What made us stronger or brought us despair? First, have perspective. Failure isn’t final. Bill Buckner and Chris Webber survived their crises. Donnie Moore did not.
The Celtics had lost possession when Bill Russell's inbound pass deflected off a guy wire. Russell asked teammates to make a play. The late John Havlicek did. Teammates help each other overcome adversity.
Our high school team won a Massachusetts Division 1 sectional championship in 1973. That will never happen again as the population-based format moved to Division 2 long ago. John Hunneman recaptured the moments on the forty year anniversary. Basketball makes indelible memories.
Basketball didn't arrive with the three-point line. My college roommate, Ed Sullivan, attended game 6 of the 1975 World Series and game 5 of the 1976 NBA finals. Laundry sometimes represents the difference between heroes and villains. Gar Heard seemed like a villain at the time. The absence of the three-point line didn't diminish the drama.
It's not all milk and honey. The local (girls) lost a sectional championship by a point with a flurry of mental mistakes long before the final horn.
Games are often decided in the middle not the end. Melrose elected to trap the 6'2" post with rotation responsibilities outlined in the pregame scouting report. Three times they trapped and failed to rotate, allowing uncontested layups. Big game pressure caused 'brain lock.' I never double the post across, preferring to dig from the perimeter.
Six years ago an area team invited our six grade girls to play on their home court. Aside from gas money, it cost us little, except pride as they hammered us by over thirty points.
I could see it coming. They came out in a spread (5-0) offense and scored their first two possessions on a give and go and then a backcut from the point to the wing. Timeout. Jump to the ball and off the ball stance meant little to our young players.
Naturally, they invited us back the following season, with more experience and a few reinforcements from the YMCA. We won 45-42 at the buzzer on a three-pointer from Leah. We never got invited back again. Funny how memories and losses stick with you.
Lagniappe:
Intermediate-length video. Have players watch the brilliance of the Golden State defense, especially their rotations.
