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BlueDevilBrowns
08-03-2013, 10:54 AM
I just posted on another thread how much I appreciated and loved what the 1998-1999 Duke team accomplished. To further that, I was thinking we could use this thread for everyone to share their thoughts, memories, and appreciation for perhaps the most talented Duke team of all time!

Among my favorite memories is defeating UNC three times that year, including finishing the 16-0 regular season by beating UNC by 20 in Chapel Hill and beating UNC by a mile in the ACCT final.



How about everyone else?

Phoenix22
08-03-2013, 11:35 AM
Although 1999 was perhaps Duke's most talented team, I still prefer 2001.

OldPhiKap
08-03-2013, 12:10 PM
UConn was #1 the first half of the season, we were #1 the second half.

Two exceptional teams, very proud of our guys. A really, really fun team to watch.

As far as teams that I really enjoyed but did not win the NC, I would say that only 1986 is ahead of the 1999 team. (Was not around for the '78 team so cannot comment, although I understand that was also a very fun team too).

jmck214
08-03-2013, 12:32 PM
Part of me considers that year kind of a boring year just because of the lack of close games. As you guys know there is nothing like having a rooting interest in the last two minutes of a close bball game. One play from that season that does stand out (other than the Langdon trip) is the Maggette follow up dunk on a missed shot at the end of the first half vs Temple in the regional final. Winning that game to get back to the final four just 4 years after going 13-18 was quite a feat.

jacone21
08-03-2013, 12:44 PM
Along with my dad, I saw my first game in Cameron that year. It was the Clemson game where Trajan got popped in the mouth and bled on the floor. It was a close game at that point, the natives were getting restless and that play was the last straw. Coach K was animated and angry in the huddle while Trajan was getting taped up. Duke then went on something like a 35-2 run. It was a great first game for me because Cameron was probably close to as loud as it gets during that run. I remember looking at my dad and he had this expression of disbelief on his face. That was some dominant team when they played inspired.

Olympic Fan
08-03-2013, 01:02 PM
UConn was #1 the first half of the season, we were #1 the second half.



Not quite .. Duke was No. 1 in the first three polls, but after losing a heartbreaker to Cincinnati in the finals of the Great Alaskan Shootout, Duke dropped to No. 4 and UConn (No. 2 for the first three weeks) jumped to No. 1. UConn was No. 1 for the next 10 weeks until they lost for the first time. Duke moved back to No. 1 and remained atop the poll for the final five weeks. So the fact is that UConn actually spent more of that season at No. 1 than Duke.

Kedsy
08-03-2013, 01:23 PM
So the fact is that UConn actually spent more of that season at No. 1 than Duke.

Yes, at the time I thought it was crazy we were favored by so many points over UConn, and as it turned out my concerns were warranted.

Going 19-0 against the ACC was an amazing achievement. But the 1998-99 Duke team wasn't as great as Duke fans make it out to be. The team played 6 games against ranked non-ACC opponents, losing twice, winning three times by 6 points or fewer, and winning once by 11. That's good, but hardly dominant.

vick
08-03-2013, 03:08 PM
Yes, at the time I thought it was crazy we were favored by so many points over UConn, and as it turned out my concerns were warranted.

Going 19-0 against the ACC was an amazing achievement. But the 1998-99 Duke team wasn't as great as Duke fans make it out to be. The team played 6 games against ranked non-ACC opponents, losing twice, winning three times by 6 points or fewer, and winning once by 11. That's good, but hardly dominant.

On the other hand, while we don't have as much data as we'd like from those days, what computer rankings we do have suggest that 1999 was a pretty special team. In the "Simple Rating System" (i.e. schedule-adjusted margin of victory), which is available from 1980 to the present, it was the highest-ranking team ever, by a meaningful margin (34.8, next closest is 32.2, a gap of 2.6 points). In Sagarin (for which 1999 is the first year I believe is available), the team had a margin of 7.30 points (http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/bkt9899.htm) over the next closest team--by far the largest ever, in fact over twice as much as any subsequent year. Now, there might be a limit to how far you can take this, since computer rankings are often based on blowing out other teams (although, as I understand it, Pomeroy's work somewhat uncomfortably suggests that beating a team by 35 really is more meaningful than 25), and when people talk about how Duke wins that game "nine times out of ten" I cringe a bit myself--you have to be a lot better than an opponent for that to be true. But I do think there is some justification in the numbers for believing that 1999 really was a special team.

MarkD83
08-03-2013, 03:17 PM
The number of victories and flerting with perfection were great. Keep in mind the two losses could have been reversed by a play or two at the end of the Cincy and UConn games.

However, the victories almost felt like they were expected and all of the players leaving before they ran out of eligibility makes it difficult for me to elevate this team above 1991, 1992, 2001, 1986, 1978. It was the 1999 season that taught me to not judge Duke basketball by expectations that the media places on the team. Enjoy every victory and cherish the unexpected.

That is why the 2010 team is my all time favorite. The kids on that team earned their dues and were juniors and seniors who worked really hard for everything. They were also an after thought in everyone's mind to win the championship. There were certainly some all time great players on the 2010 team but I remember the role players and how the star players adapted their games to the team needs. Of course, the adjustments made by Coach K during the year and his ability to get the best out of the "team". It will be very difficult to supplant 2010 from the top of my list.

moonpie23
08-03-2013, 05:52 PM
i will never watch that title game again.......i'm still sick about it.........

subzero02
08-03-2013, 06:23 PM
i will never watch that title game again.......i'm still sick about it.........

I watched that game on the big screen in Cameron as a freshman... Very painful memory. I also learned that the band plays what I consider to be funeral music after a loss... I definitely could've gone without hearing it that night. I have never been so deflated after a game... I remember saying that there is no way that the men are going to lose too ( women lost in the national title game the night before.)

gofurman
08-03-2013, 07:48 PM
Part of me considers that year kind of a boring year just because of the lack of close games. As you guys know there is nothing like having a rooting interest in the last two minutes of a close bball game. One play from that season that does stand out (other than the Langdon trip) is the Maggette follow up dunk on a missed shot at the end of the first half vs Temple in the regional final. Winning that game to get back to the final four just 4 years after going 13-18 was quite a feat.

Losing hurts more than winning feels good - I LOOOVVVVEEE a great boring beat down. I think that defines a true fanatic (no offense meant) - a fanatic wants to be pleasantly bored out of his mind (I doubt that all Bama fans were wishing for a closer national title game). I would take a 35-0 season with no close games and 3 trounces of UNC and a national title over a 'great' season of 30-5 and a close title game loss any day. I would even take the absolute dominance 35-0 over the 2010 type season.. If for no other reason than it would put duke in yet another record book... Most recent undefeated season in NCAA history and more wins than the Indiana team which did it. Think how that type year would Kill UNC fans. It would be unbearable for them. IC would light up

Crush everyone

miramar
08-03-2013, 07:59 PM
Yes, at the time I thought it was crazy we were favored by so many points over UConn, and as it turned out my concerns were warranted.

Going 19-0 against the ACC was an amazing achievement. But the 1998-99 Duke team wasn't as great as Duke fans make it out to be. The team played 6 games against ranked non-ACC opponents, losing twice, winning three times by 6 points or fewer, and winning once by 11. That's good, but hardly dominant.

I had the impression at the time that Duke fans were following the conventional wisdom, which is never a good idea. IIRC Dick Vitale said that the team had been anointed ahead of time, and I think he was right for a change. Six out the eight regulars were underclassmen and they would have been outstanding the following year if they had come back, but thankfully Battier stayed around until 2001.

sagegrouse
08-03-2013, 08:00 PM
I just posted on another thread how much I appreciated and loved what the 1998-1999 Duke team accomplished. To further that, I was thinking we could use this thread for everyone to share their thoughts, memories, and appreciation for perhaps the most talented Duke team of all time!

Among my favorite memories is defeating UNC three times that year, including finishing the 16-0 regular season by beating UNC by 20 in Chapel Hill and beating UNC by a mile in the ACCT final.



How about everyone else?

Fourteen years is too soon for me to put this hugely talented but ultimately disappointing team in perspective. I thought we were mortal locks in St. Pete, but the same team that had won so much and so easily did not show up for the Final Four. I dunno if it was tired legs, a rift between los tres amigos and los otros, rumored late-night carousing, or whatever, but this team did not finish on a note that would lead me to celebrate its accomplishments.

I would rate the following ahead of 1999: all four championship teams, the ailing 1966 team, the Cinderella guys of 1978, the first K Final Four in 1986, and the near-miss in 1994. I didn't list 1963 and 1964, 'cuz I knew all those guys.

sagegrouse

Duvall
08-03-2013, 08:17 PM
I would rate the following ahead of 1999: all four championship teams, the ailing 1966 team, the Cinderella guys of 1978, the first K Final Four in 1986, and the near-miss in 1994. I didn't list 1963 and 1964, 'cuz I knew all those guys.

Well, let's not go overboard. The 37 wins happened, 19-0 in the ACC happened, and a three-point loss to the #2 team in the country didn't change that.

WillJ
08-03-2013, 08:18 PM
That was an awesome team, one of my favorites - my personal favorite play was when Maggette beat Jason Capel with a cross-over for a big dunk. UNC was totally demoralized - always a good thing. The big surprise for me that year was how well Will Avery played - he was fantastic and I'm still puzzled that he didn't have more of a pro career. The thing that stuck with me about that game against UConn is that, IIRC, we didn't handle high pick and rolls well at all, with El Amin constantly getting switched off on Brand who had a tough time not giving up open 14-15 footers. I'm no strategy guru, but it seemed to me that Duke was a little behind the times in handling that play, as many teams would have their big man show a bit and then recover to their own man while the guard's man caught up with the ballhandler. Sigh.

sagegrouse
08-03-2013, 08:29 PM
That was an awesome team, one of my favorites - my personal favorite play was when Maggette beat Jason Capel with a cross-over for a big dunk. UNC was totally demoralized - always a good thing. The big surprise for me that year was how well Will Avery played - he was fantastic and I'm still puzzled that he didn't have more of a pro career. The thing that stuck with me about that game against UConn is that, IIRC, we didn't handle high pick and rolls well at all, with El Amin constantly getting switched off on Brand who had a tough time not giving up open 14-15 footers. I'm no strategy guru, but it seemed to me that Duke was a little behind the times in handling that play, as many teams would have their big man show a bit and then recover to their own man while the guard's man caught up with the ballhandler. Sigh.

I have two specific memories: (1) We came out flat and UConn, behind Johnny Moore's shooting, went to a 13-3 lead. We were ahead at the half, but you never get back those ten points.... (2) Elton did not pass out of double and triple teams. While his 5-8 shooting is a good percentage, his offensive activity was way below par. I will concede a third point, which was that our mid-range defense was not terribly good, which I lump with the lack of energy I saw on the team that night.

The other deficiency, which was built into the roster, was the absence of a guy or guys who could get and make a shot at key moments: Grant, JJ, JWill, and Christian/Bobby were not on that team. When it was close at the end, Trajan or Avery had to have the ball.

sagegrouse

sagegrouse
08-03-2013, 08:53 PM
Well, let's not go overboard. The 37 wins happened, 19-0 in the ACC happened, and a three-point loss to the #2 team in the country didn't change that.

Perhaps I should have said that the fault was partially mine in feeling that a National Championship was sure to come. Nothin's ever certain in a single elimination tournament, and it is my fault for getting so far ahead. I learned that lesson and have applied it ever since.

sagegrouse

subzero02
08-03-2013, 09:03 PM
I have two specific memories: (1) We came out flat and UConn, behind Johnny Moore's shooting, went to a 13-3 lead. We were ahead at the half, but you never get back those ten points.... (2) Elton did not pass out of double and triple teams. While his 5-8 shooting is a good percentage, his offensive activity was way below par. I will concede a third point, which was that our mid-range defense was not terribly good, which I lump with the lack of energy I saw on the team that night.

The other deficiency, which was built into the roster, was the absence of a guy or guys who could get and make a shot at key moments: Grant, JJ, JWill, and Christian/Bobby were not on that team. When it was close at the end, Trajan or Avery had to have the ball.

sagegrouse

I think you mean Ricky Moore. His shooting hurt us but even more devestating was his defense on Avery...
IIRC ricky moore and avery were high school teammates... Moore definitely knew how to shut him down.

miramar
08-03-2013, 09:08 PM
The other deficiency, which was built into the roster, was the absence of a guy or guys who could get and make a shot at key moments: Grant, JJ, JWill, and Christian/Bobby were not on that team. When it was close at the end, Trajan or Avery had to have the ball.

sagegrouse

At the 11:20 mark (the last 20 seconds):

"Wow, Trajan Langdon with the ball, is going against a great defender [Ricky Moore]. What's he doing here?"

Unfortunately, Trajan was about to travel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duu3JLjVMZY

sagegrouse
08-03-2013, 09:12 PM
I think you mean Ricky Moore. His shooting hurt us but even more devestating was his defense on Avery...
IIRC ricky moore and avery were high school teammates... Moore definitely knew how to shut him down.

You are correctimundo! I had the boxscore open but managed to forget the name in a few seonds.

sage

Troublemaker
08-03-2013, 09:14 PM
Well, let's not go overboard. The 37 wins happened, 19-0 in the ACC happened, and a three-point loss to the #2 team in the country didn't change that.

Yep. And going into the season, nobody expected Duke to be so dominant (duh!). Duke was just one of the favorites (along with UConn and defending champ Kentucky), and us Duke fans were just a few months removed from hoping/praying that Jamison and Carter would finally leave Chapel Hill. Something clicked for that '99 Duke team and they went on to have that historically dominant season, and so a loss in the championship game (to pre-season co-favorite UConn) is somehow now viewed as a massive underachievement when really, the season should be viewed as a massive overachievement. There are plenty of teams just as talented or more talented that didn't come close to having a season like '99 Duke.

Clipsfan
08-04-2013, 12:20 AM
Two posters have already touched upon the strongest emotional memories I have of that season. It's true that there were a lot of highlights and some massive blowouts (I remember one game that Trajan was winning at the half). However, the Clemson game and the crowd reaction to Trajan being elbowed still gives me chills. The run that followed was tremendous, but nothing compared to the initial reaction and energy.

The second was being in Cameron watching the game on the big screen. I was a senior and hoping to leave having witnessed K's third championship and instead was part of the biggest sense of deflation and general shock/despair that I've experienced at a sporting event. Perhaps we bought into the hype, but we expected a victory.

Trajan was one of my favorite players and I would have loved it if his last possession in college had ended differently.

matt1
08-04-2013, 12:38 AM
I wish that I had been old enough to remember this team! I guess that every generation will have its teams. Maybe, if I get into Duke this fall, there will be a few special teams while I am a student. If Jabari will stay more than one year, combined with our potential recruits for next year, 2014-15 will be special.

All that I remember from pre-2004 is occasionally watching games (and hearing my parents complain when we lost). I remember the 2004 run and crying in the bathroom for hours after the Connecticut game (I was just 7 at the time) well, though.

Kedsy
08-04-2013, 12:40 AM
Maybe, if I get into Duke this fall, there will be a few special teams while I am a student. If Jabari will stay more than one year, combined with our potential recruits for next year, 2014-15 will be special.

I don't think you'll have to wait that long. 2013-14 should be special, too.

matt1
08-04-2013, 12:48 AM
I don't think you'll have to wait that long. 2013-14 should be special, too.

Yes, it very well may be. I am just saying that, in 2014-15, I may be a student at Duke, which would make a national championship ever so slightly better. Also, I think that 2014-15 may be an even better season. The #1 and #3 recruits on ESPN's Top 100 are considering us (Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones). If those two were to team up with Jabari Parker, Rasheed Sulaimon, and Rodney Hood, (assuming those three come back) that team would have a shot at going undefeated!

OldPhiKap
08-04-2013, 09:36 AM
I think you mean Ricky Moore. His shooting hurt us but even more devestating was his defense on Avery...
IIRC ricky moore and avery were high school teammates... Moore definitely knew how to shut him down.

Moore and Avery played at the same HS in Augusta, Ga. Although I seem to recall that Will transferred to another school for his senior year (maybe Oak Hill in Virginia?)

subzero02
08-04-2013, 11:18 AM
Avery and Moore formed Westside's backcourt from 1994-95. The dynamic duo propelled the Patriots to a 33-1 record in 1995 and captured the Class AAA state championship.

With Moore running the point, Avery showcased his deadly shooting ability. As a sophomore on the championship team, Avery averaged 19 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals per game.

Moore, a senior in 1995, averaged 21.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game for Westside.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/1999/03/22/nca_256941.shtml

BlueDevilBrowns
08-04-2013, 01:07 PM
Losing hurts more than winning feels good - I LOOOVVVVEEE a great boring beat down.

Crush everyone


As much as I loved the look of shock and disappointment of the "UNC Faithful" after the Austin Rivers' shot, nothing and I mean nothing, beats 82-50. That said, that's what made 1999 so much fun - we didn't play "stall-ball" with a 10 point lead with 5 minutes left. We could play "stall-ball" with a 30 point lead with the 2nd Half left and STILL won by 40.

Exerting our utter Dominance over the ACC over the next several years began with that 99 team.

My opinion is the 1999 so demoralized the other conference teams that, psychologically, we had an advantage over them for the years to come, UNC included(we went 15-4 against them during 99-06 for a winning percentage of about 79%). Now, of course, different players came and went during that time period that never faced the '99 team, but still, it made the name "DUKE" on the front of the jersey mean something again. It can't really be proven, but just my opinion.

But what can't be denied is the record Duke accomplished vs. ACC competition in the years that followed.

Our record vs. the ACC between 99-06 was 106-22 for a winning percentage of about 79%.

matt1
08-04-2013, 01:10 PM
As much as I loved the look of shock and disappointment of the "UNC Faithful" after the Austin Rivers' shot, nothing and I mean nothing, beats 82-50. That said, that's what made 1999 so much fun - we didn't play "stall-ball" with a 10 point lead with 5 minutes left. We could play "stall-ball" with a 30 point lead with the 2nd Half left and STILL won by 40.

Exerting our utter Dominance over the ACC over the next several years began with that 99 team.

My opinion is the 1999 so demoralized the other conference teams that, psychologically, we had an advantage over them for the years to come, UNC included(we went 15-4 against them during 99-06 for a winning percentage of about 79%). Now, of course, different players came and went during that time period that never faced the '99 team, but still, it made the name "DUKE" on the front of the jersey mean something again. It can't really be proven, but just my opinion.

But what can't be denied is the record Duke accomplished vs. ACC competition in the years that followed.

Our record vs. the ACC between 99-06 was 106-22 for a winning percentage of about 79%.

The 82-50 game was only that close because of stallball. We could have easily won 100-60.

Monmouth77
08-04-2013, 01:34 PM
Two posters have already touched upon the strongest emotional memories I have of that season. It's true that there were a lot of highlights and some massive blowouts (I remember one game that Trajan was winning at the half). However, the Clemson game and the crowd reaction to Trajan being elbowed still gives me chills. The run that followed was tremendous, but nothing compared to the initial reaction and energy.

The second was being in Cameron watching the game on the big screen. I was a senior and hoping to leave having witnessed K's third championship and instead was part of the biggest sense of deflation and general shock/despair that I've experienced at a sporting event. Perhaps we bought into the hype, but we expected a victory.

Trajan was one of my favorite players and I would have loved it if his last possession in college had ended differently.

I have a still shot in my office from the Trajan Senior Night game against Clemson from the ESPN broadcast. Also my last game as a student in Cameron. In the shot, the camera had panned to me and my two tenting pals (#14 Tent that year, "Nate's Dogg Pound"), to capture the eruption after the elbow to the face. We have what I guess I'd call "volcanic" expressions. My favorite ever moment in Cameron (was it a 30-2 run after that?-- I could be inflating it in retrospect). Also reminds me that in the late 90s we were a rowdy crowd, but did not color coordinate or paint ourselves blue. Lots of those black "sixth man" T-shirts that Nike gave out though.

Monmouth77
08-04-2013, 01:44 PM
Yes, at the time I thought it was crazy we were favored by so many points over UConn, and as it turned out my concerns were warranted.

Going 19-0 against the ACC was an amazing achievement. But the 1998-99 Duke team wasn't as great as Duke fans make it out to be. The team played 6 games against ranked non-ACC opponents, losing twice, winning three times by 6 points or fewer, and winning once by 11. That's good, but hardly dominant.

Yes, we weren't quite the 1991 Running Rebels. But I think I'd still say dominant. The ranked teams we played (ACC and non) were pretty good-- the Ron Artest St. John's team, Maryland with Stevie Franchise, a Michigan State team that won it all the next year with the same roster, Cincy with Kenyon Martin (the next year's best player), DePaul with Quentin Richardson. A lot of long time NBA studs in that group of teams (not to mention Rip Hamilton...though I prefer not to mention him).

johnb
08-05-2013, 12:09 AM
One '99 memory:

Sitting in Vegas, watching a game in which we were favored by about 30. 10" to go. lots of substitutions. at this point in a game, in my apartment, I'm usually mesmerized, enjoying the victory and curious about the subs. In Vegas, however, I was surrounded by two dozen gamblers, and, as the game went to the wire, the tension grew: would they beat the spread? we did. terrific.

I thought that team, given five years of age, could compete in the NBA. in retrospect, the front court would not have been a problem (Brand, Battier, Maggette), but Avery and Trajan didn't have the NBA careers we all would have hoped for. And we wouldn't have had backups (though Carrawell, Nate, and Taymon could all have played on my team).

one thing that puzzles me. we lost to another team that was an above-average NC in terms of talent. I don't like uconn and was as overconfident as the next fan. and I heard the rumors about partying before the game and know that a couple of the guys didn't get their degrees. but why the animosity? it's as if some of us think that our guys didn't put it all on the floor, and it was 15 years ago.

Lord Ash
08-05-2013, 12:41 AM
I HATE hate hate to say this... but all I remember is walking out after Langdon missed that three knowing we had lost. I've never been so upset at a Duke game in my life. Not even 94. Then our record of never having a player leave early got just demolished, and I was left with an even worse taste in my mouth.

Troublemaker
08-05-2013, 01:10 AM
Besides the Clemson game and its memorable avenging-Trajan run mentioned above, there was for me:

Battier's "chi" game against Maryland: 27 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 3 steals, 4-4 from 3-pt range, 10-13 from the field overall

The 116-86 demolition of Florida early in the season. Who scores 116 against a good major conference opponent? First inclination that we could be in for a special year. Maggette had a slap the backboard fastbreak dunk that got whistled for a technical, I believe.

Winning the Triple-Crown against UNC, beating them progressively worse each meeting.

Great non-conference OT win against St. John's. They had Artest and, of course, Bootsy Thornton. That was the Bootsy Game. Carrawell had a big momentum-changing spin-in-the-lane-and-dunk drive.

Billy Dat
08-05-2013, 09:42 AM
Going 19-0 against the ACC was an amazing achievement. But the 1998-99 Duke team wasn't as great as Duke fans make it out to be. The team played 6 games against ranked non-ACC opponents, losing twice, winning three times by 6 points or fewer, and winning once by 11. That's good, but hardly dominant.

I can't argue these stats, but saying that this team was "hardly dominant", I think, misses the reality of how freaking dominant this team was in comparison to their competition. Forget stats, after the season got rolling, did we enter any game thinking we were going to lose? I can't remember another season where I expected to win every game. They were a world class wrecking crew! Once the season hit its halfway mark, teams stepped on the court expecting to get their doors blown off, and they usually did. I remember wishing that we could line up the entire top 10 and play them in consecutive games feeling that we could impose ourselves on anyone. In that way, they were very much like those 89-91 Vegas teams where you had to pick your poison, Langdon and Avery hitting from 3, Avery pushing pace on the break, Brand crushing guys down low, Carawell doing Carawell stuff, Battier doing dirty work, James, Burgess, Chappell AND Magette off the bench.

Thinking about our competition, we lost to UConn in the title game, and UConn was also great that year. We lost to a Cincinnati team (at the buzzer), that, sans a Kenyon Martin injury in the conference tournament, were a heavy favorite to win the National Championship the next year. We twice beat the next year's National Champion, the Sparty Flintstones.

Bottom line, if they had beaten UConn, they'd be considered one of the greatest college teams of all time. But, I guess the same could be said for the 1986 Duke team, and a lot of other squads who were a game away from finishing as champs with only 1 or 2 losses.

Count me among those who still hurt, bad, over this team. Elton Brand is from my area so I was rooting hard for him, I loved that K had gotten the program back to the top after the 94-95 debacle, and I just loved the swagger of the whole group.

Li_Duke
08-05-2013, 10:28 AM
I loved the 1999 team; that team had some of my favorite all-time Duke players: Elton, Shane (who's your daddy?), Trajan (all hail Trajan!), and Nate-dawg. Some of the nicest guys I've met off the court and baddest guys on the court.

I remember how just about everyone on the team had this nasty flu during the Cinncinati game, yet we lost by only a point with Elton's buzzer-beating basket coming just a split second late.

I found the blow-outs exciting because you always knew a dominant stretch was coming, but you didn't know exactly when it would happen and in what form it would take. The Florida game (with Maggette-O dunks and technicals), the two MD games (Carrawell shutting down Francis and Battier's channel the chi game), and the Clemson game are the wins I remember most from that season. That '99 team is the only team that gives me chills just thinking about. I've been waiting to feel that season-long utter confidence/anticipation of a rout with a Duke team since, but it's gone and probably never coming back.

Offensively, we were incredible. Defensively, Carrawell, Battier, and Brand were all game-changers. Our back court defense wasn't as good. Trajan was a solid defender but lacked quickness (similar to Seth Curry in that regard). Avery was great on offense but his defense still needed a lot of work.

You could see that Coach K was wearing down near the end. After the season, he had hip-replacement surgery. I wonder sometimes if Coach wasn't in so much pain, whether he would have been able to better combat the distraction regarding draft declarations/nervous jitters the team had during the national championship game. In that final game, Elton and Trajan came ready to battle, but they kept throwing double-teams at Elton. Avery was too intimidated while guarded by Ricky Moore -- who was like a big brother to him growing up. You could see nerves got to Corey; he kept passing up open 3s.

After the season, I understood Elton going pro. He was ready, had nothing left to prove, and had a family to support. I wish Avery came back to work on his defense, Corey came back to work on basketball skills, and Chris Burgess came back instead of letting his dad talk him into transferring. But I understand Avery and Corey also had families to support. At least we can counter Kentucky-Cal's draft boasts with 4 taken in the first 14 picks.

I admit that sometimes I daydream about what could have been if Duke had won that national championship, and Avery/Maggette/Burgess returned in 99-00. We wouldn't have been so undermanned and wouldn't have ran out of steam in 99-00 (we had Williams, Carrawell, James, Battier, Boozer and a mono-stricken Dunleavy). In my daydream, we would have repeat that year. And of course we'd win in 00-01. Jeffries might not have been able to turn down 3-peat Duke the year after, and we'd have repeat in 01-02. A Duke dynasty. Sigh.

Kedsy
08-05-2013, 10:33 AM
I can't argue these stats, but saying that this team was "hardly dominant", I think, misses the reality of how freaking dominant this team was in comparison to their competition.

Clearly the 1999 team was dominant in the ACC. I stand by my statement that they were hardly dominant outside the conference. Put another way, lots of Duke teams have performed as well or better out-of-conference as the 1999 team did. (By my count, at least 11 Duke teams under Coach K have gotten through the season losing 2 or fewer non-conference games.)

And the thing is, 1999 was a year in which the ACC only had three NCAA tournament teams (including Duke), so it was one of the weakest ACC schedules ever during the Coach K era. If there'd been 6 NCAA teams in the conference (as there were in 2001), would we have gotten through the ACC schedule unscathed in 1999? If we'd dropped a couple league games would everyone be talking about how dominant the 1999 team was?

The 1998-99 Duke team was a great one. I'm just saying it wasn't as great as some people make it out to be.

subzero02
08-05-2013, 10:39 AM
I can't argue these stats, but saying that this team was "hardly dominant", I think, misses the reality of how freaking dominant this team was in comparison to their competition. Forget stats, after the season got rolling, did we enter any game thinking we were going to lose? I can't remember another season where I expected to win every game. They were a world class wrecking crew! Once the season hit its halfway mark, teams stepped on the court expecting to get their doors blown off, and they usually did. I remember wishing that we could line up the entire top 10 and play them in consecutive games feeling that we could impose ourselves on anyone. In that way, they were very much like those 89-91 Vegas teams where you had to pick your poison, Langdon and Avery hitting from 3, Avery pushing pace on the break, Brand crushing guys down low, Carawell doing Carawell stuff, Battier doing dirty work, James, Burgess, Chappell AND Magette off the bench.


Chappell was actually on michigan state's bench but was ineligible to play.

Li_Duke
08-05-2013, 10:43 AM
Chappell was actually on michigan state's bench but was ineligible to play.

Yep, he supposedly showed Mich. St. all our plays prior to the final four game. Traitor. :) Little good it did them.

Billy Dat
08-05-2013, 11:09 AM
Chappell was actually on michigan state's bench but was ineligible to play.

Good call by you, and, to quote Mad Dogg Russo, that's a bad job by me.


I admit that sometimes I daydream about what could have been if Duke had won that national championship, and Avery/Maggette/Burgess returned in 99-00. We wouldn't have been so undermanned and wouldn't have ran out of steam in 99-00 (we had Williams, Carrawell, James, Battier, Boozer and a mono-stricken Dunleavy). In my daydream, we would have repeat that year. And of course we'd win in 00-01. Jeffries might not have been able to turn down 3-peat Duke the year after, and we'd have repeat in 01-02. A Duke dynasty. Sigh.

I guess we just have to accept that those guys "going hardship" paved the way for huge freshman year PT for JWill, Dunleavy and Boozer which set the stage for the 2001 title.

I attended the Bootsy Thornton game in MSG that year and it is the greatest Duke game I have ever attended (which probably says more about my lack of live game credentials, particularly ACC and NCAA Tournament games, then it does about that game). The Garden was going bonkers that afternoon. Having attended most of the NYC area non-con games since I graduated in the early 90s, I can say the only ones that came close were the JWill Kentucky comeback game and the JJ destroys Texas game.

The other theme that made that year so special was it represented another flip flop of the balance of power in the Carolina rivalry. The first spark was the Wojo Senior Day game in '98 - K's 500th and the Brand-led 17 point second half comeback. At the end of the '98 season, we had gone 2-7 against Carolina over 4 seasons. Going 3-0 in '98-'99, capped by brutal beatdowns at the Dean Dome and in the ACC final, launched a 6 season, 14-2 stretch of Duke dominance that began to ebb in '05 and then Psycho T showed up and Lawson and.......

The post 1995 comeback and second K Golden Age started with 2 recruiting classes - Carawell/James/Chappell and Brand/Battier/Avery/Burgess - the '98-99' team was the purest fusion of those two classes, the ones that got the program back off the mat, and I would have loved to see them take home the chip!

rhymeswithdreidel
08-05-2013, 11:54 AM
Yep. And going into the season, nobody expected Duke to be so dominant (duh!). Duke was just one of the favorites (along with UConn and defending champ Kentucky), and us Duke fans were just a few months removed from hoping/praying that Jamison and Carter would finally leave Chapel Hill. Something clicked for that '99 Duke team and they went on to have that historically dominant season, and so a loss in the championship game (to pre-season co-favorite UConn) is somehow now viewed as a massive underachievement when really, the season should be viewed as a massive overachievement. There are plenty of teams just as talented or more talented that didn't come close to having a season like '99 Duke.

I remember thinking before the beginning of the season that the 1998-99 Duke team could go undefeated. I was worried about the game with Cincinnati, but that was it. There was no one close to them all season. UConn was good, but Cincinnati--they were the ones to beat in my opinion.

DukeAlumBS
08-05-2013, 01:42 PM
Good call by you, and, to quote Mad Dogg Russo, that's a bad job by me.



I guess we just have to accept that those guys "going hardship" paved the way for huge freshman year PT for JWill, Dunleavy and Boozer which set the stage for the 2001 title.

I attended the Bootsy Thornton game in MSG that year and it is the greatest Duke game I have ever attended (which probably says more about my lack of live game credentials, particularly ACC and NCAA Tournament games, then it does about that game). The Garden was going bonkers that afternoon. Having attended most of the NYC area non-con games since I graduated in the early 90s, I can say the only ones that came close were the JWill Kentucky comeback game and the JJ destroys Texas game.

The other theme that made that year so special was it represented another flip flop of the balance of power in the Carolina rivalry. The first spark was the Wojo Senior Day game in '98 - K's 500th and the Brand-led 17 point second half comeback. At the end of the '98 season, we had gone 2-7 against Carolina over 4 seasons. Going 3-0 in '98-'99, capped by brutal beatdowns at the Dean Dome and in the ACC final, launched a 6 season, 14-2 stretch of Duke dominance that began to ebb in '05 and then Psycho T showed up and Lawson and.......

The post 1995 comeback and second K Golden Age started with 2 recruiting classes - Carawell/James/Chappell and Brand/Battier/Avery/Burgess - the '98-99' team was the purest fusion of those two classes, the ones that got the program back off the mat, and I would have loved to see them take home the chip!

Thank you. I got to see the Texas beating and the Oklahoma game as well as Gonzaga. I saw the Kentucky overtime game, this was at the Meadowlands. Jay Bilas was at the alumni buffet before the game. This has been my easy ticket to see Duke . The Kentucky game was a joy. Watching JJ pound Texas , well broke my heart for the Texas crowd. This is a great place to catch Duke in this area. Have nice day, Jimmy

Troublemaker
08-05-2013, 02:35 PM
I remember thinking before the beginning of the season that the 1998-99 Duke team could go undefeated. I was worried about the game with Cincinnati, but that was it. There was no one close to them all season. UConn was good, but Cincinnati--they were the ones to beat in my opinion.

That's completely out-of-whack with how I and I think most Duke fans experienced the season. It really started out relatively humble. During the offseason, we crossed our fingers that Jamison and Carter would leave. And then in the first preseason tournament, the Alaskan Shootout, we witnessed the perimeter defense completely unable to stop Chris Herren from Fresno St in the semis. (Duke never really did become a lockdown perimeter team that season, essentially the Achilles Heel of that team, which UConn's perimeter eventually deftly exposed). Then when Duke lost in the finals to Cincy, I remember lots of angst among Duke fans. How the heck could we allow the Bearcats to go the length of the court for a game-winning dunk in 2 seconds off the clock? Fans were upset that Huggins schooled Coach K on that play. I remember after the game getting into lots of debates with my friends about whether Will Avery had a good game. (He scored 30 but handed out only 2 assists.) There was lots of angst at that point in time. Maryland was looking great out of the gate at this time, btw, and we thought it'd be a heck of a battle with the Terps for the conference. Like I said, humble beginnings. Little did we know that a few months later, Duke would go 32-0 in the interim, and Vitale would be screaming on TV that he would take Duke to beat the Vancouver Grizzlies, and Triangle Radio would seriously contemplate whether Duke would beat the Clippers.

From humble beginnings comes great things, I guess. Just wish we could've gotten that one last victory. Still a great team, though.

lotusland
08-05-2013, 02:59 PM
At the 11:20 mark (the last 20 seconds):

"Wow, Trajan Langdon with the ball, is going against a great defender [Ricky Moore]. What's he doing here?"

Unfortunately, Trajan was about to travel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duu3JLjVMZY

Crap I wish I wouldn't have watched that. I know how it ends but I'm still hoping Duke pulls it out at the end. I hate Packer but I think he was right that we should have tried to get Brand more involved down the stretch. Tough way for Langdon to go out.

JohnGalt
08-05-2013, 03:01 PM
Look in the dictionary and a link to this thread will be under: self-flagellation. No more, please. For God's sake, NO MORE.

Mcluhan
08-05-2013, 03:58 PM
All credit due to UConn for winning the title. They were really prepared.

And with all caveats about Coach K being a better coach than I, etc., I still wonder why we went to Langdon at the end. Avery was the better candidate to get the ball downcourt, and had demonstrated in his game-winner against Clemson in the ACCT the year before that he could handle the situation.


Other thoughts:


The most dominant team I've ever seen.

Classic games against Cincy and St. John's.

Pete Gillen's comment about building a statue for Domzalski at UVA.

Battier's game against Maryland.

Maggette's dunk/tech against Florida, and dunke against temple.

If our starters weren't overwhelming enough, Maggette was a whole other type of overwhelming coming off the bench.

Billy Dat
08-05-2013, 04:14 PM
And with all caveats about Coach K being a better coach than I, etc., I still wonder why we went to Langdon at the end. Avery was the better candidate to get the ball downcourt, and had demonstrated in his game-winner against Clemson in the ACCT the year before that he could handle the situation.


To me, this was vintage K, letting his battle-tested senior take the big shot. The problem is that he didn't get a shot off. He should have pulled up for a jumper after going between his legs all those times, Brand had pretty good weak side rebounding position.

sagegrouse
08-05-2013, 04:34 PM
All credit due to UConn for winning the title. They were really prepared.

And with all caveats about Coach K being a better coach than I, etc., I still wonder why we went to Langdon at the end. Avery was the better candidate to get the ball downcourt, and had demonstrated in his game-winner against Clemson in the ACCT the year before that he could handle the situation.





To me, this was vintage K, letting his battle-tested senior take the big shot. The problem is that he didn't get a shot off. He should have pulled up for a jumper after going between his legs all those times, Brand had pretty good weak side rebounding position.

People who watched the same game I saw swear that Corey Maggette made a bunch of mistakes on both offense and defense. I didn't see those; I thought Corey was totally unguardable by UConn that night and should have gotten the ball on a pass from Trajan. He could have finished or dished to Elton for a dunk. I could not figure out why he was sitting on the bench at the end.

sagegrouse

subzero02
08-05-2013, 04:59 PM
To me, this was vintage K, letting his battle-tested senior take the big shot. The problem is that he didn't get a shot off. He should have pulled up for a jumper after going between his legs all those times, Brand had pretty good weak side rebounding position.

I agree, I was waiting for the jumpshot...

Newton_14
08-05-2013, 08:53 PM
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"... That sums it up for me. 99 was the most enjoyable regular season, ACC, and run to the Final Four ever for me, and then the UConn game happened.

The season itself was just unreal. They just crushed the ACC. 16-0 and then roll into the ACC without Trajan. Maggette starts at SG in his place and they win the tournament anyway. They were young but the athleticism, the length, inside game, outside game. They had it all really. They could score in waves and put the game out of hand so quickly it would just demoralize opponents. It was fun to watch. Especially finally being superior to UNC. It was really fun watching UNC being unable to rebound at all. One shot and done. Their bigs were destroyed by Brand, Maggette, Carrawell and Battier (in 2 of the games) on the glass. UNC had no answer.

Trajan and Avery shot it well from deep all year, plus Maggette, Battier, and Carrawell could make 3's as well. The Maggette dunks, chin up, slap the glass with both hands. The ensuing T? So what. Who cares? They had the exuberance of youth and the It factor.

Then the UConn game ruins it all. I agree they would be remembered as one of the greatest team ever if they win that game. For me, I always felt like the brutal game with MSU in the semi's was a huge factor. UConn had a much easier game with Ohio St. Duke had a war with MSU that I felt took a lot out of them physically and mentally. Still think it mattered. A different pairing in the semi's may have led to a different outcome, but who knows?

What could have been. That class could have won 3 or 4 titles easily and could have had great shots at an undefeated season or two. So close. But alas, the stars did not align.

K could realistically be sitting here today with 8, 9, Titles, had a bounce or two went the other way here and there. Think on that one for a minute. Imagine K with 9 titles in the modern era.

arnie
08-05-2013, 10:39 PM
"

What could have been. That class could have won 3 or 4 titles easily and could have had great shots at an undefeated season or two. So close. But alas, the stars did not align.

K could realistically be sitting here today with 8, 9, Titles, had a bounce or two went the other way here and there. Think on that one for a minute. Imagine K with 9 titles in the modern era.
I prefer to think of the UNLV game in 91, Laettner shot in 92 and fortuitous run in 2010 and realize we might have only 1 title. Actually believe 4 is about right with a 5th one in the next 1-3.

Kedsy
08-05-2013, 10:58 PM
I prefer to think of the UNLV game in 91, Laettner shot in 92 and fortuitous run in 2010 and realize we might have only 1 title. Actually believe 4 is about right with a 5th one in the next 1-3.

To even win the "1 title" we had to come back from 20+ points against Maryland in the Final Four. You need both skill and luck to win these things. That's why (IMO) we shouldn't judge seasons based on whether or not we win our last game.

miramar
08-06-2013, 09:00 AM
After the season, I understood Elton going pro. He was ready, had nothing left to prove, and had a family to support. I wish Avery came back to work on his defense, Corey came back to work on basketball skills, and Chris Burgess came back instead of letting his dad talk him into transferring. But I understand Avery and Corey also had families to support. At least we can counter Kentucky-Cal's draft boasts with 4 taken in the first 14 picks.

But when Corey's financial issues came out I realized that he had done us a favor.

Burgess was more farce than tragedy. How could anyone believe that Majerus was going to take a guy who was air balling free throws and turn him into another Keith Van Horne?

I also felt sorry for Avery soon after. He signed a three year contract with the Timberwolves but at the end of the second season McHale said they had no interest in resigning him when the contract expired. Ouch!

Billy Dat
08-06-2013, 01:51 PM
Another thing, because I haven't had enough self flagellation for one week...

-CWell is my all time favorite Duke player and I wanted him to get a ring. The 2010 title celebration was especially poignant when, in the post buzzer scrum, K and CWell bear hug and K leans in and says, "That's the one you never got!"

-I was hoping Brand would have his title moment with K at the 2006 World Championships but Greece ruined that one. It really bugged me that both Elton AND Shane playing for K couldn't help get that team to the finish line - both were squarely in their prime. Elton and Trajan are really the two I would have liked to see get those rings. Shane and Nate got theirs in '01, Nate and CWell got to be part of 2010 as coaches/staff, and Trajan certainly won plenty of titles with CSKA Moscow. I guess Elton will have to be satisfied with his 2 High School State titles, his Goodwill Games gold medal (http://www.usab.com/mens/mgwg_1998.html).....and $161MM (and counting) in career earnings!!!!!!!

DukeUsul
08-06-2013, 02:47 PM
My memories of that whirlwind weekend in 1999: hanging out with 29 of my finest friends in the pep band, playing pep rallies, free stuff, fan fest, confident in a big win. We had champagne chilled and cigars ready back at our hotel. Then the game was more difficult than any of us fans really wanted to admit to ourselves ahead of time, and finally lost when our favorite player couldn't get it done on two late possessions.

We drowned our sorrows at our hotel with that cheap champagne and smoked the cigars anyway. Early the next morning got on the flight back to Durham, 30 hungover 20-22 year olds, many of whom hurling in the airplane lavatory on the flight back. An ignominious end to a weekend that started off with such high hopes.

My view at tipoff:
https://sphotos-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/208568_10150161333738641_1663162_n.jpg

The hellhole I never want to return to:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/200378_10150161333663641_517601_n.jpg

I'd suggest by my glasses that this was the hungover morning after the loss. But the smile says otherwise.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/197077_10150161333823641_2166053_n.jpg

I always loved this shot I took of Shane's face-block.... think this was against Tulsa.
https://sphotos-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/207449_10150161333983641_449184_n.jpg