Favorite moments in Duke history

[DukeCO2009]

Obviously a lot of people are going to mention certain April nights in 1991, 1992, and 2001, as well as Laettner's shot, but what about other moments? When you think of Duke basketball, what plays/games immediately come to your mind? Some off the top of my head:

1. J-Will at Maryland
2. Shane blocking Forte
3. JJ's 2nd half against State in the ACC tournament his (I think) freshman year
4. J-Will hitting the 3 against Indiana--words can't describe my euphoria, however brief it ended up being
5. Duhon at Wake

[dukestheheat]

in addition to those already listed:

1) Brickey's dunk (tomahawk) right in front of me versus the Holes at Cameron that brought The Dean off the bench to call a timeout. Even though we lost that game, Dean got rattled, which pleased ME.

2) Watching Dawkins dribble across half-court and exhaling while Mark Price realized, simultaneous to Dawkins' exhale, that Duke was going to win the ACC Regular Season.

3) The Shot. I stood on the couch, pointed at the TV, and at the top of my voice screamed 'YOU'RE A STAR!!!!!' at Christian over and over again and I couldn't stop.

dth.

[EarlJam]

UConn's Rod (?) Sellers slamming Christian Laettner's head into the court about 12 times in the '91 tourney as retaliation for the "Special" play in 1990.

Laettner got up, laughed, and we beat them again.

-EarlJam

[Channing]

Nick Horvath . . . DePaul . . . WOW

[ugadevil]

For some reason, the first things (other than tournament memories) that come to mind for me are dunks.

1. J.J.'s dunk against Maryland, that was a throwdown!
2. Corey Maggette's dunk against Florida when he slapped the backboard and got a technical. <-------the moment I became a Duke fan.
3. Dahntay Jones' dunk at Virginia on Vanderlaan. He dunked over him and then did push ups.

[dw0827]

The shot.

An incredible game and when they scored with 2.something seconds left, I turned to my girlfriend and said "That's that." Cussed a bit because I knew that we had the potential to win it all again and be the first time since ULCA do it and told my girlfriend that a full court inbounds play with that much time works about once in a million times and that there was no way season over and the timeout is over and Grants got the ball and I get up to turn off the tv and he throws it and Christian catches the ball major miracle right there and then dribbles HE DRIBBLES???? and turns and hits the shot and I just fell down in front of the tv in a heap.

Unbelievable.

[dyedwab]

1) Phil Henderson's dunk over Alonzo Mourning in the 1989 Regional Finals

2) Christian's shot against UCONN in the 1990 Regional Finals

3) In 1988, Billy King shutting down (and outscoring) Notre Dame star David Rivers at Cameron

4) 1991 Senior Day v. Clemson, when for at least a half, little used reserve Clay Buckley held his own against future NBA player Dale Davis

5) Duke v. LSU, 1991 at Cameron, when Dale Brown inexplicably let Shaq guard Laettner one on one as Laettner repeatedly burned him on a dribble from outside

[RPS]

Obviously a lot of people are going to mention certain April nights in 1991, 1992, and 2001, as well as Laettner's shot, but what about other moments? When you think of Duke basketball, what plays/games immediately come to your mind?

Only games I've seen in person:

1. 1986, Final 8 v. Navy. Midshipmen unfurl terrific (and huge) Nuke Duke banner; thousands of dress whites at attention; David Robinson was spectacular but not enough; Johnny D. steals and dunks to seal the deal with cries of "Abandon Ship" echoing around the Meadowlands.
2. 7-0 game in 1979.
3. Gene Banks over Sam Perkins to send game into OT in 1981. Of course we go on to win. We learned that K could coach a bit...
4. Billy King shutting down Mark Macon, Final 8. 1988.
5. Laettner's shot ("special") off the inbounds pass (before "the shot") v. UConn, Final 8, 1990.
6. Welcoming the USC Trojans with a shower of a particular brand of condoms in 1979 (and certain Duke players grabbing handfuls...).
7. Richard Nixon: Duke's Second Biggest Mistake. Welcome Lefty. 1980.

[EarlJam]

1. Montross' bloody head in Duke vs. UNC '92 and days later...

2. "The Shot Gone Wrong" - At Wake Forest, Duke down with a couple seconds to go. Hill throws full-court in-bound pass to Laettner. Ball fades left. It gets fuzzy here: Laettner catches it but foot is out of bounds? Wake wins. This scenario would nearly repeat itself over a month later vs. Kentucky. Had we not learned from the mistakes of that play, "The Shot" may never have been what it was. And it was, Spectrumtacular!

-EarlJam

[Kilby]

1. The Shot
2. Dawkins backwards Dunk over Navy.
3. Phil Henderson's dunk over Alonzo.
5. Tate Armstrongs going up and arching a jumpshot over Len Elmore, who was perfectly positioned and going up to block the shot, in Cameron, and hitting nothing but net. Tate could jump.

[juise]

I have only been a real fan since my matriculation in 2000 and a lot of my favorites have already been mentioned, but I would add:

1. J.J. lights up #2 Texas at The Meadowlands (mostly because I had the pleasure of attending).

2. Duke was still #1 going into that game because of: Dockery's half-courter against the Hokies.

3. J-Will hobbles out to center court for Midnight Madness my senior year ('03-'04).

4. Duke opens up 34-2 at home against Michigan in December of 2000.

5. Shane (along with Nate, Caldbeck, and Simpson) coming out after the senior night loss to Maryland (and Boozer injury) in order to address the crazies, vowing that the team wasn't done yet.

6. Being in Cameron to watch Maryland's 22-point lead evaporate in the 2001 Final Four.

[JasonEvans]

Two great memories from 1986--

1. JD blocks David River's shot at the buzzer. It is not often a dramatic game-winning shot is blocked at the buzzer, but JD did it.

2. Someone else had lost during the week and it was Saturday and Duke would be #1 (for the first time in a looong time) if we could just beat a highly regarded Oklahoma team in Cameron. We jumped out to about a 30-4 lead or something crazy like that. It was insane. In my 4 years, I never, ever, heard Cameron that loud.

-Jason "oh, and when Grant Hill almost stepped on my foot while he threw a certain pass... but you all know that story" Evans

[captmojo]

Two great memories from 1986--

1. JD blocks David River's shot at the buzzer. It is not often a dramatic game-winning shot is blocked at the buzzer, but JD did it.

2. Someone else had lost during the week and it was Saturday and Duke would be #1 (for the first time in a looong time) if we could just beat a highly regarded Oklahoma team in Cameron. We jumped out to about a 30-4 lead or something crazy like that. It was insane. In my 4 years, I never, ever, heard Cameron that loud.

-Jason "oh, and when Grant Hill almost stepped on my foot while he threw a certain pass... but you all know that story" Evans

You stole my thunder at #1. Rivers was popping with regularity and there seemed no doubt if he put it up, it was gonna go down. Dawkins' block totally won the game.

Robbie West's free throw to beat Carolina.

Grant Hill's ally-oop to start the championship game.

[chrishoke]

Two great memories from 1986--

1. JD blocks David River's shot at the buzzer. It is not often a dramatic game-winning shot is blocked at the buzzer, but JD did it.

That was a Sunday afternoon game and Al McGuire did the TV color. After watching in Cameron, I raced back to watch the tape of the TV coverage of the game. I can still hear McGuire's words as they showed slow mo replay of the block, "all ballllllllll, all balllllll"

That was my favorite Duke BB weekend ever. The night before, Duke played NC State and Chris Washburn in Reynolds coliseum. I somehow had tickets to that one also and JD won a fiercely fought game when he was fouled on a shot with 2 seconds and hit the winning free throws. Very unusual in the regular season to have a Saturday night road game and a Sunday afternoon home game. And then JD wins both at the buzzer, one with offense and one with defense.

[grc5]

2. Duke was still #1 going into that game because of: Dockery's half-courter against the Hokies.

3. J-Will hobbles out to center court for Midnight Madness my senior year ('03-'04).

As a recent grad, I echo the sentiments for #2 and #3.

I would also like to add:
-Chris Duhon going coast-to-coast in the Dean Dome to beat UNC with a buzzer-beating reverse layup in 2004
-Beating a heavily favored UNC at home in 2005 (loudest I've ever heard Cameron)

[Turtleboy]

Fred Lind. "nuff said.

[EarlJam]

Bob Harris says...

"Hurley for three..........BOTTOMMMMMMMMMMMMMS!"

Or, as CBS announcers say...

"Duke does NOT need a three, Hurley puts one up....and makes it! Wow!"

God I loved Hurley.

-EarlJam

[Duke09]

Or, as CBS announcers say...

"Duke does NOT need a three, Hurley puts one up....and makes it! Wow!"


-EarlJam

Which game was that?

My favorites are:
-Magette's dunk vs. FSU
-JJ lighting up Texas
-Duhon Coast to Coast against UNC
-J-Will "Duke needs a miracle, there's one" at Maryland

[DavidBenAkiva]

I thinkt that the whole 2000 - 2001 National Championship season was just so amazing for me. It was my freshman year. I mean, the thing was an epic saga:
1) J - Will's 56 Seconds from goat to glory - and that block by Battier!
writer's note: I watched the first half in my dorm room. We did OK. The second half, I watched across the hall. With exactly two minutes left, I went back to my room. Blake fouled out, then the miracle happened. The dorm erupted into the hallway. Everyone yelled at me to get back into my room for OT lest I jinx the team again!
2) Duke destroys UNC in Chapel Hill. This is after Battier fouled Haywood at the end of the game at home and Boozer goes down to Maryland.
3) Duke further pours salt on Gary Williams by beating Maryland in the ACC Semis and the Final Four, which was just a gut-wrenching game.
4) If I had to pick one moment, nothing beat watching the national championship game in CIS. If the Final Four were like the World Series, that would be better, so I could watch game 7 there. As it is, though, that was a hell of a place to watch a game on a big screen. Being on campus afterwards was also quite an experience. I did not go to class Tuesday for health and wellbeing issues. I'd also like to point out that they burned cars on the street in Arizona that evening. Imagine what they would have done had they won!

Time flies like an arrow
Fruit flies like a banana

[Cameron]

I've gone over this story many of times on here before, so will refrain from posting the specifics for the 500th time, but the most elated I have EVER been--whether it be for "The Shot" when I was just a kid, Capel's miracle, the national championships, Duhon's coast to coast blue jersey reverse shot, etc--was after Jason hit that three pointer against Indiana. I felt like I was floating on a cloud of speed (not that I know what that is). The elation was outstanding, better than any feeling I have ever had. No question. And what made it a MILLION times better was the fact that I had been in a bar area surrounded by a sea of red, Hooiser fans.

I talked so much **** after that shot went down. Larry Johnson, b****es, Larry f***** Johnson! I was in Heaven. Then came the miss and the no call. (I should note, however, that my language after the shot was warranted, as I was being heckled beyond belief that night, especially when the leprechaun hit that two foot, float shot to put IU on top, his first basket of the game. Damn him.)

I went from happiest moment in my entire life to hell, in a matter of seconds. I'll never forget that initial feeling, though. We were on our way to back to back national titles.