The middle part of the 18th century, when much settlement occurred in the 13 Original Colonies (including North Carolina), was a great time for Classicism, an artistic and aesthetic movement grounded in the thinking of the ancients (such as Plato and Aristotle). Classicism is all about form and symmetry and doing the right things in the right way. Think columns and porticos -- Monticello and the Capitol Dome. Bach and Mozart. Or, for that matter, the Old Well at UNC.
But by the end of the 18th century -- as settlers scurried through the Cumberland Gap into the beautiful Bluegrass Country of Kentucky -- classicism was on the wane. A new generation, led by people like William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge, threw themselves into romanticism. The romantic finds the forms and manners of classicism to be cold and frustrating. Instead, he wants to feel great emotions, make spectacular scenes, live with drama and intensity. Think dark woods and Gothic towers. Beethoven and Liszt.
Since the beginning of the 19th century, the classicists and the romantics have been at odds. The classical thinker sees the romantic as foolish and naive (see Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen). The romantic sees the classicist as empty and arid (see "Ozymandias," by Percy Shelley). You can find this rivalry almost everywhere in Western culture, even on the basketball court.
UNC is the best example of the classical approach to basketball. Just as Aristotle laid down the basic principles of all philosophy, Dean Smith laid down the basic principles of basketball. These principles are not for one game, but for all time. For decades, under four different coaches, UNC has run the same basic system in the same basic way -- and they have succeeded wonderfully.
Kentucky, on the other hand, is a romantic program. UK's fans have little patience with "systems" or "philosophies." For them, every game is the game -- the game that must be won today. They want their coach to worry about winning this game, not to sacrifice games on the altar of some system. And if you asked UK fans to describe the program, it wouldn't be long until words like "passion" and "intensity" worked their way into the conversation. UK fans take moral pride in the fact that we care about basketball so much more than everyone else. Not surprisingly, we love players who throw themselves about the court with great determination -- no other fan base would honor guys like John Pelphrey and Chuck Hayes as much as we do. And our way has been pretty successful as well.
The romantic, of course, is always afraid that his individuality will be crushed or destroyed by the system. And just as Kentuckians spent a lot of time worrying that the Soviets might really overtake us, a lot of Kentuckians worry that UNC's approach is more effective than ours. Of course, as I mentioned the other day, we don't recognize the legitimacy of that approach. It's too cold, too ruthless, too mechanical. Sort of like the Death Star.
So it was no surprise that UK had a very specific plan for yesterday's game, and that they threw themselves into the game with great intensity -- fighting like Wildcats, so to speak. The plan was to spread the floor and force UNC to decide whether to concede the three-point shot or take the chance that UK could drive past for the score. On Friday night, Ohio State had chased UK's three-pointers, and UK had burned them with drives to the basket.
But Dean thought about this issue years ago, and his teachings urge a different approach. UNC is usually much more generous about conceding threes than at giving up dribble penetration. UK fans hate it -- hate it -- when other teams rain three's on us, as they used to do in the days of Tubby's ball-line defense. But that defense was often very effective, because college players often shoot badly from three-point range. In 1995, for example, when UK played UNC in the Elite Eight, Dean pretty much let UK have all the three's it wanted -- the Cats went 7-36 from beyond the arc, shooting themselves out of the tournament in the process as UNC cruised, 75-61.
Yesterday, however, the Cats were on. Throughout the game, they shot three-pointers at a torrid pace -- eventually making 12 of 22 from behind the line. And between their hot shooting and their ferocious energy on defense, the Wildcats jumped out to an 8-point lead at the half, 38-30.
But one of the teachings of classicism is the importance of balance. Over time, things tend to even out. And this is why UNC is so deadly when coming from behind. Every game UNC plays is a huge deal for the other team, and Carolina often has to deal with teams that come out red-hot. Over time, however, the Wisdom of Dean says that hot shooters will cool off, and that players running on adrenalin will get tired. If UNC holds its ground and stands firm -- almost as if the players had tar on their heels -- the other team will come back to earth. And Dean is often right. UNC had two big come-from-behind wins in the ACC tournament, and another one last week against Washington.
So most of the second half played out like a battle between the ponderous space ships of the Empire, and UK's little Millenium Falcon. Slowly, slowly, UNC turned up the intensity -- working the ball over and over to the inside, pressuring Knight into turnovers, and gaining on the Cats. But time after time, UK was able to skitter away. It might be Miller hitting a desperate three, or Liggins making a bank shot in the lane, or Jones working in for a 10-footer over a shorter Heel. But the lead went down to 4 -- then up to 11, then down to 4, then up to 8. The Cats reminded one of Super Mario clambering from platform to platform while missiles fly everywhere, but they were hanging on.
But Dean knew about games like this, too. And the system has a response: over time, talent will defeat effort. If you have the best player on the floor, eventually he will take his game to a level that the other team cannot match. As Michael Jordan has shown on many occasions. With 5:30 left in the game, that is what Harrison Barnes did. UK was up 65-57, and DeAndre Liggins had just stolen the ball from Barnes under the UNC basket. UK was planning to run off 30 more precious seconds. And then the roof caved in on them.
Barnes stole the ball back and buried a 3-pointer. 65-60 with 5:21 left.
After Zeller blocked a shot by Knight in the lane (told you they wouldn't let you drive), Barnes took the outlet pass, raced down the floor and scored an old-fashioned 3-point play. 65-63 with 4:46 left.
After Miller made a huge jump shot for UK, Barnes responded with a one-man fast break and another basket. 67-65 with 4:19 left.
Knight missed a three (those legs get tired at the end of the game), and Zeller responded with two free throws. 67-all. 3:18 left. The comeback was complete.
Now this is usually where it gets ugly for UNC's opponent. They panic, they start pressing, they take bad shots, and UNC puts the game away. But, of course, this is precisely where the Kentucky view of basketball says you have to "dig down" and "play smart." (It's all about intensity, you see. We Kentuckians are taught that if you truly deserve to win, you will "come through in the clutch.") And the Cats did. Miller took the ball and drove toward the basket. UNC started to collapse on him (no drives allowed) and he kicked out to Knight -- who made the three. UK 70-67 with 2:52 left. Barnes tried to respond with a 3 of his own -- but missed. Knight came back with another 3 attempt -- the third straight UK possession to end with Knight shooting a 3 -- but he missed, UNC took the big rebound and turned it into an easy basket. 70-69 with 1:52 left.
Kentucky called time with 1:46 left and then handled the ball very carefully, like a guy trying to walk through his living room in the dark. With 1:26 left, UNC fouled Knight, sending him to the line for a 1-and-1. This had to be exactly what UK wanted, but Knight missed the free throw (those legs get tired), and UNC had the ball and a chance for the lead.
Now many coaches, down by 1 and with one minute to go, would call time and set up a play. But Dean believed in using timeouts to extend games when necessary, and loved to hoard them. Plus he has a system, and the players are supposed to know the system. And the system teaches that you don't try to jam the ball to this or that player -- you run the offense and take the best shot. So when Dexter Strickland saw what appeared to be an open lane to the basket, he didn't worry about trying to get the ball to Barnes or Zeller -- he raced toward the rim. But Liggins shaded him, blocked him cleanly, and Harrellson snatched the ball away. UK ball up 1. 57 seconds left.
(At this point, I want to offer a humble apology to the officials. After many seasons of complaining about how UNC gets all the breaks, we had an extremely well-called game -- and one in which Liggins's block was not called a foul. In fact, I was actually nervous because I knew that if we lost, I would have no hope of blaming the officials).
Calipari is all over the place on timeouts. Sometimes he calls them, sometimes he doesn't. It seems to be a gut thing. And this time, he decided to let UK go. So with 35 seconds left, Miller darted into the lane again. Again, the defense collapsed. Again, he kicked the ball to Liggins. Calipari had told Liggins that if he got a kickout, he had to shoot it (trust! effort! determination!) and so he did.
Everything -- the game, the season -- had come down to this. UK's effort, its plan, its tenacity, had all put the ball in Liggins's hands with a one-point lead and 35 seconds to go. UNC's patience, talent, and staunch interior defense had also ensured that Liggins would be placed in this position. Notice that UK could not rely on any of its best three-point shooters -- Knight, Lamb, or Miller. Instead, for UK to reach the Final Four, its defensive specialist had to make a three-point shot with all the money on the line. If he missed, UNC would be off to the races with the big rebound and the chance to take the lead.
In a sense, therefore, both coaches succeeded. From Roy Williams's perspective, the odds were probably in his favor -- and the system teaches you to trust the odds. From Cal's perspective, he was prepared to win or lose with one of "his guys." Last year, against West Virginia, his guys killed him -- shooting 4-32 on threes. But yesterday, his guy came through. Liggins nailed the shot, UK went up by four points with 35 seconds to go, and the rest was history.
It seems unfair that so much emotion can ride on one jump shot taken by a college student in a gym in Newark, New Jersey. But that's why college basketball is so great -- and why it gives us romantics who live for emotion such a rush year after year after year.
Great piece.
ReplyDelete