If you watch the replay of that last play, (not the camera angle from underneath the basket, but the camera from the stands), Van Exel moved away from Cuttino after Cat stole the ball and was standing right in front of Walt when Cuttino took that final shot, so a pass to Walt would have resulted in a turnover...PLUS, there was another Nuggets player coming down the lane, which would have made a pass that much more risky ------------------ If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding!!
but the right decision didn't come out the way it planned. he missed! ------------------ You either live the dream or you become a dream.
I beg to differ. The immediate pass was definitely there, so was an immediate 8'er (or foul!!) right over than 6' 6"eyelash guard of the nuggets. In Cuttino's defense, that was about the biggest choke play by a dribbler I have ever seen. Not being able to react immediately to the best play (pass) is understandable. Cuttino could play for 15 more years and never witness that again, much less end up with the ball. I was in Colorado for the game and watched an interview with Van Exel afterwards. Exel said he was so freaked he didn't know what to do; he considered "fouling Mobley" immediately. Exel remained with Mobley for one Mobley juke; then "just decided to let it play out." I don't think Exel even grasped the whole situation (ie. Walt being dead open under the basket). [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited December 18, 2000).]
That much is true HP. I was watching the game also, and it all happened so fast, it took me a few moments after the shot missed to realize the implications. No one expected a steal to just materialize itself for no reason. I don't think Mobley made a wrong decision. Under the circumstances, I don't think Mobley could have had any way of knowing exactly how many seconds were left on the clock. It could have been 3, or it could have been 1. It was a wide open jump shot that had just as much chance of going in as it did of missing (come on, this is Mobley and he is clutch, if he gets the shot off ). It didn't go in, and if it did, we would all be raving about how much presence of mind Cat had to get the shot off before the buzzer sounded. These things happen. ------------------ [This message has been edited by RunninRaven (edited December 18, 2000).]
I agree. But a juke, one dribble, and fadeway jumper takes as much time as the pass to Walt dead under the basket. Walt was stopped dead under the basket. ouch...oooh, I love Mobley, but he missed out on the Larry Bird play that legends are made of...Sorry Cat.
ouch...oooh, I love Mobley Thank you Mr.Steve Francis. ------------------ President of the Moochie Norris fan club & Vice President of the Jason Collier fan club!
I have a very good video tape. Cat had complete control of the ball with 2.7 seconds. He turned his back to the basket to shield Van Excel from the ball. At this point, he had an option to rotate into the lane for a shot or a pass. But this would have required him to use his right hand. His split second decision was a one bounce at 2.4 to clear room from Van Excel. The ball returned to Cuttino's hands at 2.0 and he started to turn to the baseline for a shot at 1.8 seconds. Van Excel was still outside the FT line as the ball left Cat's shooting hand at 1.3 seconds. NVE was closer to Cat the entire time Cat had possession of the ball (although he was leaning toward the lane after Cat's one bounce). Raef LaFraentz was never closer than the left-side of the free throw line and that was at 1.3 seconds. IMO, Raef was a non-factor. I'm not faulting Cuttino. The Rocks had the ball for the final 41.6 seconds and managed a Cuttino airball, a missed 3 by Bull and an airball by Steve. ------------------ GATER
I have the tape, too... We aren't blaming anyone. I am talking about what LEGENDS are made of. Gater...One motion, man. Catch and pass. You know it is a pass before you even gain control. That is called *feeling* your teammate (and I won't use "ooh" or "ouch" to explain it). He has to know where Wizard is. There is no thinking involved. There is plenty of time to make that play. What legends are made of...
But the big difference, HeyP, between the *Legend* that would have been in this case versus the Larry Bird case is that Larry Bird fully intended and expected that steal to come his way. He could see it happening before him in a manner that Cuttino couldn't. Assuming Mobley did have time to make the pass (I am assuming he did, since I only saw it once in real time versus your tape), if he had made the pass in the amount of time given, I would have been MUCH more impressed than in the Bird situation. Especially considering that it was Mobley. Let us also not forget that in the Larry Bird steal, the only option he had was to pass to a teammate, because he was falling out of bounds. I guess my basic point is this: Cat was under control with only a few seconds left on the clock, and I don't think he knew how many exactly, nor did he have time to look, and then act. The open jumper was there, Cat is a good shooter, and the pass had no guaruntee to be a success. I don't think Mobley made the wrong decision. Overall, despite the fact that this incident didn't change the outcome of the game, this has got to be one of the stranger endings of a game I have ever seen. ------------------ She hates testicles, thus limiting the men she can admire to Democratic candidates for president. -- John Greenway, "The American Tradition", on feminist Elizabeth Gould Davis
Running...yeah, I totally agree about the pass being different than Bird's steal. I wasn't really comparing it to the Bird steal. I agree. I was calling it a legendary moment opportunity. Mobley won't see an opportunity like that in awhile. I have no problem with the shot he took. None at all. 99% of all players would have done the same, and if he makes it we'd be comparing that shot to something like a Reggie Miller-esque moment.
I agree but if you watch the play you notice that the juke and dribble was just a very hectic effort of trying to get into position to shoot as fast as he could before the buzzer went off. I doubt Mobley was even aware anyone was under the basket. Don't you think his mind was racing just trying to get the shot off before the buzzer. I still say if he had passed the ball and Walt fumbled the pass or just did not get it up and into the basket intime the complaint would sound something like this...'what was Mobley thinking trying to pass the ball with only a couple of secounds left! He should have shot it!' It seemed to me that he thought there was only one chance to make the shot and the ball was in his hands. And I don't have a problem with that. ------------------
