GT Game Report (or JB - I'm ready for my close-up)

[orange79]

Due to the kindness of a mysterious benefactor, Mrs. Orange79 and I were able to watch the GT game Saturday from courtside seats. Thanks, Mysterious Benefactor! What a weekend! Got to spend quality time with the 74-75 Final Four team, OrangeXtreme, OburgOrange (and Mrs. OburgOrange), TexanMark, and Cuseregular. Great to see you all. Fabulous time. Also saw DCCuse and Orange Buddha briefly – nice to meet them face-to-face. Had a walk-by greeting with Cheriehoop and Mr. Cheriehoop - good to see them also. Got to talk to so many other nice folks – SU alumni and fans alike. Apologies to those I did not get a chance to meet up with. We’ll do it the next whirlwind trip I make.

To the game. First off, what a great game. Tense, played with urgency and at a high level, and most importantly, an SU win. Neither team could get any separation, and fortunately SU came out ahead. That is clutch, as we need to win the games we should win from here on out.

The game is so different from close-up. After getting over the awe of being thisclose to the action, many things became apparent. You see and hear things you couldn’t possibly notice watching on television. Players, particularly Malachi in this game, talking to the refs with the refs explaining why they made a particular call. Players pleading their cases to the refs. The refs constantly providing encouragement (and pats on the back and butt) to the players. Even if they are not doing a great job calling the game (more later), the refs do a fabulous job keeping their cool. Especially with 25K screaming fans questioning their legitimacy and suggesting that they are people who perform questionable acts with close female relatives. Kudos to them. Don’t worry - I take them to task later.

Here are some random thoughts on the game (given social commitments while in Syracuse (see above) and the long drive, I haven’t been able to read any reports about the game or read the board, so I apologize if anything that follows is repeated, has already been talked to death, or is just plain wrong):

• Frankie made some UNREAL passes. This may just have been his coming out game

• G’s eye poke happened right in front of us. It happened so quickly, and the GT offender went by us so quickly, we weren’t quite sure at first exactly what went down (except for G). The place was going nuts when the refs allowed play to continue. I guess you need to have blood spurting uncontrollably in order to elicit a whistle. Then the confusion following was just ludicrous. I swear I saw one ref signal over and back. Referee conference. The ball was awarded to SU. Another conference. GT ball. Another conference. Play starts, and then is stopped AGAIN. Seriously guys, we could have talked about everything in one conference, no?

• On the subject of questionable refereeing, there were some real head-scratchers in addition to the fiasco above
  • G’s foul with about 6 or 7 seconds left; how do you call something on G and not several GT players doing the same thing? Sheesh.
  • DCII’s 4th (?) foul – a total flop (and really not even a good one). Sigh. DaJuan is always going to get called for the rump bump, whether there is real contact or not. I would also add that at least one more of his fouls was borderline, to say the least. But those call notwithstanding, DaJuan played like MAN. Great game by the big fella.

• At one point, right after Malachi missed the front end of a one and one. There was a clock stoppage and Malachi unleashed very loud -bomb in frustration. Love his energy and how much he seems to care. He just needs to make sure he doesn’t let his frustration get the best of him. Based on his play in the last few minutes, I have to guess that he won’t.

• Had a ball bounce to me on its way out of bounds. Secured the ball, searched for the closest ref, and executed a perfect bounce pass to him. I hope my assist appears in the box score.

• JB totally selling out on getting the crowd into the game – yelling waving his hands to exhort the crowd to make some noise, etc. I don’t remember him being this animated in an attempt to get the crowd into it in a long time. I guess he reads the board and learned how important this game (and the subsequent games) are to the Orange’s tourney hopes.

• Malachi, even though a freshman, showed leadership skills beyond his years. Pulled Howard aside after a miscue and said a few words to him. Talked to Lydon the same way. Good to see. I hope we see it for at least another year.

• Speaking of Lydon, the ‘stache has GOT to go.

• And as has been said frequently, Lydon has to learn to go right up when he has an open shot. I suppose when he is a sophomore, he won’t be so hesitant and will stop deferring to the upperclassmen.

• G and Trevor do SO much that you don’t necessarily see on TV unless you are looking for it, and the camera allows you to see it. Constantly working, particularly on defense, 100% effort the entire time they are on the floor. For as much grief as he gets, Cooney will be missed next year. And G will be greatly missed (cue the Big Yellow Taxi chorus – ‘Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone…’).

• On the potential game-tying buzzer shot: From my vantage point? looked good Fortunately, it wasn’t.

• Huge tip of the hat to the Carrier Dome staff – they all were friendly, courteous, and helpful. Kudos!

One other cool thing. We stayed at the SU Sheraton, and on Friday night I was outside when one of those hotel shuttles pulled up and out bounced Coach Babers. On his way into the hotel, I caught his eye and just said, “Hi, Coach.” He stopped, walked over and shook my hand. I told him how excited we are, and that he has already been killing it on the recruiting trail. He said he was excited too, and that he’s ready to work. Nothing earth-shattering, I just thought it was great that he took the time to stop over and chat briefly, when all he really had to do was wave. My expectations just increased.

That’s about all I’ve got. Thanks for reading this tome. It was really the experience of a sporting lifetime. Thanks again, cto. You’re the best.

 

[bballbeadle]

Okay, Orange79, the jig is up! You are now obligated to report on every game you see in person from here to eternity! That was a great read.

Yes, Boeheim was really exhorting the crowd. Dave85 was quite critical of the crowd's lack of noise but since I am OF the crowd, I thought we did a great job. I must say that the television never ever does the crowd noise justice. The closeness and intensity of the game at times subdued us as we were all concentrating with might and main on the action, and sometimes forgot we were part of a crowd. (Um, that could have just been me.) Anxiety was in the air, knuckles were white, and ulcers were beginning to form in mucosal membranes. (Again - me?) But the team and the fans brought it together in the end, and I was proud of all of us!

My seat is right above the tunnel, and when the team went down it after the game they seemed a little more jaunty and interactive with the fans waiting to slap hands than I've seen in quite a while.

There was only one thing you wrote that brought me great chagrin. Malachi SWORE??

 

[cto]

Great report. You highlighted so much which cannot be seen on TV. And you got only a ball in your lap. When poc44 had those seats a few weeks ago, he got Michael G in his lap.

 

[HoustonCuse]

I once saw a high level AAU game in a tiny gym. These were HS seniors, I was floor level standing inches from the out of bounds line, not far from Lute Olson and Roy Williams who were among others scouting the players. The game was so much more violent than I could have guessed from watching on TV. Major contact between every player on every play all over the court. I assume this is one of the things you notice from the courtside seats?

 

[OburgOrange]

Great to see you again my friend. I didn't realize that you had such mad basketball skills! That was a great catch and return you made.

 

[nycfan]

Thought that looked like you---very cool ! Since you brought up the work of G and Cooney on defense and may not have had a chance to watch the post-presser being out of town---JB went out of his way to praise the two of them--said something to the extent that their D at the top of the zone was absolutely phenomenal against the GT shooters.

On those questionable head-scratchers late in the game---one other one that I didn't notice until the following day when I watched again. On the long pass with 2.3 seconds left, Malachi got absolutely leveled going for the ball. And you're right on G's phantom foul---ESPN announcers had our back on that one too. I must have replayed that one 5-6 times just looking for something---absolutely nothing. Would have been an absolute travesty had we lost that game.

 

[HoustonCuse]

Thought that looked like you---very cool ! Since you brought up the work of G and Cooney on defense and may not have had a chance to watch the post-presser being out of town---JB went out of his way to praise the two of them--said something to the extent that their D at the top of the zone was absolutely phenomenal against the GT shooters.

On those questionable head-scratchers late in the game---one other one that I didn't notice until the following day when I watched again. On the long pass with 2.3 seconds left, Malachi got absolutely leveled going for the ball. And you're right on G's phantom foul---ESPN announcers had our back on that one too. I must have replayed that one 5-6 times just looking for something---absolutely nothing. Would have been an absolute travesty had we lost that game.

It seems to me in hindsight to be direct payback for "amazing" because the scenario was very similar (scramble for ball after FT miss). Then the oppose on the Mali hit which I saw in real time. How that is not a foul, I will never understand.

 

[orangeman40]

Great recap of the game and your experience. One quibble, though: You bring your wife and not your ex-roomie?

 

[orange79]

Great recap of the game and your experience. One quibble, though: You bring your wife and not your ex-roomie?

Happy wife, happy life

 

[SUGIANT]

Due to the kindness of a mysterious benefactor, Mrs. Orange79 and I were able to watch the GT game Saturday from courtside seats. Thanks, Mysterious Benefactor! What a weekend! Got to spend quality time with the 74-75 Final Four team, OrangeXtreme, OburgOrange (and Mrs. OburgOrange), TexanMark, and Cuseregular. Great to see you all. Fabulous time. Also saw DCCuse and Orange Buddha briefly – nice to meet them face-to-face. Had a walk-by greeting with Cheriehoop and Mr. Cheriehoop - good to see them also. Got to talk to so many other nice folks – SU alumni and fans alike. Apologies to those I did not get a chance to meet up with. We’ll do it the next whirlwind trip I make.

To the game. First off, what a great game. Tense, played with urgency and at a high level, and most importantly, an SU win. Neither team could get any separation, and fortunately SU came out ahead. That is clutch, as we need to win the games we should win from here on out.

The game is so different from close-up. After getting over the awe of being thisclose to the action, many things became apparent. You see and hear things you couldn’t possibly notice watching on television. Players, particularly Malachi in this game, talking to the refs with the refs explaining why they made a particular call. Players pleading their cases to the refs. The refs constantly providing encouragement (and pats on the back and butt) to the players. Even if they are not doing a great job calling the game (more later), the refs do a fabulous job keeping their cool. Especially with 25K screaming fans questioning their legitimacy and suggesting that they are people who perform questionable acts with close female relatives. Kudos to them. Don’t worry - I take them to task later.

Here are some random thoughts on the game (given social commitments while in Syracuse (see above) and the long drive, I haven’t been able to read any reports about the game or read the board, so I apologize if anything that follows is repeated, has already been talked to death, or is just plain wrong):

• Frankie made some UNREAL passes. This may just have been his coming out game

• G’s eye poke happened right in front of us. It happened so quickly, and the GT offender went by us so quickly, we weren’t quite sure at first exactly what went down (except for G). The place was going nuts when the refs allowed play to continue. I guess you need to have blood spurting uncontrollably in order to elicit a whistle. Then the confusion following was just ludicrous. I swear I saw one ref signal over and back. Referee conference. The ball was awarded to SU. Another conference. GT ball. Another conference. Play starts, and then is stopped AGAIN. Seriously guys, we could have talked about everything in one conference, no?

• On the subject of questionable refereeing, there were some real head-scratchers in addition to the fiasco above
  • G’s foul with about 6 or 7 seconds left; how do you call something on G and not several GT players doing the same thing? Sheesh.
  • DCII’s 4th (?) foul – a total flop (and really not even a good one). Sigh. DaJuan is always going to get called for the rump bump, whether there is real contact or not. I would also add that at least one more of his fouls was borderline, to say the least. But those call notwithstanding, DaJuan played like MAN. Great game by the big fella.

• At one point, right after Malachi missed the front end of a one and one. There was a clock stoppage and Malachi unleashed very loud -bomb in frustration. Love his energy and how much he seems to care. He just needs to make sure he doesn’t let his frustration get the best of him. Based on his play in the last few minutes, I have to guess that he won’t.

• Had a ball bounce to me on its way out of bounds. Secured the ball, searched for the closest ref, and executed a perfect bounce pass to him. I hope my assist appears in the box score.

• JB totally selling out on getting the crowd into the game – yelling waving his hands to exhort the crowd to make some noise, etc. I don’t remember him being this animated in an attempt to get the crowd into it in a long time. I guess he reads the board and learned how important this game (and the subsequent games) are to the Orange’s tourney hopes.

• Malachi, even though a freshman, showed leadership skills beyond his years. Pulled Howard aside after a miscue and said a few words to him. Talked to Lydon the same way. Good to see. I hope we see it for at least another year.

• Speaking of Lydon, the ‘stache has GOT to go.

• And as has been said frequently, Lydon has to learn to go right up when he has an open shot. I suppose when he is a sophomore, he won’t be so hesitant and will stop deferring to the upperclassmen.

• G and Trevor do SO much that you don’t necessarily see on TV unless you are looking for it, and the camera allows you to see it. Constantly working, particularly on defense, 100% effort the entire time they are on the floor. For as much grief as he gets, Cooney will be missed next year. And G will be greatly missed (cue the Big Yellow Taxi chorus – ‘Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone…’).

• On the potential game-tying buzzer shot: From my vantage point? looked good Fortunately, it wasn’t.

• Huge tip of the hat to the Carrier Dome staff – they all were friendly, courteous, and helpful. Kudos!

One other cool thing. We stayed at the SU Sheraton, and on Friday night I was outside when one of those hotel shuttles pulled up and out bounced Coach Babers. On his way into the hotel, I caught his eye and just said, “Hi, Coach.” He stopped, walked over and shook my hand. I told him how excited we are, and that he has already been killing it on the recruiting trail. He said he was excited too, and that he’s ready to work. Nothing earth-shattering, I just thought it was great that he took the time to stop over and chat briefly, when all he really had to do was wave. My expectations just increased.

That’s about all I’ve got. Thanks for reading this tome. It was really the experience of a sporting lifetime. Thanks again, cto. You’re the best.

Lyndon has a 'stache? I missed it, lol. Love him though.

 

[KaiserUEO]

great read!

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Basketball is not supposed to stop for injury if there is an advantage.
One of the cool things I have discovered about soccer is that in that situation the team with the advantage will often intentionally kick the ball out of bounds to stop play. When play resumes, the other team, upon in bounding the ball, will intentionally turn the ball back over with a long kick to the goalie. (The same type of thing happens if the ref stops play for the injury.)
I think that is cool.

 

[orange79]

Basketball is not supposed to stop for injury if there is an advantage.
One of the cool things I have discovered about soccer is that in that situation the team with the advantage will often intentionally kick the ball out of bounds to stop play. When play resumes, the other team, upon in bounding the ball, will intentionally turn the ball back over with a long kick to the goalie. (The same type of thing happens if the ref stops play for the injury.)
I think that is cool.

That IS cool.