Laettner v Subzero

[pamtar]

Gotta do it. Seriously, its up there.

Yeah, "the shot" was in the ncaa's, but dayum - its UNC.

Discuss, my merry Devils...

[anon]

This one needs to mull around in my mind for a while. For now, Christian has the edge, because it was a win-or-go-home.

Go Duke!

[roywhite]

Might be the single biggest shot ever of the Duke -- UNC rivalry.

That's a good place to start.

[pamtar]

Agreed Roy. That's kinda how I'm seeing it too.

The only thing that makes me think differently is the fact that it sent all those baby blue sweater vests home in tears.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

When Rivers stays around for another year (or two or three) and does it again, THEN he can be compared to Laettner. But this sure is sweet! And very clutch. Makes up for his missing the free throws!
http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gifhttp://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gifhttp://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gifhttp://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif

[pamtar]

Not in any way comparing him to Laettner as a player Ozzie, just the shot he made tonight.

[weezie]

Agreed Roy. That's kinda how I'm seeing it too.

The only thing that makes me think differently is the fact that it sent all those baby blue sweater vests home in tears.


Yeah, sweater vests. Game over.

[ArkieDukie]

I thought the same thing. The shots are different, and yet they are the same. Austin has the ball and is dribbling while the rest of the Duke fandom world is yelling for him to shoot the darn thing already. Watch the game clock as the shot leaves Austin's hands and heads for the basket. The shot goes in; Austin goes running toward the other end of the court and ultimately gets tackled by his teammates. Eerily similar.

I have thought for a while that this team needed a m*****f***** (a Coach K term), and I believe that Mr. Rivers showed his willingness to answer the call. Maybe he's been taking bada** lessons from Nate James?

I cannot wait to see how the team goes forward from this victory. It was a huge win.

[FerryFor50]

Eh great shot but not close to Laettner's shots. (Including the one against UConn the year before)

Those were survive and advance games. The UNC game is pretty close in importance but Duke doesn't win the championships without the Laettner shots.

[monkey]

Don't think it matches Laettner because not in the NCAAs but move on over Jeff Capel ... the 1995 3 to send the Duke-UNC game at Cameron into double overtime versus Stackhouse and Wallace just got eclipsed

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Don't think it matches Laettner because not in the NCAAs but move on over Jeff Capel ... the 1995 3 to send the Duke-UNC game at Cameron into double overtime versus Stackhouse and Wallace just got eclipsed
I'll agree with you on this! And I'll put it next to Walter Davis' shot, but I don't talk about that game. :cool:

[pamtar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X1ewxVwhug

Im up to around 20 views.

[BlueTeuf]

But I'd vote for Gene over Sam in the "Dennard and Banks, so long and thanks" game.

[gwlaw99]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X1ewxVwhug

Im up to around 20 views.

Crowd shot at 35 seconds is priceless.

[Greg_Newton]

Laettner's two buzzer beatings in the tournament probably have to take the top two spots, but I'm not sure anything else is above this. Without a doubt the greatest shot of the rivalry, IMO.

[Edouble]

Crowd shot at 35 seconds is priceless.

I want the the full court picture as Austin's shot was released with a double exposure of that crowd shot superimposed over it as a poster.

[Starter]

No comparison. Laettner's is regarded as the greatest shot of all time by some. Rivers' shot is a great Duke moment, and a great moment in general, but the stakes weren't even close to as high and it didn't feature a miracle pass. This doesn't make Rivers' shot any less awesome, of course.

[subzero02]

Eh great shot but not close to Laettner's shots. (Including the one against UConn the year before)

Those were survive and advance games. The UNC game is pretty close in importance but Duke doesn't win the championships without the Laettner shots.

The shot versus UCONN was during the 1990 NCAA tournament... The shot versus Kentucky was during the 1992 NCAA tournament

[JNort]

Laettner hit his in a tournament and it allowed us to go on and eventually win a championship but we should never have been in that position as a team in the first place. Duke was a top dog that year and Kentucky had struggled a bit and was expected to get killed by Duke.


Austin's shot was as the underdog and against our biggest rival and on their home court. People were calling into radio stations predicting Duke loses by 15 and 20 points. Even on our very own DBR many showed no faith in this team to win or even stay close. Austin has been heavily criticized as well as the rest of this team. UNC had 5 potential lottery players on the team with another NBA prospect in Bullock and were preseason favorites to win it all.


So who gets the award for best moment? Depends on what you like, the shot that sends us on to eventually get our 2 national championship victory despite being the favorite or the underdog that won against its biggest rival while on the road.

I am undecided and I like it that way. :D

[superdave]

Bobby Hurley. 3-pointer vs. UNLV. (http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2011-09-08/krzyzewski-hurley-3-pointer-vs-unlv-is-dukes-biggest-shot) 1991. National Semifinal.

[PADukeMom]

As sweet was it was..no.

[dukenilnil]

But...fans have a tendancy to over react after a game both good and bad... player A is great, Player B is bunk. Best win ever, worst play/decision ever, etc. Time will provide the truest test.

I am sure this one gets replayed every Duke-UNC game now for a long time to come.
That said, to me, it ranks as one of the top shots in the rivalry but may not be top 5 in Duke lore, even limiting it to just Coach K games.

Duke-UNC certainly elevates the shot (I have always loved what Ferry said, in essense, "we can be 2-24, and as long as those 2 wins were against UNC, it was a good season."). IIRC, though, Coach K tends to downplay the significance of the rivalry in the success of a season, saying that it's more for the fans and not his measuring stick (i.e., Duke doesn't base it's success on anyone else but Duke).

The shot is great and I'll talk about it alot in years to come, but it is not at the top because:
1) regular season game and the first of the 2 matchups at that (edge goes to 2 Laettner shots and Hurley UNLV shot if not more)
2) Degree of difficulty - Zeller was a ways back from Rivers, giving him a relatively uncontested three (albiet in a high pressure situation) and we had 10+ seconds at the start of the play versus sub 3 for the 2 Laetneer NCAA shots. In fact, he had several seconds to stand and dribble and size up his shot before shooting.

Based on degree of difficulty and strength of the programs at the time, I would even put the Capel shot to double OT over this one as it was a much harder shot. The only negative to that one is we didn't end up winning so it's always a little bittersweet but at the time my jubiliation was higher becasue of the improbability factor.

[yancem]

I think that the true measure of how great this shot was is yet to be determined. If this shot give Rivers and Duke and shot in the arm and something to rally behind, launching them in a positive direction and deep (F4 deep) into the ncaa tournament then the shot takes on more importance. It could be talked about as the shot that saved Duke season or propelled them to and acc championship, F4 or dare I say NC. It will become part of the season's narrative.

If however, Rivers and Duke continue on the roller coaster that has been this season, never figuring out their defensive weaknesses or problems with consistent intensity and focus levels, then it will be a great shot, in a great game, in a great rivalry. But it won't talked about much outside of the context of Duke vs UNC after this year.

[Kimist]

I think the Laettner buzzer-beaters still come out ahead, primarily because of the "what would not have been" importance of making them.

But the one in the Dean Dome last night was probably much more satisfying - the ability to completely silence more than 21k smurf fans has gotta live on as one of the greatest moments a Duke follower can ever have.

The linked ESPN site has only the faint sound of the heels alma mater wafting through the arena.

Yeah - I would call that "Priceless!":o

[Duke_92]

....from zero to hero;)