a sporting word

I know I'm a day late in putting something together on the Orange-Big Red game last night, but I really needed some time to digest and accept what happened. After reviewing the contest a few times in my head and giving some thought to the various factors that contributed to SU's shaky performance, I've decided that it all boils down to one exchange between myself and my Dad while we sat in the stands, helpless to change what was unfolding before us. I said, "If they keep this up, they'll be losing a lot of games this year." His answer? "Yep. I think so too."

Unfortunately, we weren't talking about Cornell.

In case you missed it, Syracuse barely edged the Ivy League's perennial second-place finisher last night, 67-62. For a contest in which the winner was decided several months ago, when Jimmy B. and his fellow Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament (now the 2K Sports Tournament) organizers set the brackets, this game was much too close for comfort. Halfway through the second half, Cornell actually led the 2003 National Champions by 4 points and were outplaying the 16th ranked Orange on both ends of the court. SU looked lost on offense, often spending entire possessions endlessly tossing the ball around the 3-point arc, only to eventually chuck up one of the 18 jumpshots they missed from that distance. As a team they finished the game 1 for 19 from 3-point territory - the single good one coming from Demetrius Nichols, 20 seconds after tip-off for the team's first 3 points of the game. SU actually went more than 39 minutes without a 3 point shot last night, as Nichols eventually finished 1 for 7 and McNamara 0 for 10. It was the first time in 50 games that Gerry failed to hit a trey, and it wasn't pretty.

Prior to the game I had a discussion with the Dad of previous mention and my man Fast Eddie, who was also at the game. Fast Eddie and I were contending that McNamazing would find a spot on an NBA team next year, making the usual comparisons to John Paxson, Scott Skiles and Steve Kerr. My Dad, however, felt that yes, Gerry's great, but no, he isn't an NBA player. He told us that the days of the short, spot-up jumpshooter have passed in America, and we'd have to find a way to order European television if we want to see #3 play next year. Last night, though, Gerry proved father-knows-best to be incorrect. In fact, last night, Gerry McNamara played not as if he were a lowly NBA bench player, but an NBA MVP! G-Mac will play in the NBA, if only for the simple reason that he is able to do a dead-on Allen Iverson impersonation.

Both Iverson and McNamara played last night, helping their teams to victory. Since the statistics are readily available, let's do the comparison:

Iverson (Philly wins, 112-97): 25 pts, 8-21 FG (38%), 9-11 FT (82%), 3 reb, 7 assists, 4 turnovers in 38 minutes.

McNamara (Cuse wins, 67-62): 17 pts, 2-14 FG (14%), 13-14 FT (93%), 4 reb, 5 assists, 2 turnovers in 39 minutes.


Hell, give Gerry another 7 shots like Iverson, and I'm sure he could've come up with 25 points or so. Those are the kind of stats that make stars!

That 2 for 14 stat is correct, by the way, though it will hopefully be the last time we have to read something that horrid from the team's best shooter. The fact is that McNamara just had a terribly off night. He said after the game that his shots felt good, only they weren't dropping, and from what I could see, he was right. Many of the ten 3's he took rattled around the rim before spinning out, usually shots he manages to sink. The ball just wasn't falling the way it should have for the Orange, which allowed Cornell to stay in the game (they were right on, dropping 11 threes at 48%). During one 10 minute span towards the end of the second half, Syracuse looked confused on their own court. They knew that the shots weren't falling, and the whole team seemed unsure of how to act against Cornell's defense, who had dropped into a zone because they also knew that SU wasn't able to hit anything at that point. During this time, it looked like the upcoming season would be defined by the loss of Hakim Warrick, who was able to counter any zone defenses in the past by literally jumping over double teams to score whenever Gerry got cold.

Eventually, though, Boeheim made a great move and substituted Rookie of the Year Eric Devendorf into the game for Future Sixth Man of the Year Louie McCroskey. Devendorf looked unsure at first, hesitating when he got the ball and seeming ill-prepared to shoot. After a few trips up and down the floor, though, the freshman absolutely took over the game and delivered the win. Terrence Roberts may have gotten the MVP of the regional (which he deserved, considering his 19pts and career-high 14 rebounds vs Cornell), but Devendorf was the reason for last night's comeback victory. On three of four consecutive plays, Devendorf got the ball on the perimeter and drove to the basket, leaving 3 Cornell players in his wake each time. He single-handedly busted the Big Red zone, getting inside with his dribble and making difficult lay-ins to create and expand the Syracuse lead. He scored 6 points on the night - all of them with under 5:30 remaining, and all of them at crucial moments when the team was faltering elsewhere. Though he looked unsure of himself at first, he played with confidence just in time to send the crowd home without any embarassment.

If Syracuse continues to play this way, though, my Dad and I will be right to say they'll lose more often than usual. The defense is solid and the young players are stellar, but these Orangemen need to shoot to win. The team is built to play around McNamara, and he is going to have to shoot better than Mr. Iverson to rack up the wins. Hopefully, by the time next Thursday arrives his shot will feel good and look good, or else they'll be leaving the Garden without a second MVP trophy for Terrence.

# posted by eric boye @ 5:47 PM