Oh yeah, all those cats I like to call “Dook Fans,” meaning people who claim to “hate Dook” but actually know more about Duke Basketball than they do their own teams, really thought they had something. Can’t you just imagine watching them as Belmont took the lead? I mean, pure joy and ecstasy had to be coursing through their veins.
Then reality set in and G did that damn thing.
Which left yall realizing that just like so many times before:
Look, the almost Duke loss is all I’m hearing all over sports talk radio and all over ESPN. Yes, if Duke had lost, that would have been the biggest debacle in the Program’s history. But yall gotta understand one thing: Duke didn’t lose. It was in fact “the other way” as Marlo learned that clown security guard that dared test him.
Now to be fair, Duke has played lackluster ball since the first Carolina game. Why I don’t know. But let’s just understand one thing, our lackluster ball is still better than yall haters’ best 95% of the time. Go ask the Murrland Terps whether it was a down year for “Dook”… Yeah, I quickly tuned in to see if what’s there name and them got at Maryland’s Basketball team tonight too… Since NOBODY gives a rat’s ass about the NIT or Terps Hoops, you might ax “who”…
Dasrite (Shouts to Larry Dutchinson), while Duke struggled to WIN in the NCAA Tournament, those oh so talented Maryland Terps LOST to hapless Syracuse in the NIT. Very nice. Now, what hurt more, Maryland losing to SU and the taste of those salty nizzuts or Duke winning at the end?
Don’t lie. Yall know you HATED to see Duke pull that out. In fact, you hate Duke more than you like Murrland, UNC, UK, and all the rest of those other “Dook” schools. Hilarious.
Go Duke…no seriously, Duke, go and do something about this terrible play.
I know that it’s tough to win on the road in the ACC, but, Dammit, Duke shouldn’t be losing two straight to unranked teams. So I’m flipping through my tivo “To Do” list, looking for this Duke game against Miami tonight and I notice that it’s just not there. Aww hells no, is the Comcast questioning my Fanhood? So I hop in the whip and head over to Game On outside of Fenway to find a few other Duke fans checking out the game.
Immediately I saw more of the same foolishness that I saw against Wake Forest. First, they were hitting everything. They were banking it, slamming it, J’ing us from three, pulling it up, this cat McClinton was lacing the runner, I mean, you name it, they were doing it.
That was bad enough and we looked slugglish in the first half, but what about that patented Duke effort to start the second half? You know, that same courage and character that won the Carolina game and both Maryland games?
It just never came. Instead, we had the scarecrow, tin man and cowardly lion special going on as Miami just thrashed us. I mean, they pushed the lead out to 15 and I was pissed. Then they pushed it out to 20 and I was literally ordering IPA drafts, and I don’t drink beer!!!
It was ridiculous. Sure, if you look at the score, you’ll see that Duke came back and made a game of it and yes, I was encouraged by the heart they showed to do that, but believe me, this was NOT a close game. Miami whupped up on Duke from pillar to post. I mean, literally, in all phases of the game. I just don’t get it.
Even JJ couldn’t believe it. Sure, Miami came out and gave us trouble with their match up zone. But Duke looked like they had never seen a zone before. I mean, we were throwing up off balanced threes like there were 50 seconds left in the game and this was at the 15:00 minute mark in the second half!! Our team defense was deplorable.
Gerald Henderson was INVISIBLE. Yes, he sacked up and hit a big three down the stretch, but this guy just can’t be right physically. I don’t get it, he looks like an NBA first rounded for 2/3 of the season and next thing you know, he’s channeling Mike Chappelle out there.
Hey, G.. If you’re not good to play, then just don’t. I mean, heal up and come back when you’re ready. But I feel like Andre 3000 when he was writing Elevators, “this shit here must stop, like freeze.” My word. I mean, I’m just at a loss. The freshmen suddenly looked like Freshmen. Yes, Scheyer ended up playing well in the second half, but homey’s play for the first 35 minutes was relatively incongruous, off-key and out of sync.
Duke loses, 95-96 and suddenly that supposed locked up No. 1 seed and ACC regular season title looks about as guran-damn-teed as that Central Campus bus picking you up on-time. Lordy… IPA fueled rant over.
The way I see it the difference in the game was that Duke came out with Kurt Angle’s three I’s: Intensity, Integrity and Intelligence, three adjectives most UNC fans are likely unfamiliar with.
But seriously, this game was a relative snoozer from the middle of the first half. You knew Duke was going to win, it was just a matter of waiting for UNC to die that slow, uninspired death. With the exception of Tyler Hansbrough (and possibly Ty Lawson) does anybody on that squad have any heart?
I mean, where was the pride? Where was the commitment to protect that home court? After these cats lost their Point Guard it just looked like someone came in and stole their lunch money but their big brother happened to be out of town and couldn’t protect them anymore. What a joke.
Believe me, this was NOT a close game. Duke was the superior team, really from start to finish, but most striking was how much tougher Duke was that the Tar Heels. There’s no doubt that things would have been different had Lawson played and it’s unfortunate that UNC lost him to that ankle sprain.
Is that an ankle brace or a gobment electronic monitoring device? My bad. But on the real, if the Refs weren’t under the delusion that Tyler Hansbrough can play a tough, physical brand of basketball and virtually NEVER foul, this would have been a legitimate blow out.
What is this cat doing? Seriously, how many times does Hansbrough just run into his defender where it’s automatically a foul on the defense? How often does he wrestle for a rebound and then suddenly it’s against the other guy? I’ve watched him in other games and it’s the same story, hell, in my broadcast, Packer called him “A Great White Shark.” Well, that’s close to what he is, but I’ll just leave that be (for now).
Anyway, it was a solid Duke win with more than a few gut checks from the fellas and plenty of balanced scoring across the team.
GREG PAULUS WAS NAILS from three and just played an overall great game. He feasted on Thomas, who apparently didn’t get the memo that Greg is water from deep. Not only did he shoot 6-8 behind the arch, but they were clutch shots to boot. The UvT game ball definitely goes to the Syracuse brawler, Gregory P.
He really sacked up. It’s kind of hilarious to say it, but UNC really had no answer for him. The rest of the fellas just played smart and within themselves with six guys scoring in double figures. I can’t lie, it was good to see Scheyer get going too.
He was all over the court tonight, making plays and just letting the play come to him.
That crowd full of hicks, most of whom were more consumed with their placement on Gerald Henderson’s nut sack than on the actual play in the game, got just what they deserved.
No seriously, tell me exactly what these two chicks “wanted” from Gerald?
Exactly. I guess those UNC guys just aint hittin it right.
Definitely not. Those inbreds “wanted” Gerald and that’s exactly what they got.
Happy? Now go vote for Mike Huckabee, strum that ukulele with your underfed hound howling in the background and just remember not to take 2 girls and a dude home with you after you drawn your sorrows in your best batch of Carolina Blue moonshine you undoubtedly prepared for tonight’s game..yall hear? Next... (literally).
By the time you read this post all the early model compact and sub-compact American cars that Maryland “students” lit on fire “in protest” for Duke’s win should burning out and many of the now detoxed drunken thugs with books should be posting bail.
So that means that Duke must have won, right? Well, yes, Duke did win, but win or lose the Maryland thugs will riot, so that’s not necessarily indicative of an outcome either way. With that said, I was really impressed with Maryland’s squad and that’s something I haven’t said since Juan Dixon was doing his thing back in the day. Though I hate to admit it, they are a lot better than their record indicates and will be a tough out for several ACC teams going forward as long as they can avoid the classic Gary Williams let downs to weaker teams.
Still, after being down 9 at the half in an emotional game, the Good Guys manned up, lead by the Captain DeMarcus Nelson, and got a tough win on the road with a 93-84 victory at the cable box in Maryland.
(I know, I know Maryland fans, Duke gets all the calls and that’s why they won, not because Duke is just better and this was a foul on Henderson that they missed too, I know.)
Again, the hallmark of this group is team. It’s completely cliche but dammit it’s true. Guys get cold, other guys get hot, some guys just don’t have their best stuff, but with this group, unlike any other Duke team I’ve ever seen, there’s always someone there to pick up the slack. There’s always a man ready to step in and do his duty. Tonight that man was DeMarcus Nelson with 27 points, 19 of them in the second half.
I mean, homey was ballin out there! He was hitting mid range shots, getting and ones, hitting free throws, making defensive plays, distributing the rock, battling on the boards and just being an all around leader out there. You could just feel the guys gravitating toward his example. It’s like he was balling with the fight music from Gladiator playing in the background. In fact, if you want to run that back and understand what DeMarcus was hearing during the MD game, go ahead and hit play.
Great stuff.
Talk about coming of age, a career high on the road at hostile MD with the ignorant thugz/studentz looking on in utter disbelief? And what about young Nolan?!
Geez, could that cat play any better? Homey was DEALING out there with runners, threes, dimes and defensive plays. Bottom line, he was integral in Duke’s win tonight. Forget the future, the future is now. I honestly don’t see how Coach K can’t seriously consider Nolan for the starting job after what we saw tonight. Not only that, but he plays well with his teammates. He finds guys in the right spots for them to make their shots and if they can’t make them, he’s in the right position to take his own. If Elliot Williams is as advertised, Duke’s future backcourt will be very scary.
I would be remiss if I didn’t make note of the hot game turned in by the (near) future NBAer Gerald Henderson.
Homey’s mid range game is taking off like Soul Glo’s home weave products. I mean, this cat is a BEAST on that curl (no pun intended). That elevation, the silky smooth release, the dunks on fast breaks, the polos, the nikes, the grind, empty bottles of No-Doz, I spent that gas money on clothes with logos…my bad, had a Kanye “The Glory” attack. But that’s how Hendo’s game is right now though. This cat is literally taking cats to the Glory and they really “can’t stand it lord” with that choir in the background and Coach K spinning Hendo’s greatest hits on the sideline.
This is a team of men… and I fucking love it.
Go Duke.
Oh, much respek to my main mahn Lance Thomas, him be on the rise right about now, really competing and doing his thing for Duke Blue. Lance, keep sticking with it homey. You’ve been ballin the last couple of games and the squad needs what you bring. Incidentally, I know this cat tries to channel Ben Wallace, but can someone please tell me why this is necessary?
Look, I’m not trying to start no trouble, but I’m just saying. This cat looks like Lord Helmet from Spaceballsout there. It just aint right. I mean, this cat is out here acting like he needs some sort of gimmick. Osby, you’re actually a decent ACC big man with talent. You don’t need that dome to draw attention to yourself….seriously, use some of that illegal Murrland booster money and go git yourself a damn haircut, bottle of Nair, something. At this point, even male pattern baldness would be an improvement. Geez.
TEAM REBS: 8 TURNOVERS: 10 (G Henderson 2, G Paulus 1, K Singler 3, L Thomas 1, D Nelson 1, N Smith 2) BLOCKED SHOTS: 3 (G Henderson 2, D Nelson 1) STEALS: 13 (G Henderson 1, G Paulus 4, K Singler 2, T King 1, D Nelson 4, N Smith 1) 3-PT FGS: 6-18, .333 (J Scheyer 0-2, G Henderson 1-2, G Paulus 2-3, K Singler 1-5, T King 0-2, D Nelson 1-2, N Smith 1-2)
Daaamn homies, in the first half yall were the mans, homies, now seriously, what the fuck happened to us?
Man, that was a tough loss in the garden. It’s hard to knock the effort of the good guys in blue, after all, a bounce here or there and I’d be talking about a gritty win in OT. With that said, make no mistake, Duke gave Pitt an opportunity to come from behind with that 3 ball to win it and win it they did.
Big credit to Pitt, Jaime Dixon and most of all, Levance Fields who showed ridiculous stones to step up and hit that shot right after a tough offensive foul on the previous possession. Duke didn’t help themselves with a number of missed free throws, a few late bone headed turnovers and that switching defense that Pitt seemed to figure out at the end of the game as they dribbled around the key, waiting for the mismatch they wanted (Fields on McClure anyone?). With that said, I have to again give credit to Coach K for his innovative gameplay and personnel decisions.
Let’s face it, years ago K would NEVER do wholesale offense for defense switches possession to possession. No, he’d rather live and die with “his guys” (Wayne Turner on Wojo anyone?). I can’t fault him, he put the players in a position to win, the guys showed heart, but just came one play short. Again, much respek to Pitt for a nice win and my boys in blue will have no complaints from me. They showed heart, made some really nice plays when we needed them and for the most part, showed a lot of poise for a December game.
They also had two point blank shots to win it in regulation. Hopefully this small setback will make them better. Good game.
Oh and fellas, in case you’re still shopping for me, I want free throw practice for Christmas.
So I waited for that meaningless game between Tech and IU to end. Clearly that joint was all over except for the crying with 5 minutes to go. Predictably, ESPN still didn’t switch to the Duke game. So they tune in and immediately I feel that old school Duke energy coming through the television. It’s kind of indescribable. It’s a carnal, want to destroy the enemy kind of mentality. I guess that’s what 4 years of Wojo starting at PG will do to a man. Anyway, the crowd had it, the players had it and well, I had it. After Paulus’ second three in that little mini run we had early, I was literally standing in front of my 62 inch screen looking like this.
Wow, it’s just great to see Duke really dig into Wisconsin’s collective cheese loving arses. The first half was a ho-asis of scoring and did I or did I not tell you people about my boy from Cali Taylor “I’m the” Kang?
King was unconscious from three. I mean homey went out onto the floor with a set of brass balls, shooting when he pleased and literally making it rain on them hoes. It was JJ Redick-esque son and I loved it.
He J’d the Badgers with the set shot 3. He J’d them with the fall away. He picked two balls up off the ground and immediately deposited them in the mouth of the damn thing. I mean, have you ever seen a ball leave a player’s hand and reach the basket so quickly? His joint takes like .5 seconds to get up there. You just can’t keep that kind of scoring production on the bench. Coach K obviously read this blog and now King is getting more minutes. That’s cool, let’s just keep it up, but hey, don’t take away Henderson’s minutes either.
We need that cat for his assortment of blocks, dunks, timely 3 balls, mean mugs and rebounds.. Ha.. Now I see why he made Hansbrough red all over. By the way, is Balco T off the canvas yet? Carolina fans acted like Hendo shot the man or something. Stop being a bunch of crying bitches, it’s college basketball, it’s the ACC, it aint intramurals. If yall don’t like it, go play intramurals brother….go play intramurals. Stop all your crying, pull you skirt up and just play ball. Bunch of hicks.. LOL. At any rate, at times during the game G had me on the edge of my seat silently yelling “FINISH HIM” like the Cobra Kai sensai.
End of the day, Duke whooped up on the Badgers. Per usual, the Big 10 sucks and this ACC – Big 10 Challenge, at 10-0, is getting comical.
Anyway, Duke and Wisconsin had never met before and now the cheese heads know what Duke Basketball is all about. And don’t think I didn’t take note the presence of former Duke recruit Brian Butch. You diss Duke for Wisconsin? I don’t get it player.. Oh well.
Us Versus Them 
