I don't think he was intending to hit somebody, just the ball. All of you are looking at the play in slow motion when that's not how quickly the play developed. It's easy for us to say "look how much time between when the ball was hit and he hit the player" when we're watching it at reduced speed. It's a completely different thing to see and react at game speed.
No, I watched it both live and replayed. The intent was obvious, in my opinion. I also don't think he was intending to "hit the ball" (whatever that means) as you're suggesting.
So he was trying to block the shot with his forearm, then? I don't buy it. I understand playing at game speed and flying through the air it's impossible to just stop on a dime once he realized #5 Pocius had already fouled Hansbrough and there was a stoppage in play. But in order for the idea that he was trying to block the shot to be true, he would have had to realize mid-air that the foul had already already been committed and he no longer would have needed to extend his arm in an attempt to block the shot. His reaction and decision making would have to be pretty quick in order for that to happen. He never extended his arm in an effort to block the shot so that proves to me he was gunning for Hansbrough the whole time. Like I said, I don't think he intended to smack him in the face and break his nose though. Duke/UNC is obviously an intense rivalry game. Duke was beaten and finished -- this play had all the makings of Duke "making a statement" to UNC.
Uh, it was intentional or at best a send a message foul. Two things tell you this: 1) There were 14 seconds left with UNC up 12. 2) Henderson comes from being away from the play to commit the foul. The game was over and he comes in from the corner to take that shot.
All you need to say is it was a 12 point game with 14 seconds left. That makes it obvious whether it was a "basketball play" or not.
So the other team is allowed to dunk the ball, but you're not allowed to play defense if you're losing badly? Were the other 2 people that fouled Hansborough doing it maliciously too?
No, all he had to do was see the ball was flying in a totally different direction and there was no point in sticking your arm up into the air to block a ball that wasn't there. At that point, you're in mid-air and your arms are coming down, and it's going to look awkward and potentially bad things can happen because not only are you coming down, but your arm is coming down relative to you as well.
Nobody tries to block a shot swinging their entire arm, they just extend and hope they get a piece. Henderson obviously came in for at least a hard foul and used a very violent action with his arm.
I think theres a middle ground here that best describes the situation. - Henderson was probably frustrated that after playing the best game of his career, Duke was still about to be swept by Carolina in the season series, and were down by double digits. For him to see Hansbrough get the ball and try to go up for another bucket with 12 seconds left, I'm sure he was ready to put a hard foul on him. This is a fairly common basketball practice, to make a stand and not let people walk all over you in the paint, sometimes people put hard fouls on the other guys (normally on their arms and in a non-harmful way). I'm not saying this is right, just saying this happens in the sport. - Looking at henderson's blocks all season (I go to Duke so I've seen every game), the kid can fly, and when he goes for blocks, he goes all out. Just look earlier in the game when although there was a foul on Scheyer/paulus gaurding Lawson, Henderson flew right over lawson and palmed the ball for the block. Henderson is famous around here for flying in condore style for blocks. He goes up for them aggressively, its not a stretch to think that he was trying for a block on Hansbrough. - If you watch the play in realtime, you see how fast it happened, and I think its ridiculous to say that someone has the accuracy to throw a flying forearm to the nose. I am fairly certain that Henderson was ready to put a hard foul on him, but a malicious hit to the face wasn't his aim. Also, it was stupid of Coach K to imply that Hansbrough shouldn't have been in the game, since we were still calling timeouts with under a minute to go, and had most of our starters in until that dead ball.
Obviously we have the benefit of slow motion replay to watch it over and over, but I forget which analyst it was but he said that w/ all the body control these basketball players show night in/night out, it is very possible that Henderson meant to hit Hansbrough in the face.
Uh, he came from the 3 pt line, out of the play, with 14 seconds down twelve. If he was guarding him originally you might have a case, but the game was over and henderson not involved with a meaningless end game dunk comes from the corner and gives hansbrough a hard foul at best. Yes its intention was to send a message at the very best. Again, he was way out of the play, and there were 14 seconds left with henderson's team down 12. You can't use the defense card here. Anyone who plays/has played sports knows it was an unnecessary cheap shot.
Just because he didn't mean to hit him in the nose doesn't change his intent. The game was over, he was not guarding hansbrough, in fact he was over in the corner. He was sending a message whether it was for coach K or he was just pissed hansbrough was going for a dunk with 14 seconds left and the game decided. There are times you go for a block. Down 12, 14 sec left, you aren't guarding the guy or even close to the guy shooting is not one of them.
Screaming like little girlies... Henderson is tracking the ball. He pulls his hand down when the ball fails to be raised by Hansbrough due to the earlier foul. Unfortunately this leaves Henderson leading with his elbow. Why is Hansbrough still in the game one has to ask.... who else is in the game for both sides?
Why is henderson committing a blatant cheap shot foul with his team down 12 and 14 sec left? That's the better question.
You probably didn't watch enough sports. People do that all the time, i.e. players from the losing side because they feel humiliated by the margin of loss. Just like the recent Knicks Nuggets fight.
One incident does not equal all the time. In fact the amount of times that game ends peacefully far outnumbers the times it ends the way henderson ended it in those circumstances.
