Mario Chalmers is f'n nails. Once Memphis missed that FT in regulation with 10.8 seconds left, I told my roommate "it's Chalmers time" and the dude delivered.
Dude, they had the game won. I don't think being from a smaller conference caused them to brick ft's.
[rant] Yeah, I like how once your argument is refuted (like *completely refuted*) you still hold on to your weak opinion as if it is the basketball Rosetta Stone. "History supports me." That's lame. So, you're telling us that the 38-1 team who played one of the strongest schedules in the country lost because they couldn't handle the pressure down the stretch because the mediocre teams they played in their conference weren't as competitive as the mediocre teams Kansas played in theirs?! Could it possibly be that they haven't shot free throws well all year and in a close game their free throw shooting- which had been above their average during the tournament- came back down to earth? Could it possibly be that Kansas (particularly Arthur) stepped up and made plays down the stretch? Could it be that Memphis' inside defensive anchor fouled out in regulation? Stop trying to prove you are John Wooden and look for the answers in the freaking game. [/end rant]
The number one lesson from this game: If you're up three in the final seconds of a game and you don't foul, you are a ****ing idiot. It's that simple. I don't understand why coaches can't grasp this concept. I don't want to hear Calipari's excuses. Rose didn't have a chance to grab him? Bull****. Absolute BS. He guarded him closely in the backcourt. He guarded him after approaching the three-point line. And don't put it on the officials for not calling a foul on that tiny little nudge Rose gave to Collins. He should've grabbed him around both arms immediately. Absolutely no excuses. That was mind-numbing stupidity at its finest, and the sad thing is that coaches everywhere let it happen all the time. It's amazing that men who understand subtleties of this game like we could never imagine can't grasp the simplest little things to go with all that knowledge. As for the game, Kansas was the better team. They won the battle in the paint and crushed Memphis on the boards. If they had shot anything close to normal from behind the arc and hadn't made several completely unforced and uncharacteristic turnovers, it wouldn't have been all that close. I think this game also showed the value of poise. As great as Rose is and will be, I said before this game that he hadn't seen anything like the quick, ball-hawking guards that KU has. I think the early stages of this game, in addition to the closing minutes, proved that correct. When Collins made the big steal and cut it to four, Memphis unraveled. Sure, CDR made a couple of free throws in there somewhere. But by and large, they were never the same team. After the Chalmers three, they didn't regroup in overtime until they were down six and the hole was too big. Rose is a great talent, but with the exception of one flurry, he struggled with the ball pressure. The tournament experience and commitment to fundamentals and defense carried the day for KU. I don't like them, but they've been the best team all year and it's fitting they won this game. Props to the Jayhawks.
Can you believe Memphis was up 9 with like under 3 minutes to play? 9!?! That has to be one of the biggest chokes in NCAA championship game history. I hate the "foul" strategy, but I also understand free throws are a fundamental part of the game. I remember hearing no team that shot as bad as Memphis in the regular season won the title...that stat was almost broken last night.
Excellent post. I was going to post a rant similar to this but you took the words right out of my mouth. How funny was it hearing Calipari pretending like he told his guys to foul? Suuuuuuure you did. I also like how you pointed out how Memphis was getting killed on the boards and in the paint. Everybody seems to be on the "Ahhhhh Memphis just choked" wagon but I noticed this too, especially in the first half. Aside from a few crazy Rose and CDR drives near the basket pretty much all of their points came from the perimeter. You don't win championships playing that way.
This is why I blame Calipari. It wasn't until 10 minutes were left in the game that he decided to shut off KU's inside game and force them to make shots. This is when Memphis went on the 11-0 run that should have clinched the game. If he had done that to start the 2nd half, Memphis would have won this game comfortably. As it was, KU was still in striking distance (even though being down 9 with 2 mins left should not be striking distance) and Memphis choked the championship away by the bad inbounds pass leading to the 3 and missing 4/5 FTs very late.
I give Memphis some props. They were being thoroughly outplayed and was still in position to put the game away convincingly. Killed inside, on the boards, and couldn't get the tempo to that crazy pace. Derrick Rose was way to hesitant in the first 30min of the game. He was to contest those guards early and often. They left the door open way to long, and a great team like Kansas is gonna bust thru that door like a jailbreak. Memphis choked. They got scared, started a brick brigade from the line, and committed dumb fouls to allow Kansas to score with the clock stopped. I don't care for Kansas but they get my respect for taking advantage of 2nd life and making all the plays down the stretch.
So what's your point? That I am wrong when I scoff at the people that give Kansas no credit for actually stepping up and winning the game as opposed to those who seemingly just write it off as nothing but a Memphis choke job?
Memphis choked...period, end of story...I think Memphis is the better team with better athletes, but that doesn't mean much when you lose... Once Rose missed that free throw and Kansas tied it, I knew it was over...
Memphis might have slightly better athletes, but Kansas had the better team. Field goal percentage and rebounds will tell you where the game was won. I've said it all season, but I think Dorrell Arthur is one of the most underrated players in all of basketball. Big men with footwork, post moves and athleticism like that are extremely rare and should go in the top five overall, not the 10-15 range. He's an absolute stud and was the best player on the floor last night, regardless of Chalmers' big shot or Rose's second-half flurry. By the way, I'm also high on Chalmers. He reminds me at times of a young Chauncey Billups/Bobby Jackson type, in the sense that he has very good upper body strength for a guard, plays ferocious defense (he's one of the best ballhawks I've ever seen, outstanding hands) and routinely makes huge shots. He's clearly fast enough for the NBA; the questions come in whether he has PG instincts or if he's the second coming of Luther Head but with better defense and clutch shooting. It's a risk, but I think with good coaching he can develop into a solid NBA player -- and someone I'd take a chance on in the 15-20 range.
Coach Cal is rightly getting some criticism, but I have this question. If you are one of the people mocking him for his statements on free throws, think about it, and suggest what he should say. How would you have answered all the questions about free throws? The reason he kept saying things like "it doesn't matter," and "our guys will make them when it counts" is very simple. In my view, there's not much else he could say. Your entire team is listening to you, and at this point in the season you can't say "yeah, our free-throw shooting is really weak, and I'm worried our guys will choke a game away at the line." What he could have done was drill them to death on free throws in December-February! But to ridicule his statements seems to miss what you have to do as a coach with 19-year-old egos all around you.
Yeah, you can say Memphis choked, especially at the free throw line. But, they still led by 3 with ~10 seconds left after Rose's missed FT. Chalmers still had to nail the big 3 with someone in his face. Plus, the long-jumper by Arthur and the steal followed by the 3 by Collins were huge plays that had to do more with Kansas making plays than Memphis choking.
Anyone want to place a bet on who the coach is here? I wanna know! http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10767707
If Rose made 1 of the first set of FT's he missed, then the game would of been over as they would of had a 4 point lead and only the hand of God could have saved Kansas.
True enough, and I think there's an overlooked aspect. I can't remember the exact time stamp but Memphis had a bustout break around the 15 or 18 second mark, and CDR went right to the rack. *If* he had dribbled around instead, even just running another couple of seconds, before getting fouled, I think Memphis wins that game.
