Dwight Howard might be the best player willing to come t
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s The Stephen Curry Revolution Over Already?
Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images
There can be no diminishing the accomplishments of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who came back from a 3-1 series deficit to end the Golden State Warriors’ reign as NBA champions. King James deserves every accolade he receives — and I’m sure he’ll have words for the doubters who didn’t think this was possible. Like me.
I’ve been bullish on the Warriors for a while now. Early in the season, I wrote about Stephen Curry’s ability to handle virtually any shooting burden before I even knew that he was a legitimate threat from 30 feet. My operating theory was that Curry should take more and more and more 3-pointers. In the final game of the season, he had 14 attempts (yay!) but made only four (oops).
Teams with recent championship experience tend to be money in the playoffs, and this Warriors squad seemed not to be affected much by the strength of their opponents — both of which should have made the team bigger favorites than even our models suggested. So when the winningest team in NBA history needed to win only two of five (and then one of three) games against a team it had beaten all four times they played this season — by an average of 22 points — I felt pretty good about my position. I was wrong.
The Warriors ended up losing as many games in the playoffs as they did in the regular season, finishing with a particularly un-GOATish 7-7 stretch against Oklahoma City and Cleveland. Although a 14-game break-even stretch doesn’t sound horrible, it would be highly improbable for a team that won 90 percent of its games, as the Warriors had with Curry playing. Of course, the Thunder and Cavaliers were stronger than the Warriors’ typical opponents (the Warriors did go 5-0 against them during the regular season, and remember they crushed strong opponents as easily as weak ones throughout the season), though this is partly offset by the Warriors’ home-court advantage.
A result like that 7-7 raises questions: Have the Warriors been solved? Is Curry unable to carry an offense single-handedly after all, or was his run of bad form because of something else, like a lingering injury? From an empirical standpoint, this bizarre end to the season doesn’t tell us as much as we would like, but it does hold a few insights.
Although Curry’s performance in the playoffs clearly regressed from his in the regular season, why that happened is unclear. There are, however, reasons to believe it was more than simply a run of bad shooting luck, but not something as dim as the Golden State model succumbing to playoff basketball. Since his first injury, in Game 1 against the Houston Rockets, Curry hasn’t really been Curry. He’s struggled to turn the corner on defenders on his way to the rim, and he’s had a troubling turnover rate, which may have happened (in part) because he found himself with unfamiliar passing lanes after being unable to create his usual space. Curry’s dropoff was also evident in his shooting weeks ago, and it hasn’t improved. Since his return, Curry has been worse in virtually every significant metric — even compared to his pre-injury performance against the same opponents:
| GAMES | 3 POINT PERC. | 2 POINT PERC. | GAME SCORE | RECORD | WIN PERC. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-injury, non-playoff opponents | 44.8% | 56.5% | 24.3 | 61-7 | 89.7% |
| Pre-injury, playoff opponents | 49.6 | 56.6 | 25.8 | 11-1 | 91.7 |
| Post-injury | 39.3 | 48.5 | 17.1 | 10-7 | 58.8 |
Game Score is an imperfect metric for combining box score stats, but in this case, it gets the job done. Pre-injury, Curry performed better against his playoff opponents this season than he did against a typical team.1 Moreover, he performed similarly against all four squads.
Looking at the bottom line: The Warriors went 10-7 with Curry playing after his first injury. Again, although that doesn’t look dramatic, the likelihood of it happening by chance alone can be quite slim: For a team that wins 90 percent of games, the chances of losing seven of 17 are around 1 in 10,000. At 80 percent, they’re around 1 in 100, and at 70 percent, they’re around 1 in 10.2
Also, when the Warriors lost three games to the Thunder (before going on to win the series), it seemed unremarkable — in part because it was in line with the tendency of teams that are good at winning also being good at winning playoff series. But now that the Warriors have lost four games to the Cavs, those results corroborate each other, suggesting that the Warriors weren’t just running badly, but that there was something systematically awry.3
A 1-in-10 phenomenon is well within the range of stuff that happens in sports every day, and even 1-in-10,000 phenomena still happen. But the question isn’t whether the Warriors’ dreary finish was unlikely, but, given its unlikeliness, what is the most likely explanation. Did the Warriors just get unlucky? Are they — gasp — anti-clutch? Did two teams suddenly figure them out? Or was Curry’s injury a bigger factor than he let on?
As usual, when something crazy happens, there can be many causes. A few Warriors may have performed poorly in the clutch. Teams may have “figured them out” to some degree. And they may have gotten a little unlucky. But those are the sorts of things that all teams have had to deal with historically, and teams as good as the Warriors haven’t broken overnight. More importantly, for the Warriors to pin this on fortune alone would require luck so profoundly bad that they’d be dodging falling pianos. That’s good news for Warriors’ fans. It means that, should they be able to heal what’s ailing them — such as a lingering injury to the league MVP — winning more championships still depends on fairly predictable outcomes rather than cruel turns of chance.
At the very least, revolutionaries have good reasons to be hopeful that next season will continue where this season seemed destined to go rather than where it ended up.
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NBA moments need to be adjudicated on the spot.
It was unfortunate that generally happy news — the enormity of the TV ratings for Game 7 on ABC — had a tinge of skepticism attached, as far as how the series stretched seven games in the first place. The after-the-fact review process that assessed Draymond Green's flagrant foul against LeBron James, resulting in Green's suspension from Game 5, may have been precisely corrected according to the NBA's rules and policies. But it was still wrong in the suspicions it triggered that the league was "managing" The Finals, not just policing it.
Like any operation that depends on credibility, there are two types of possible breakdowns. The first is an actual breach in the integrity of the process. The second is the appearance or belief that the integrity has been breached.
The cumulative points system used in the regular season and reset at the start of the playoffs was one culprit that needs to be reviewed this offseason. But the practice of issuing rulings a day or two later from HQ in New York should be scrutinized as well. All NBA playoff games have three referees working on the court and a fourth nearby to assist and as insurance. Then there is the all-seeing eye of the Replay Center in Secaucus, N.J., providing multiple glimpse of any play desired.
All those officials with oversight ought to be able to form judgments in the moment. And if those judgments aren't quite right, well, play on — teams are expected to deal with all sorts of human error for the majority of minutes in every game. Let the league fine participants, at that point, if some transgression calls for more penalty. But if an ejection or a flagrant-2 foul isn't called in live play or after replaying, trust those officials' experience and decision and move along.
If the NBA needs to find a way to see more angles as play unfolds, fine, put the emphasis and technology there. But a morning-after — or evening-after — announcement that Green is or isn't suspended opens up the league to the worst possible interpretations.
5. A Warriors-Cavaliers rubber match is hardly guaranteed.
They will have commandeered the stage of the NBA world for more than three weeks, from prelude to parade. But both Golden State and Cleveland face summertime quandaries, not necessarily as serious as the other 28 teams but significant to them and their fans.
The Warriors probably were hoping forward Harrison Barnes would make their decision easier, not harder, as it relates to his restricted free agency. Had Barnes made even twice as many shots in his 5-for-32 fizzle through the last three games, Golden State might have repeated as champs and Barnes would be seen as too vital to lose. Now if a rival tosses the expected $100 million or more at him, the Warriors' brass would need to carefully consider how he and that annual salary would fit.
Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala are past their primes, Leandro Barbosa and Marreese Speights are free to sign elsewhere and Kerr's lieutenant Luke Walton is off to coach the Lakers. The Warriors will need to plug in or at least ready several replacements, while finding a fresh, new edge to take a run at their third consecutive Finals.
Cleveland has questions, too. Richard Jefferson announced his retirement so the LeBron understudy role manned by Jefferson and Shawn Marion the past two years needs a warm body. Center Timofey Mozgov was marginalized once coach Tyronn Lue took over and there's the small matter of Lue actually signing the head coaching contract he agreed to when David Blatt was fired.
Smith, at this point, shouldn't be the starting shooting guard on a team with such lofty aspiration but it's on Cleveland GM David Griffin to find someone good enough (and defensively inclined) to move Smith to the bench. Then there's the whole Kevin Love speculation — the power forward did blue-collar work in Game 7 with nine points, 14 rebounds and a game-high plus-19 in 30 minutes.
But it remains hard to be the third wheel in a three-star system and Love might never reach his potential while trying to fit himself around James and Irving. That's not just about individual aggrandizement, either — Love as an asset might be able to bring back greater help in new faces than his production is worth to the Cavs. He could dominate per his best Minnesota days, on many nights for a differently constructed team.
It's possible that, having won, the Cavaliers will fall in love with the current crew and make minimal changes for 2016-17. Then again, even defending champions need to sharpen their edge — that's one more thing we learned from these Finals.
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Kevin Love: Latest News, Rumors, Speculation Surrounding Cavaliers Star's Future
By Joseph Zucker ,
Kevin Love signed a five-year extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers last summer, but the three-time All-Star could be on the move this summer, should the Cavs determine swift action is necessary to rebuild the roster, despite the franchise's first championship.
Continue for updates.
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m Brown Says LeBron James Deserves Statue in Cleveland
By
Mike Chiari
Tony Dejak/Associated Press
Browns Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown is perhaps the most iconic Cleveland sports figure of all time, but the legendary athlete believes Cavaliers megastar LeBron James deserves to be immortalized by the Cavs in much the same way he will be by the Browns.
According to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, Brown feels as though King James should have a statue erected in his honor after leading the Cavaliers to their first-ever NBA championship over the Golden State Warriors:
[Cavs owner Dan] Gilbert is going to give him a statue. He'd better give him a statue. That young man put out so much blood, sweat and tears it's unbelievable. He gave up his life. He could've had a heart attack he was playing so hard. So they'd better give him a statue. That's the least they could do.
[He's] a young man who has taken responsibility on every level — community, family, team, organization, city — and he's done it with grace. He's carried himself well. He has bitten the bullet many times, and it's paid off for him. His legacy is set, and I'm so happy for him.
The Browns announced in February that Brown will be honored with a statue outside FirstEnergy Stadium in a show of appreciation for the NFL's former all-time leading rusher.
While Brown retired early at the age of 30, he left an indelible mark on Cleveland sports by helping the Browns win the NFL championship in 1964.
James likely would have been considered one of the NBA's all-time greats even without bringing a championship to Cleveland, but he seemingly cemented his status by taking down the Warriors in perhaps the greatest individual effort in NBA Finals history.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, LeBron led the charge in every major statistical category en route to his third career NBA Finals MVP award:
He posted a triple-double in Game 7 against the Warriors, and there is little doubt he was the biggest difference-maker in the series from start to finish.
James was once viewed as one of the biggest villains in Cleveland sports history after leaving town to win two titles with the Miami Heat, but all is forgotten now that he has taken the Cavs to the mountaintop.
LeBron still has several good years ahead of him at 31 years of age and perhaps more championships to come as well, but a statue in his likeness seems like a sure thing regardless of how the remainder of his career plays out.
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LeBron James Comments on Future in Cleveland, Rio 2016 Olympics
By Mike Chiari,
On the heels of his historic NBA Finals performance and delivering the Cleveland Cavaliers their first championship,LeBron James commented on his future with the organization and his summer plans Wednesday.
According to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, King James said prior to the Cavs' championship parade that he intends to return to the Cavaliers for the 2016-17 season: "I love it here. I love being here. I love my teammates. Obviously my agent will take care of all the logistical things, but I'm happy. I've got no plans to go nowhere at this point."
James has a player option in excess of $24 million for the upcoming season, according to Spotrac.com, and his comments suggest he will exercise it.
Seemingly less certain, however, is the three-time NBA Finals MVP's status for the United States Olympic men's basketball team this summer at the Rio Games.
Per Chris Haynes of the Plain Dealer, James is leaning against taking part in the Olympics:
LeBron James tells me he's leaning towards not participating in Rio Olympics this summer. "That's what I'm thinking right now."
James led Team USA to gold at each of the past two Summer Olympics, and his absence could be huge, especially since other high-profile players have already opted out.
Two-time reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors already removed himself from consideration, as did Chris Paul and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers and big man Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, according to ESPN.com.
The United States will still have the deepest, most talented and best overall team, but the level of dominance present in 2008 and 2012 may not be so apparent in 2016.
James has earned a summer of rest after putting the Cavs on his back and leading the NBA Finals in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, but his current Rio outlook gives some of the other top basketball-playing nations hope for gold.
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How despicable Knicks pretend Linsanity never happened
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PHIL MUSHNICK
If I were a rich man …
I don’t think I’d want to own a ball club. Writing fat checks to fellas who feel it beneath them to run to first or to catch with both hands — no matter how many easy outs they have dropped — and to sportsmen such as Draymond Green and Pacman Jones who would commit any incivility it takes to lose playoff games, doesn’t strike me as money well worn or well spent.
But if I did own a team, I know what I would want — insist upon — from my TV and radio announcers. I would demand what all the other team owners, for some senseless reason, disallow: unvarnished honesty.
There is no better public reflection on a team owner than treating his or her team’s fans, customers and even casual viewers and listeners with respect, especially those in the audience who would know they’re being treated as saps. And if I, the team owner, deserve a shot, fire away!
There is no downside to attaching your team to honest broadcasts. Who wouldn’t want to be known for providing candid TV and radio coverage? Heck, that one owner would stand out like the one light in the dark. How does such a smart approach escape the wisdom of fabulously wealthy team owners?
Since riches-inherited James Dolan first touched down in The Garden — 1995, the yearafter the Rangers won the Cup and the Knicks made the finals — MSG Network has been converted from a highly credible stop to an often-preposterous and frequently insulting propaganda mill.
Last week, on both MSG Network and MSG’s website, appeared “MSG Countdown,” this one providing a timeline of exciting, memorable — even if forgotten — successful achievements by Knicks in the 21st century.
Included are big scoring nights from Carmelo Anthony, the night the Knicks, still long-range-reliant, hit 20 3-point shots, and the time Kurt Thomas played with a broken foot.
However, the singularly most unexpected, extraordinarily exciting and successful 21st-century Knicks happenstance was omitted: Those three weeks when an undrafted scrub who was about to be cut, Jeremy Lin, took an injury- and star-depleted team and turned the Knicks and New York City and its environs into Holy Mackerel Land, those three weeks when “Linsanity” erupted with an all-in, run-and-pass offense that led to countless uncontested layups and an 8-15 team winning seven straight and eight-of-nine — including wins against the far more talented Lakers, Jazz and Mavericks.
From Feb. 4 through Feb. 29 (2012 was a leap year), New York City went Linsane. And while it’s impossible to forget what by far was the most exciting, successful thing about this century’s Knicks, it didn’t make MSG Network’s cut.
The night when Tim Hardaway scored 29? That was deemed a keeper. Lin’s 38 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals against the Lakers? Nope, not included. And that’s sad, sick and insulting.
It was no coincidence that the Linsanity outbreak was due to Anthony’s absence. The Dolan Knicks had thrown in with Anthony’s style — give him the money, then the ball, let him shoot, everyone else just loiter off to the sides — which was antithetical to what Lin’s style brought for three fantastic weeks.
So not only did Lin and five-man-go basketball have to go, Dolan’s MSG Network has made him disappear in the hope that we’ll forget and continue to regard Anthony as savior-in-still-waiting.
Surely, such blatant, dishonestly twisted revisionist history carries the mark of Dolan, or at least of MSG Network employees avoiding the risk of his wrath. Jeremy Lin? Linsanity? It never happened. Got that, stupid? Never.
Van Gundy forcing himself into a corner
ESPN’s Jeff Van Gundy brings to mind the gag about the bum who knocks on the old woman’s back door. “Lady, I haven’t had a bite to eat in two days,” he tells her. “Well, force yourself!” she says.
Too often Van Gundy speaks as if he wants to make a splash, come across as bold, thus he forces himself.
In the first half of Game 5, LeBron James, driving toward the hoop, lowered his shoulder and shoved the Warriors’ Anderson Varejao backwards and eventually to the ground. The ball was deflected out of bounds, no call, although Varejao mimed James’ act as worthy of an offensive foul. As a replay began, Van Gundy:
“I think it was [an offensive foul]. But if I’m the referee, I agree. I can’t, I gotta know that he’s not tricking me. And no, he’s falling backwards. Stand up and play!”
Bold stuff!
So Van Gundy very clearly saw it both ways. It was an offensive foul, but the fact that Varejao, after the contact, fell, made it what? Not an offensive foul?
By the way, for those snoring at home, the fourth quarter of Game 5 began on a Monday night at 11:17. That, and the fact that Mike Francesa authoritatively gave the underdog Cavaliers no chance to win on the road made further watching unnecessary.
Stats not the way to do it
Of the two Ken Singletons, I prefer the one who looks at the games, not at the stats.
Tuesday on YES, when Rockies left fielder Gerardo Parra was injured after colliding with shortstop Trevor Story on a fly ball, Singleton smartly reasoned that Colorado’s infielders aggressively pursue such flies because the outfielders at home run haven Coors Field play so deep.
The next day, Singleton went into a dissertation on Yankees starter Ivan Nova’s great statistical success versus NL teams as opposed to Rockies starter Chad Bettis, who had been blasted by AL teams. Singleton spoke as if they normally pitch in two different worlds.
Yet both teams’ lineups included batters who had played for a long time in the other league. Colorado had Mark Reynolds (Indians, Yankees, Orioles) and Ryan Raburn (Tigers, Indians); the Yankees played Starlin Castro (Cubs) and Chase Headley (Padres). Even the umpires are now homogenized.
Singleton’s AL versus NL emphasis gave importance to team names and logos appearing on uniforms rather than how well one pitches. And on this day, despite their previous “other league” experiences, Bettis, the winning pitcher, pitched better than Nova.
Any stat, any time. During Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, NBC posted this graphic: “PIT: 6-1 record following a loss in 2016 playoffs.”
Not only did such info stand to reason — the Penguins, after all, didn’t make it this far on losing streaks — what NBC chose for a national audience’s illumination wouldn’t be shared by hockey fans with other hockey fans, because the speakers would be looked upon as idiots.
(התמונה שאומרת הכל)
אהיה מאד זהיר ואנסה לא לדרוך על אף אצבע, כי זאת לא מטרתי. אסכם רק בכמה מילים את הרגשתי, ודברים שעולים במוחי ברגע זה.
- לברון אמר לפני שנתיים שהוא "חוזר הביתה להביא אליפות לקליבלנד". אמר ועשה.
- לראות שחקן כמוהו נישכב על הריצפה כמו ילד ומתייפח, מספר את כל הסיפור. רק אלוהים יודע את הלחץ שרבץ על כתפיו. עבורי החסימה האחרונה שעשה על איגודלה ממסירה של קיירי אירוינג כשהוא מגיע מאיזה 4 מטרים מאחור מספרת את כל סיפורו של לברון ג'יימס במשחק הזה. בחסימה הזאת היה כל מה שהוא לברון ג'יימס. אני יודע שישנם באתר אנשים ששונאים אותו באמת ובתמים. אני מקווה רק שהפעם יש להם מספיק שכל לתת לו מעט כבוד, ולעבור הלאה.
- ללברון היה משחק גדול, אבל לא גדול במיוחד. אפילו עם טריפל דאבל. לא כשאתה קולע 9 מ-24 ומאבד 5 כדורים. אבל החסימה בסוף, והעוצמה האדירה במשחקו בסוף כשהוא שיחק בטרמינציה שאמרה 'אני לא נותן לקבוצה להפסיד היום', היתה שווה את הכל.
- משך כל המשחק אחד הטובים ביותר בהגנת קליבלנד היה קווין לאב. נדמה לי שה-19+ שלו מוכיח זאת. הוא היה כעמוד תומך במרכז ההגנה, קטף 14 ריבאונדים, וכל אימת שטיירון לו הוציאו, גולדן סטייט צימצמה את ההפרש ואפילו חזרה להוביל. אז כנראה שהטרייד על אנדרו וויגינס הוכיח את עצמו, לא?
- אותו דבר אני חייב לומר על החלפת המאמנים. אני לא יודע – אולי גם דייויד בלאט היה לוקח אליפות וחוזר מ-3-1 לנצח 3-4 – אבל אנחנו לא נדע לעולם אם כן או לא. העובדה היא שהשחקנים אמרו משך כל העונה שהאווירה בחדר ההלבשה אחרת לחלוטין.
- לברון הציל לעצמו את המוניטן עם הנצחון הזה. איש לא יעז לכנותו 'לוזר' יותר. הוא ווינר גדול, שחקן גדול, ואדם גדול.
- אז כנראה שגולדן סטייט אינה הקבוצה הטובה בהיסטוריה. רחוק, רחוק מזה.
- קליבלנד ניצחה את המשחק הזה עם הגנה. הגנה אדירה.
- הווריורס היתה קרובה מאד לנצח כי היה לה X-FACTOR במשחק הזה ושמו דריימונד גרין. מה שהוא עשה בחצי הראשון לא היה פחות ממג'יק. הוא גם היה שחקן הווריורס היחידי שבא ללחוץ ידו של לברון אחרי המשחק. כל השאר ברחו לחדר ההלבשה. שיניתי לחלוטין את דעתי לגביו אחרי משחק זה.
- האכזבה הגדולה ביותר במשחק היה סטפן קרי. אני לא מתלונן על ה-4 מה-14 שלו. אני מתלונן על מסירה אסורה מאחורי הגב, וזריקות מה-3 שאסור בשום פנים ואופן לזרוק, במיוחד האחרונה עם 40 שניות לסוף, זריקה בחוסר שיווי משקל ותחת שמירה חזקה. הוא הוכיח לי הלילה חוסר בגרות מחלט. הסל האחרון שהוא קלע היה 7 דקות לסיום המשחק. אחרי זה היו החמצה, החמצה, החמצה, והחמצה.
- אכזבה אדירה נוספת היה סטיב קר. משחקה של גולדן סטייט בדקות האחרונות גבל בשערורייה. השחקנים השתוללו כמו במגרש משחקים ועשו כל מה שעלה על נפשם. 53 שניות לסיום כשקיירי אירוינג קבר שלשה ועשה 92-89 לקאבס, סטיב קר חייב היה לעצור את המשחק עם טיים-אאוט. במקום זה הוא נשאר יושב על כסאו יחד עם עוזרו לוק וולטון, ועזבו את שחקנם לנפשם לעשות מה שהם רוצים. אז מה קרה? סטפן קרי לקח שלשה גרועה ביותר, לברון ג'יימס ירד עם הריבאונד וזה היה המשחק. טענתי מאז שקר חזר לאמן שהוא מאמן חסר נסיון, והוא ולוק פשוט רכבו על הצלחת שחקניהם בעונה הרגילה. אני מחבב אותו מאד, אבל הוא קיבל תפקיד מאמן מבלי שהיה לו כל נסיון, ולדעתי הלילה הוא היה אחד מגורמי ההפסד העיקריים.
- קליבלנד ניצחה למרות שקלעה רק 6 שלשות לעומת 15 שלשות של גולדן סטייט. זה אומר שהיא היתה טובה יותר מהלוחמים בכל אספקט אחר של המשחק. גולדן סטייט שיחקה משחק לא מאורגן לחלוטין עם החלפות משונות וחמישיות מוזרות. לא ידעת אם הם מנסים לשחק סמול-בול, ביג-בול, או חצי-חצי בול. בקיצור, הם שיחקו משחק מבולבל לחלוטין.
- אני הכי שמח מכולם עבור קווין לאב. אחרי כל החרא שאכל מכל כך הרבה אנשים ללא כל צדק, הוא אלוף NBA, אחרי משחק מצויין שנתן.
- . ג'יי אר סמית' לא עצר בדמעותיו במסיבת העתונאים כשסיפר לשומעים את כל מה שאביו ואמו עשו עבורו. זה סיפור ארוך מאד. הערב הוא לא היה במיטבו בסטטיסטיקה, אבל הוא היה הלוחם השני אחרי קווין לאב שלא ויתר על שום דבר. בלעדיו לא היה נצחון. ואז, בסוף חלקו, נודע פתאום שלפני שהוא הוחתם ע"י הקאבס, הבולס יכולים היו להחתימו, אבל הם לא הסכימו אפילו לדבר איתו. הוא מייצג את קליבלנד כראוי: לא מג'יק. לא קולע כמו שקולעים בקרקס מחצי מרש. אבל נותן את נשמתו על הפארקט ולא מוותר לאיש.
- רגע אחרי החסימה של לברון על איגודלה נישרק טיים. לברון התיישב על הספסל וראית אדם שיצאה ממנו טיפת האנרגיה האחרונה. הוא נראה WASTED. מחוסל. חשבתי שזה הסוף שלו למשחק זה. כעבור דקה המשרוקית שרקה, והוא נעמד, ועלה חזרה לפארקט לשחק. לא יאומן ממש. כוח רצון עליון וחוסר ויתור ויהי מה. אף פעם לפני כן לא ראיתיו ככה.
