots, rather than just playing D and let that team take ANY kind of 3 pointer. If you foul in that situation, you force the other team to make a free throw and then attempt some kind of wild chunking of the ball off the glass to try to get the ball back to tie the game. It's a very low percentage play for the other team and it improves your chances of winning immeasurably over say, letting a 47% 3 point shooter take a three at the buzzer.
Fouling generally is a better idea than this.
This game did perfectly illustrate what author's commonly refer to as the fatal flaw. For Achilles it was his heel, for Narcissus his hubris, for the '93 Phillies the bullpen, and for Memphis free throw shooting. That game never should have been that close; had Memphis managed to make more than 20% of their free throws in the last 2 minutes, we'd be talking about the Tigers first title today. The fact that Memphis was a poor foul shooting team was discussed ad nauseum by the bball intelligentsia leading up to the Tourney, but up until the Championship game it had been a non factor. But life has a way of exposing our weaknesses at the worst possible times, just ask Hillary.
The customary result of a Memphis Tiger at the foul line.
And so as the dust settles after a thrilling championship game, the big questions are 1. How many of the guys on both of these squads are going pro after this season? My guess is quite a few of them will be departing for the NBA. Rose, Douglas-Roberts, and Rush all seem like safe bets to make the jump. 2. Will Bill Self be coaching at Kansas or Oklahoma St. next season? He's an OSU alum, and T. Boone Pickens will undoubtedly be willing to make him the highest paid coach in college bball. I'm thinking if Kansas gives him a raise, he'll stay in Lawrence; it's a better job.
How many times does the exact same thing have to happen before bball coaches start to get it? I'm referring of course to having a 3 point lead with very little time left, and deciding not to foul to send the other team to the line for 2 shots, rather than just playing D and let that team take ANY kind of 3 pointer. If you foul in that situation, you force the other team to make a free throw and then attempt some kind of wild chunking of the ball off the glass to try to get the ball back to tie the game. It's a very low percentage play for the other team and it improves your chances of winning immeasurably over say, letting a 47% 3 point shooter take a three at the buzzer.
Fouling generally is a better idea than this.This game did perfectly illustrate what author's commonly refer to as the fatal flaw. For Achilles it was his heel, for Narcissus his hubris, for the '93 Phillies the bullpen, and for Memphis free throw shooting. That game never should have been that close; had Memphis managed to make more than 20% of their free throws in the last 2 minutes, we'd be talking about the Tigers first title today. The fact that Memphis was a poor foul shooting team was discussed ad nauseum by the bball intelligentsia leading up to the Tourney, but up until the Championship game it had been a non factor. But life has a way of exposing our weaknesses at the worst possible times, just ask Hillary.
The customary result of a Memphis Tiger at the foul line.
And so as the dust settles after a thrilling championship game, the big questions are 1. How many of the guys on both of these squads are going pro after this season? My guess is quite a few of them will be departing for the NBA. Rose, Douglas-Roberts, and Rush all seem like safe bets to make the jump. 2. Will Bill Self be coaching at Kansas or Oklahoma St. next season? He's an OSU alum, and T. Boone Pickens will undoubtedly be willing to make him the highest paid coach in college bball. I'm thinking if Kansas gives him a raise, he'll stay in Lawrence; it's a better job.
