I guess it's me

Like the Heels did against Georgetown last year, the Wizards could not play with a lead, failed to score in the last four minutes of the game, and lost a winnable game against the Cavs yesterday.

Either I should have NOT TiVOed that game, or there a larger anti-Heel force out there.

The Wizards were in the penalty mid-way through the 4th quarter, yet they settled for jump shots instead of driving and drawing fouls. That was a huge brain freeze by the Wizards - a very good free throw shooting team - and coach Eddie Jordan.

The Wizards wasted great performances by Arenas, who was unconscious in the first half, Haywood, who had a double-double and came out hot, and Jamison, who had another 20-10 game.

But even worse, the Wizards did not back up their bluster and let LeBron James take over down the stretch. Why anyone would call him overrated - and wave the red flag in his face - I don't know.

The Wizards were hoping to steal at least one game in Cleveland, so are still in good shape.

Game twos can sometimes be treacherous, and I think it will be important for the Wizards to come out strong on Monday night. Cleveland has some momentum going into game two, momentum that can turn into a blow out if the Wizards aren't careful.

NBA Playoffs Blog

One way to treat (but not cure) my post Final Four blues is with a nice playoff run by the hometown Washington Wizards.  I'm so excited I'm going to do something I have never done - TiVO a Wizards game, today's first round game versus Cleveland that runs up against back-to-back kid soccer games.  

I blogged this a week or so ago, but I think the Wiz will go to the Eastern Conference finals. They match very well with Cleveland and Boston and will pull back-to-back upsets.  The Big Three for the Zards are healthy - at least Jamison and Arenas are - but I think it will be my man Brendan Haywood that puts Washington over the top in both series.

Haywood may have more trouble with Cleveland that with Boston. He is coming off his best season as a professional, and generally plays very well against Cav center Zydrunas Ilgauskas.  But last year, Z dominated the first round sweep of the Wizards.  If Haywood rebounds he should out play Ilgauskas this year.

The Wizards have beaten the Celtics three times this season, and Haywood has been a big reason.  In each win, he has kept KG in check, even getting in his face a few times. For whatever reason, the Cs bring out the best in the Wizards.  As critical as Haywood will be, I think this will be Arenas' series. Look for Agent Zero to use this series to redeem a season lost to injury, AND to remind the rest of the league that he is one of the NBA's elite players.

Not much else happening in the East - the Pistons will march to the conference and NBA finals with only a few speed bumps against inferior competition.  The Wizards will probably be the most and probably the only intriguing story in the East.  

That is not the case in the West.

It's still hard to accept that the Spurs play the Suns in the first round! The Suns appear to have figured out the Shaq thing, going 15-5 in their last 20 games.  Stoudamire has really excelled with Shaq around, but I have trouble seeing the Spurs losing this series.  My bet is that Shaq and Duncan, and Nash and Parker, cancel each other out. It will come down to who plays better - Stoudamire or Ginobili.  As much as I like Stoudamire I have to go with Ginobili (one of the three most exciting players on the planet).

Though not as marque as the Suns-Spurs series, there are other great first round match ups.  I see the Jazz taking down the Rockets and Tracy McGrady.  My guess is that Jerry Sloan will figure out how to dismantle Houston in a seven-game series.

The Lakers will handle the Nuggets, but the other first round match up - between the Hornets and Mavs - is a toss up.  I'm still not a believer in the Hornets, though Dallas does not inspire much confidence either.  This series, like much of the playoffs actually, is full of talented players,  but many of whom do not have IT.   KG, McGrady, Pierce, Allen, Kidd, Nowitzki, are all veteran stars whose teams - for whatever reason - never seem to win the big game.  Calling them 'losers' is too harsh, but when in doubt pick against their teams.

Nats Notes

Nice win for the Nats last night, mainly because they finally got a big hit.  Hopefully, Nick Johnson's bases loaded double will ignite more clutch hitting from the Nats.   Zimmerman got two hits last night, and has hit in three straight so he may be getting his stroke back.  Let's hope that Kearns and Pena start hitting soon too.

Sean Hill got called up by Washington yesterday and makes his 2008 debut today against Florida.  He's got the stuff to be a number one starter if he stays healthy.

As bad as the Nats have played they are only 5 back with 145 games left to play!

Transition blog

As the focus of this blog shifts from all things Carolina basketball to other sports - namely the Nats, the Wizards and Euro 2008 football - I feel compelled to defend Roy and offer one last Carolina hoops poll.   

The last one, on the greatest Tar Heel of all time, fittingly ended in a tie between Phil Ford and Michael Jordan.  I think those two are the obvious choices; trust the voters in this one.  Of course, I may have to ask that question again next year if Hansbrough stays, breaks Phil Ford's Carolina and J.J. Reddick's ACC scoring records, and/or wins a national championship.

Today's poll is another good one, and also serves as a nice recap of the 2007-2008 season.

I am honestly surprised by the criticism of Roy's decision to stay and root for Kansas.  One of the things I like about Roy - and Woody for that matter - is how North Carolinian they are.  They remind me of the good things about my home state; both are nice, humble, polite, optimistic to the point of naivete, genuine, with absolutely no regard for flash or fashion.  To me they epitomize the state's slogan, which is (in English) "to be, rather than to seem."  Esse quam vedira in Latin.  

What could be more North Carolinian that to root for the place you once called home for 15 years?  What could be more humble than to root for the team that beat you?   Roy obviously loves Carolina (besides being an alum, I like that he has gone to the last two College World Series' to watch the Heels baseball team).  But he also still loves Kansas.  And that makes sense, and it's okay.  How could anyone be surprised or angered by his rooting for his former school, a school that I might add produced the grandest Tar Heel of them all, Dean Smith.

Finally, if you watch the game you are going to root for one team or another.  I wanted to root for Kansas but usually and habitually root against any of the other dynasty schools - for my money there are only six: Carolina plus UCLA, Kentucky, Indiana, Duke and Kansas - in the championship game so was mildly rooting for Memphis.   Everyone takes a side when watching a game where someone is taking score. Roy is no different from any college basketball fan; he watched, so he took a side.  If an ACC team had been playing the championship game, even if that team were Duke or State, would anyone question ol' Roy for sticking around another night to root for a team from the conference?  I doubt it.  So no one should be surprised that he was rooting for Dean's alma mater.  

Better to stay and watch than skulk home to Chapel Hill feeling sorry for yourself.   I like that Roy was secure enough in in himself to show up, and do not have a problem with him rooting for the Jayhawks while wearing one of their stickers.

I'll wrap this up by pointing out how great the season was, despite the lingering disappointment of the Final Four. Roy's on the court and recruiting successes should leave Heels fans feeling reassured that, as it was under Dean, Carolina is the dominant team in the ACC again.  Back to back ACC tournament championships, best regular season records in the ACC two years in a row, two Final Fours in four years, 4 wins over Duke in our last 6 games including 3 straight at Cameron, a National Championship, and taking the 2006 David Noel team to the NCAA tournament (perhaps the greatest feat on this list; ask Jim Calhoun and Billy Donovan how hard it is to recover from losing stars to the NBA draft) all point to a new dominant Carolina era in the ACC.  Despite the haunting loss to Kansas, things are going well and promise to keep heading in that direction for a long time. 

Random Notes:

• If I was wagering, I'd bet all three Carolina players come back next year.  Hansbrough is probably the only one seriously contemplating going pro.  It seems unlikely that his draft position or stock would change much after another year in Chapel Hill though it could if he continues to expand his range and game, something that has happened each year he has been at Carolina.  And by all accounts the 2009 draft projects weaker than the 2008 one so he could go higher if he waits a year.   Plus, I imagine he really wants to win a national championship and go 4-4 in Cameron.  
• Lawson's play against an athletic Kansas back court probably convinced many scouts that he is still not ready to face the superior athletes every night in the NBA.
• Ellington was probably the most improved Carolina player on the squad.  He made giant strides on both ends of the floor - augmenting his three-point shooting by developing a nice floor game on offense and dramatically improving his defense.  That said, he is still pretty skinny and could probably use another year to fill out his frame and develop the endurance on his way to becoming a fusion of Rip Hamilton and Reggie Miller.
• Obviously, if all three come back Carolina will be favored to win the ACC and NCAA championships.   The ACC should be a lot better next year.  Virginia Tech, Wake and Georgia Tech will be improved, Miami should be pretty good, Clemson will be better, and Duke will at least finish 8-8.   But no matter what those teams do, Carolina will be the team to beat.

Other Random Notes

• Nats finally ended their 9 game losing streak this afternoon against the Braves.  This team has no margin for error, so with Zimmerman and Kearns both struggling the offense has been terrible.  If those two hit, and Wily Mo does too, the Nats could be decent.  Milledge has played well, though on defense he is still a work in progress in center field.
• Do not be surprised if the Wizards make the Eastern Conference finals this year.  They will probably play the Cavaliers in the first round, a team they match up with fairly well and also a team they Zards really want to beat.  That would likely mean a series against the Celtics in the second round, and Washington has beaten the Cs three out of four this year.  Two of those wins came without Gilbert Arenas, too.  My man Brendan Haywood has held KG in check in each of those wins, and Caron Butler has owned Paul Pierce. Don't be surprised if they take Boston in six games.

Bragging on the kids

• For consecutive nights, Ariadne and Evan were the best kids on their respective stages.  On Friday night, our school put on the musical Annie.  Ariadne played Lily St. Regis, and she sparkled!  She's always been good on stage, whether we're talking about Greek school programs, dance recitals, or other school plays. I'm obviously biased, but she has IT.  On stage Ariadne's charisma is unmistakable and unstoppable.  She also has great comedic timing and has a great physicality, too.  It made us very proud to watch her, and I also enjoyed the kudos from other parents after the show. You should have seen her in her blonde wig, lipstick and high heels. Ariadne has it. 
• The next night Evan played in his first Little League game with live pitching.  He went two for two with a walk, including a bases loaded single. Trailing 9-10 entering the bottom of the sixth and final inning, Evan led off against the other team's best pitcher.  He quickly fell behind 0-2 - one called, one swinging - after two nasty pitches.  But Evan dug in, fouled off three other nasty pitches including one tough inside pitch, and eventually coaxed a walk out of their pitcher.  It was an impressive at bat.  He later came around to score the tying run, and his team won 11-10.  
• Evan also pitched one inning, and excelled on the mound too.  He pitched a shut out inning that featured two strike outs, one nice grab in the outfield by his teammate Max, and a nice little fist pump after getting a strike out to end the inning.  He had a great game and led his team to a nice come from behind win against an older team.
• Anyway, I felt very fortunate to be their dad this weekend.  

Kansas Wins

Hats off to the Jayhawks.  They didn't wilt against Carolina's comeback, and stayed tough down the stretch to send tonight's game into overtime.  

Carolina's loss was a tough way to go out, but is there a worse way to lose a game, any game, but especially a game for the national championship, than to lose it at the free throw line? 

Memphis talked about making free throws when they counted, but they couldn't deliver tonight.

But give Kansas credit - they made shots.   

24 hours later

Hate to admit how much losing last night still bothers me.  In the scheme of human events, who cares who wins? Obviously I care more than I should.  

I've told some of you this story, but when Carolina won Dean's second championship in 1993, I was obviously excited.  But then it struck me around 2 am, as I watched SportsCenter rerun the highlights for the third or fourth time, that tomorrow my life would be exactly the same.  Outside of deciding which commemorative t-shirt to buy, nothing else would really change.

So for fans like me, it really doesn't matter.  But I think one reason I feel so bad is the genuine hurt I feel for the players and coaches. This was such a great Carolina basketball team, very likeable and easy to root for.  You had Hansbrough, who gives the most honest effort of any athlete on the planet, classy leaders like Marcus Ginyard, a player like Quentin Thomas who rose to the occasion after four years of being an afterthought, electrifying players like Danny Green who delivered all season despite dealing with a father in prison and who gave Heels fans THE highlight of the season in his fast break dunk and humiliation of Paulus on Coach K court, watching players like Ellington, Lawson, Stephenson, Graves and Thompson get better and better as the season progressed.  I feel bad for every one of them.  This was a great squad, and I wish their season had finished with a championship instead of a frustrating and perplexing loss.

And finally, all of that is backed up by a coach who is as sincere as he is corny.  Roy really cares about his players and about Carolina. He's as honest a coach as Hansbrough is as a player.  That's huge, and makes a Carolina fan feel connected to Dean and his or her alma mater.

I guess that is the reason I feel bad and why fans like me have the nerve to use words like 'we' and 'our' and 'us;' when we watch the Heels we're practically students again, physically and obviously emotionally connected to a university that changed and shaped our lives.  I know I don't feel as bad as the players or the coaches, but I feel bad for this great group of players and coaches, Carolina and Carolina students, fans and alumni.    

 

I thought we had that game

When we were down 4 with 11 minutes left, then when we were down 5 with 6 minutes left, I thought we had it.  Another great comeback by the Heels to add to an incredibly long list of great come from behind wins.  

But Green missed an open 3 with 8 minutes left, which was big, and down the stretch the Heels couldn't buy a basket.

Kansas won this game down the stretch when Collins and Rush made big big shots.  With a little less than 6 minutes left, with Carolina trailing by 5, Collins hit a huge three.   Ellington answered with a circus shot on a drive, but Carolina failed to rotate on a simple drive by Rush that made it 69-61 with 4:45 left.  Why Thompson failed to rotate I don't know, but I think the main reason is he's 19 years old.  Or maybe he stayed with Kaun, and was leery of another alley-oop dunk by the Russian reserve.

Ellington tried to answer but missed an open look.  To add insult to injury Ginyard was in position to get the offensive rebound and put back, but fumbled the ball out of bounds after being bumped by a Jayhawk.  The play was eerily similar to Green's miss with 8 minutes on the clock.  Roy had gone to a odd line up right before the 8 minute TV timeout, trying to get some extra rest for his starters; the Heels had Thomas, Green, Graves, Stephenson and Ginyard on the floor.  The Heels were patient, and Green got a great look.  The ball went in and out - it almost went all the way around the rim before popping out.  Again, making things worse was the offensive rebound.  Both Stephenson and Graves were there, with Graves snatching the ball away from his teammate. Graves lost the ball out of bounds, so instead of making the score 56-58 on the three or at least 55-58 with 8 minutes to go, the Heels get a costly empty trip.  On the ensuing possession Kansas got the ball inside, got fouled, and made to free throws to push the lead up to seven for a 4 or 5 point swing against the Heels.

Very tantalizing, very frustrating. 

Give Kansas credit - they made plays and Collins, Rush and Kaun kept their wits about them while those around them were losing theirs.  And so they won the game.

After those plays Carolina went ice cold.  Ellington, Green and Hansbrough - the guys who led the great comeback - all missed open shots.  Hard to complain when your best players get but miss makeable shots.

Ellington and Green were especially great during the comeback. Ellington was only 1 for 9 from behind the arch, but had some big steals and big blocks in the second half.   Man, it stinks to lose like this.

The only good news out of this loss may be that Hansbrough, Lawson, et. al. could come back for another year. The Georgetown loss motivated him to lead the Heels to the Final Four, so perhaps this Final Four loss will fuel another Hansbrough-led run in 2008-2009.

Frankly, I think it's tougher to lose a game like this, when you fight back and valiantly make a great comeback only to come up short. I would rather have the Heels get blown out than to lose a game like that, a game that was right there for the Heels to win it in a historic fashion.

I don't know; the comeback showed some spark and fight, so maybe it's better to lose this way.  

Man, tough to lose this way.

But it's hard to quibble with this season.  ACC regular season, ACC tournament champs, third year in a row the Heels go into Cameron and win, the development and redemption of Quentin Thomas, Hansbrough winning multiple player of the year awards, the fact that players like Ellington, Hansbrough, Green and Lawson all got better during the season, capped by a Final Four - all of those accomplishments are significant and better then all but two teams.  Not bad.  

Go Heels!

• I wonder if Lawson was hurt.  After the under 4 timeout Thomas was on the floor, not Lawson.  He had a pretty bad game all the way around, especially early in the game.
• As I posted during the game, I could not believe how badly Carolina played to start the game.  This team played badly against Maryland, had a couple of bad stretches (early against Clemson in Chapel Hill, bad first half at Georgia Tech) but that's it.  They had been fantastic all season, playing legit teams in conference, prior to conference play, and in the NCAA tournament. Just hard to understand how they could come out so flat and trail 12-40.  I simply can't figure that one out; how did that start happen to a team like Carolina?
• As incredible as the start was, the comeback was almost it's equal.  Kansas looked tentative, but down the stretch kept their composure and make shots.  The Heels also failed to make stops at key times, so in the end their defense killed them.
• When you look at the numbers, Carolina took way too many threes.  Part of that was that the Heels were down early, but they were only 5 for 24 from behind the arch.  
• I'm starting to hate San Antonio.  In 1998, the Heels came out flat against Utah and got behind early, made a great comeback, but lost.  This game was waaaaaay too similar to that game.
• I was impressed by Memphis.  The chip on their shoulder may get them their first national championship.

Couple of bad trips

Kansas making some tough shots, but also some bad defense by the Heels.  Why didn't Thompson rotate over on that drive.

Let's get some more stops and pops.

Couple of bad trips

Kansas making some tough shots.  Let's get some more stops and pops.

Couple of bad trips

Kansas making some tough shots.  Let's get some more stops and pops.

28-6 run

Let's keep it up! Unbelievable, again!

Things are looking up

For the record, I was the one vote for Danny Green as the greatest Heel of all time.

Kansas is starting to look tentative.  And Roy is rotating players.   Lawson should be fresh late.  But bottom line, down 12 with 14 to go is okay, and completing the comeback is more than doable.

GO HEELS!

Terrible start defensively

Need a STOP!

15-4 spurt to close the half

As ludicrous as it sounds, we are back in this game.   As bad as we played, we showed some fight at the end of the half.  Green is in the game, and Ellington had some moments too.

I'm feeling better - which is relative considering how terrible the Heels looked in the first 15 minutes; only 13 points - going into the final 20.   And being down 17 sure beats being down 26.   I hope Green and Ellington stay involved, Lawson gets his groove back, and Hansbrough wills in about 20 in the second half.

But don't be surprised if history is made and Carolina makes an epic comeback.  The first 5 minutes will be key; we can't let Kansas get off to the phenomenal start they did in the first half.   We also need to rebound and run, and finally stop turning the ball over, especially in the lane.

10-0

We've got it down below 20. It's not much, but we'll take it!

Terrible start

Man, what a terrible start.  Kansas' defense has been impressive, but the Heels also look shockingly tentative.  We need to get a few stops that turn into fast breaks, and also a few shots for Ellington.   

The only good news is there are still 31 minutes left for Ol' Roy to figure things out.

If we can get it to 10 at half we'll be okay, but at this point we are barely in the game.

Memphis over UCLA

How is the wide wide world of sports did UCLA make the Final Four?  Any team that makes it that far is obviously talented, but this team is NOT when it comes to offense.  Both teams had stretches when they could not score, but the difference was at the point.  Rose could either get a basket or at least create one for Douglas-Roberts.   On the other hand, Collison was horrible.   He shot bad, but his biggest crime was not consistently getting the ball to Love. Love is their only offensive threat, and he didn't nearly enough touches.

On to the Heels game.  I'll live blog a bit (if I'm not too nervous to type).

Go Heels!

Can't Wait for This Weekend

It's the start of the spring youth soccer season here in DC!

AND it's the Final Four.   I'm having trouble being patient; I can't wait for the Carolina game to start.  

Both games should be good ones.  I obviously like Carolina to beat Kansas, for three reasons, two of which - Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson - are almost obvious.  I know Kansas is a good defensive team, but I simply can't see any college team stopping both of these guys.  Lawson is so fast and has been so smart and great with the ball, and Hansbrough is Hansbrough is Hansbrough.   Not only is the guy talented and determined, the shooting exhibition he put on down the stretch against Louisville demonstrated that he is also locked in.

The third reason I think the Heels will handle the 'Hawks is that this year's squad can not seem to be beaten. Call it resiliency, tenacity, focus, toughness. Whatever you call it, Carolina has that intangible working in it's favor.

Finally, I also wouldn't be surprised if Bill Self and Kansas are emotionally exhausted, and just happy and satisfied to finally make the Final Four.    

All of those players and factors will add up to Carolina winning by 10, ala the win over Louisville.

As some of you know, I like offense over defense.   So in the first game I'm going with Memphis, and betting that the Tigers' offense will eventually overpower the UCLA defense.   It will be a close game due to Kevin Love and the poor foul shooting of Memphis (though they shot it very well down the stretch against Texas), but I see Memphis winning by 7. 

Final Four Feelings

• For the third time in a month Sports Illustrated (if you count SI For Kids) has Hansbrough on the cover. That's how good Hansbrough is - he's oblivious to the cover jinx.
• SI keeps picking against Carolina.  In their tournament preview issue their bracket had the Heels losing to Louisville, and in the new issue the sports magazine of record has Kansas advancing.  Looks like another tough weekend for Grant Wahl.
• Nice column on Hansbrough in Tuesday's Charlotte Observer by long time columnist Scott Fowler.   The lead is "There are many things to like about Tyler Hansbrough.  But one of the most important is this: He pushes himself outside his comfort zone."  It's an interesting piece. 

Nats Notes

The Nats lost for the first time this season, to the Phillies this afternoon at the Bank, to end their 3 game win streak.  Still, a 3-1 start is great for this team, or any team whose opening day starter is Odalis Perez.  The Nats scored 5 in the first, but Jason Bergman could not hold a 6-1 lead and fell apart in the 6th.

Pretty Random Greek Note

Greece rightfully voted to block the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's entrance into NATO yesterday. The Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was invented by Tito after World War II to solidify a dubious claim to an area that should probably be part of Bulgaria; the modern Macedonia language is a Bulgarian dialect, and the area belonged to Bulgaria prior to the Second Balkan War.

Anyway, a number of NATO countries supported Greece including France.  And this is the random Greek note: Prime Minister Nicholas Sarkozy, in speaking out in support of Greece, mentioned his own Greek heritage.   One of his grandfathers, his mother's father, was a Greek Jew from Thessaloniki who moved to France to go to medical school.