I have been a little busy as of late, so I have not really had the spare time to blog. I know I said I would try to post something every couple days, so I regret my recent hiatus. Hopefully, I can get back into the swing of things now. In my last post I brought up the topic of the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the conclusion of their season. I wanted to discuss more on it, so here it goes. For now, I'll devote this post solely to the Zags and will talk about other sports topics later.
What a heartbreaker. As you may know, Gonzaga had a 17-point lead in their Sweet 16 game against UCLA, only to blow it and the game in a 73-71 loss. UCLA scored the last 11 points of the game. I actually stopped watching the game when the Zags were up 71-62 with 2 minutes left. I thought sure we had it wrapped up. Foolish me. How could I make that decision when I watched in horror a couple years ago as the Maryland Terrapins blew an 8 point lead with 1 minute left against Duke? I should have known better, especially considering UCLA was playing much better in the second half. Maybe it was for the best, I think if I watched that live, I may have had a heart attack. But I digress...
Blowing the lead was bad enough, but here's my biggest beef with the Zags loss: J.P. Batista. Gonzaga had a narrow 71-70 lead with about 30 seconds left, as well as possession of the ball. The ball was inbounded to Adam Morrison (co-player of the year) who was double-teamed. His only option was to pass the ball to an open J.P. Batista. When Batista caught the pass, he too was immediately double-teamed. Now let's break this down, you have the ball, you're team has a 1-point lead, what do you do?
A. Try to pass the ball and risk getting it stolen by the opposing team.
B. Hold on to the ball with your dear life and make them foul you before you give up the ball.
Yes, most rational people would choose option B. Not Batista, he thought it was a good idea to hold the ball above his head and try to pass it. Needless to say he might as well have handed the ball over as UCLA easily stole the ball and made the game-winning basket. I hope he's not as stupid of a man as he was that night on the basketball court. No matter what the sport, if you're winning late in the game, you protect that lead at all cost. Never should you take any risks. All he had to do was securely hold on to the ball and make UCLA foul him to stop the clock. Instead he made one of the dumbest decisions of his life. Batista, you idiot.
In his defense, Gonzaga had already blown almost all of the lead. Also, one way or another, something unexpected happens to Gonzaga every year that prevents them for advancing as far in the tournament as some expect. So I guess being a devoted Gonzaga fan, I suppose I should have had the foresight to recgonize something like this would happen. Oh well.
What sucks is that in the 8 or so years I have been a Gonzaga fan, this was their best team. Morrison was everything to the team and their success depended on him. Batista is a gifted athlete who could be a strong presence under the basket, yet he falls short of expectations. For some reason or another, he doesn't continuously play to the talent level he has. Maybe he just doesn't realize how good he could be. I had mentioned earlier in the basketball season that Gonzaga's success in the tournament will not be based on how well their star player, Morrison, plays; but rather how much help he gets from his teammates. In the end, UCLA the team, beat Adam Morrison the player. Had they played Gonzaga the team, perhaps it would have been Gonzaga vs. Florida in the national championship...not UCLA vs. Florida. Then again, one can only speculate. In the end, this was still a great season for the Zags, finishing 10th best in the country. I am very happy for them and am proud to say I am a diehard Gonzaga Bulldogs fan. As far as I know from the time I have spent on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and southwest Pennsylvania, I am the only Gonzaga fan I know of in these parts. If there ever was a true fan, it is me. I care very much about my sports teams, especially the Gonzaga Bulldogs. They may not have as good of a season next year since Morrison is leaving for the NBA, but rest assured, I will be cheering for them just as much. Go Zags!
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