photo: fansedge.com
Basketball, broken down to its simplest compound, is about scoring more buckets than the team you’re playing against. The Semi-Automatic refers to players who leave bodies in their wake with their innate ability to get buckets. In today’s case, we examine a team where the sum of its parts definitely exceeded the talent of each respective individual. When the Villanova Wildcats defeated the Georgetown Hoyas to win the ‘85 National Championship, they converted 79% of their shots overall and a bizarro 90% in the second half. In other words, their offensive execution was as close to perfect as you’ll ever see.
In ‘85, the field had been expanded to include 64 teams. The eighth seeded Wilcats, with their 66-64 victory, became (and remains) the lowest seeded team to stand atop the college basketball mountain at the conclusion of March Madness. Along with being one of sports’ greatest upsets, a living example of David toppling Goliath, the game is also notable because it was the last played without a shot clock.
Georgetown, with Patrick Ewing and B-More’s Reggie Williams, was the defending champions. They seemed indestructible, winning 34 out of their 36 previous games. Their only losses, to Big East rivals St. John’s and Syracuse, were by a combined three points. They were appearing in the Final Four for the third time in Ewing’s brilliant college career.
“Georgetown is as good a team as has ever been assembled,” Villanova’s head man Rollie Massimino told The Sporting News the night before the Final Four. “And that’s only because of Patrick. He’s the best to ever play college basketball.”
‘Nova had suffered ten defeats during the season and seemed to have the least chance of winning against the talented teams that Memphis State, St. John’s and The Hoyas brought into the National Semi-Finals.
But Memphis State could not match up with ‘Nova’s defense in the Final Four. The Tigers’ star, Keith Lee, got into foul trouble as he, star point guard Andre Turner and big man William Bedford could not find their groove.
The Hoyas defensive wizard from B’more, David Wingate, flummoxed St. John’s Chris Mullin in the other Semi, limiting him to only eight points on eight shots. To the casual observer, it seemed that mighty Georgetown would crush Villanova. But people who understood the game knew that the Hoyas struggled in beating the Wildcats on not one, but two occasions earlier in the year – 52-50 in overtime and 57-50.
In the championship game, the Wildcats hit 13 out of their first 18 shots under extreme defensive duress. Logical wisdom stated that it would be impossible for them to maintain that pace. But sometimes, logic gets tossed like a weak Shawn Bradley dunk attempt. ‘Nova didn’t just maintain their blistering pace, they actually bettered it.
The game’s final 20 minutes witnessed as flawless as display as any seen in the history of the NCAA Tournament. They missed only one shot from the field, and yet that doesn’t even describe their superbly executed strategy.
Ed Pinckney finished with 16 points and six boards en route to his Most Outstanding Player trophy, Dwayne McClain dropped 17, Harold Jensen hit one pressure filled jumper after another and point guard Gary McLain ran a near perfect floor game.
photo of ed pinckney: tsn.com
For that one night, over those 40 minutes of basketball, the Villanova Wildcats were as great as any team that ever laced ‘em up. Their performance was, and still is, one of the best displays of offense, teamwork, grit and determination ever witnessed.
Even the great Georgetown coach, John Thompson, had his team stand and applaud when Villanova took the victory stand, telling The Sporting News, “Any time you shoot that percentage, you deserve the praise. You couldn’t get much better.”
And it’s doubtful that any team will, ever again, play much better than that.
November 25th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
illest says:
a terrible day in my life watching sports.
November 25th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
ali says:
a great day for the underdog illest. i hurt for pat, reggie, broadnax, martin, wingate, coach thompson and the g-town team, but i was happy for pinckney and villanova.
November 25th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
funkalot says:
Illest,
I have to agree it was “Black Monday”, for me as well. Still, today, I have an empty feeling reminiscing about that game.
Those Hoyas were militant/revoluntionaries, for me and I wanted them to “stick it to the man”, which Villanova represented.
November 26th, 2009 at 10:06 am
ali says:
you guys will appreciate a feature coming up in the next issue of bounce mag that touches on that georgetown swag. enjoy your thanksgiving.
November 26th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
ali says:
some of my random hoop thougts heading into the long weekend – my goodness gracious, the big east is once again looking like The Beast! syracuse and wes johnson slapped unc around like they stole something, cincy looked pretty tough out in maui and connecticut just toyed with lsu at the garden last night, light a kid rejoicing over getting that GI Joe with the kung fu grip.
and unc will have a good year b/c of their big men. but that backcourt is shakier than an alcoholic’s hand first thing in the morning. all ya’ll hollerin’ final four? if strickland and drew don’t show me something as the season progresses – Child Please!
wondering what everybody’s thoughts are on lance stephenson early into the season? he had that brilliant cross through the legs and burst to the hole, with the head fake and strong basket in the 2nd half and he looked decent w/ 15 against gonzaga, but his body language is troubling at times. he gets upset when teammates don’t get him the ball when he thinks they should and has outward fits of frustration when they take certain shots. that’s always been the knock on him and i was hoping it wouldn’t carry through to his college career. but it’s there, at least early on. gotta change that up lance, the scouts are watching everything you do. that behavior, which some construe as immaturity and selfishness can be the difference between ending up like warren buffett or bernie madoff.
and those guys don’t seem to have embraced him, you don’t see that cameraderie and connection on the court. it’s early, so that might change as they jell, but there is an air of warring agendas with the bearcats. you can see the tantalizing potential and if all the pieces come together, he’ll be special. i would just like to see lance be more composed.
kemba walker is gonna have a monster year, especially with the prowess of uconn’s big, athletic, fast shot blockers. wait til ater majok suits up in a few weeks. with dyson a clear and present danger from the perimeter, they could take it all, no question.
and rivals needs to stop smokin’ that leak leak. they’ve got 14 or so point guards ranked ahead of ez pass. i’m sorry, but he’s in the same company as john wall at kentucky, lucas at michigan state and collins at kansas. he’s a top 5 pg in the college game, without question. and if he gets some consistency on his jumper, it’s a wrap. he did some pearl washington type ish in traffic at the garden that had the whole place ooooooooohin’last night.
greg oden is starting to get it and thank god the knicks have the nets to brighten their spirits. on the positive side for the nets, the lopez twin is playing out of his mind at times (32 and 14 the other night)and chris douglass roberts is showing that old man craftiness and getting better as a pro. i feel bad for skip, but not that bad. he’s cashing major checks.
and however donnie walsh explodes the knick roster in the future, david lee and nate robinson better stay in the garden. tyreke evans is already a problem, 19 joints w/11 rebounds and 7 dimes last night and he’s still raw like sushi. who has a higher ceiling than that young fella?
i’m glad to see baron davis picking up steam. earlier this year he looked iffy, but he’s getting back to doing his b-dizzle.
and i’m on some sammy davis jr. ish right now, “the camby man can, oh the camby man can…” he’s still doing his pterodactyl maneuverings, 15 pts and 21 boards last night. and if indiana is on, i’ll gladly enjoy my man tj ford running w/ danny granger.
gerald wallace w/ the bobcats should be featured on the hoops version of unsung. good god he wrecked toronto last night w/ 31 point, 13 rebound gem. white chocolate looked anything but stale last night, even though the magic lost to the heat. he had a nice lil’ 25 and 8, hitting 9 out of 12 shots.
looks like it’s coming into focus for the young boy thaddeus young in philly, and i watched louis williams (man, i almost called him louie orr) give the wizards fits the other night. that young man right there has the skills to pay the bills.
bronnie’s just hummin’ along, his standard 34, 8 and 7 against motown last night. doesn’t it say something that he does this on the regular and everybody’s just plain used to it. and in the midst of putting up his average of 30 points, he’s avg’ing a career high 8.0 assists. my man is like a bottle of wine, gettin’ better w/ time and at the drop of a dime!
david west had a beast night last night for the hornets and we have to start putting darren collison in that incredible rookie pg conversation. i loved his usain bolt type game at ucla and i’m glad to see him doiing work as chris paul’s protege.
speaking of which, let’s dead all that free agency talk for right now and have the knicks make a blockbuster, 3 way deal to get chris paul in the garden. make that happen, and all will be forgiven. you don’t think the upper tier free agents would re-evaluate NY as a premier destination with CPIII in the building?
don’t sleep, the hornets are gonna be cutting costs and slashing payroll. byron scott getting the ax is the first drip from the faucet of new orleans’ impending fire sale. remember that you heard it here first. MSG will be on FIRE!
and collison got the best of brandon jennings last night. two young boy greyhounds from cali going at it. collison showed that poise that had him getting bizmark during all those final four runs.
corey brewer, al horford and joakim noah are showing why florida dominated during their two year run atop the ncaa’s. brewer had a nice lil’ 22 points, 13 boards and 4 assists last night. and my man johnny flynn gave mr big shot and lawson 20.
but the wolves look more wobbly than miguel cotto did last weekend in vegas. melo’s simply brilliant, ’nuff said. tim thomas’ picture came off the milk carton last night, nice lil’ 23 point outburst. and big ups to jkidd, who passed mark action jackson for 2nd place on the all time assist list. btw, no one will ever break stockton’s record.
carl landry for the rockets does not wow you w/ anything he does, but he’s a weapon that has to be accounted for. i like his workmanlike approach and demeanor. don’t know if ya’ll got the memo but tropical storm monta ellis has reached a category 5 with his recent outbursts.
to the uninitiated, the play of the spurs is boring, but i’ll never get tired of giving props to tony parker and the inimitable timmy. glad to see jamaal tinsley back w/ memphis and my man sam young is quietly adjusting to the pro game. he had a decent 14 point, 7 board run last night.
the phoenix suns deserve their own discussion. all i can say right now is quote blahzay blahzay – “DANGER!” man are they fun to watch. just can’t hate on nash, j rich, amare, grant “fountain of youth” hill, and channing frye. and i know they housed memphis but i was givin’ zach randolph the robert deniro finger wave from analyze this, “YOU! YOU! YOU!….”, after his 24 points and 13 boards last night.
well, i gotta get ready for the day’s turkey festivities. enjoy the weekend fellas and we’ll get back at it soon. i’m outta here like mr. belvedere.
November 26th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
funkalot says:
Wow, Ali.
THat was impressive and that was pre-dinner. Son, dishing like that must feel better than ex-lax or roto-rooter on a clogged brain (I mean drain).
The fiend in me had to peek at the site , on my favorite holiday, NoGiving, just chilling THanksGiving.
And I am looking forward to the Darth Vader piece on the “Destroya Hoyas”.
May the force be with you! Ya dig!
November 26th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
Dan da Man says:
Ali, Live long and prosper…
P.S. how ’bout a piece on that ‘Nova great HOWARD PORTER !
November 27th, 2009 at 11:11 am
funkalot says:
Dan,
Howard Porter was a great collegiate, medoicre pro and a tragic victim of violence. His name does not surface enough as a Villanova great.
Most only remember the 1985 squad, but Howard led them to the brink of a chip in 1971, losing by only 6 to UCLA. Chris Ford was at Nova and Sidney Wicks led UCLA, with Curtis Rowe and Henry Bibby.
November 27th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
ali says:
wow, howard porter. ya’ll continue to tickle the brain.
November 27th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love says:
yoooo! i watched that ‘85 chip, still to this day THE BEST GAME I’VE EVER WITNESSED, PLAYGROUND, PRO, COLLEGE, WHATEVER.
people have to realize that they shot 90% which is close to impossible, but ridiculously unheard against one of the best defensive college teams ever assembled. period, end of story.
i got to play against gary mcclain in the ray diaz roundball classic some years after. at nova he ran point. in the hood, he was lighting dudes up for 35, 40, easy, pulling from nba range light with herky jerk mustard. most cats were in shock. he was coasting it seemed. reality check.
i heard half their squad, unfortunately, was coked up during that contest. don’t know if that’s true, but i remember some article coming out in sports illustrated about some of them being high during their visit to the white house. damper on the feat of course.
still the greatest game i ever saw. no way to compare it to anything. the world was in shock. think warriors beating the mavs in the first round 2007 times 200% more firepower of defense. and you still wont’ get the picture.
November 30th, 2009 at 10:02 am
ali says:
bob,
that sports illustrated piece was about gary mcclain and was one of the saddest stories i’d ever read. it really had a profound impact on me, the whole “all that glitters ain’t gold” concept. the name of the piece was A Bad Trip, The Downfall of a Champion. it’s required reading for any serious sports scholar.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1126976/1/index.htm
December 1st, 2009 at 11:10 am
ali says:
monta ellis continues to amaze with another outburst last night. and we need to start talking about another rookie guard, the kid wes matthews who went undrafted out of marquette and is now starting for the notoriously rough jerry sloan with the utah jazz. he’s been very impressive this year and had a nice 17 points and 5 assists last night.
speaking of the rookie class, my man sam young from pitt is coming on strong for memphis. carlos boozer is back to being a beast. luol deng, i just call him “DANG!” is getting back in the groove, 22 and 14 last night. and it looks like jason kidd had a flashback with his 22 points, 6 boards and 11 assists.
my goodness, john wall is just doing whatever he wants at kentucky. made 6 out of 9 and scored 12, but dished out 14 dimes yesterday. can’t wait to see him against carolina on saturday. but i’m going colin ferguson for the matchup against kemba walker and uconn next wednesday.
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:08 am
illest says:
i know uconn let duke come into the garden and dominant them.
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:11 pm
ali says:
duke is good illest. but they didn’t dominate a uconn team that was clicking on all cylinders. they’re working in a lot of new pieces this year and i’d love to see a rematch during march madness.
larry drew showed me a lil’ somethin’ last night in the tar heel victory over michigan state. that backcourt looked real shaky early in the season, but drew and strickland had a combined 27 points and 9 assists with few turnovers. and ed davis is just too smooth for words, love that young fella’s game.
and how ’bout cincy back in the polls after a long absence. lance almost caught a triple double last night, showing a nice all around game w/ 7 points, 7 assists and 11 boards.
nice to see agent zero bust out of that slump w/ his 22 and 9 dimes last night. jamison stays under the media radar while continuing to put in work and i’m so happy to see earl boykins w/ that crew. they’re off to their normal slow start but the wiz have a nice mix of vets and young gazelles. they should be alright if they can hit a groove and maintain.
demar derozan better start producing for toronto. and how ’bout gallinari last night for my knicks w/ 27 points and 10 boards. and lost amidst tropical strom ellis in golden state is the young fella anthony morrow. they got beat down last night against the nuggets, but morrow continues to show that he can be an elite scorer.
where’s all that greg oden bust talk? another nice run for him last night w/ 13 points and 20 rebounds. his shooting perecentage was atrocious but he’s coming on. beasely had a good one too w/ his 27 and 8 boards for miami.
and i know they got served by the lakers, but darren collison continues to raise eyebrows w/ his 20 and 5 dimes for the hornets. and it was good to peep okafor looking like more than a journeyman w/ his 17 points and 12 boards.
and does AI hold the record for the world’s shortest retirement? back in philly, huh. i hope this has a good ending.
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:33 pm
illest says:
ali…except for iversons ego whats the point? the fans have already seen him perform with the team losing. i dont see them buying tickets because an older a.i. is back. he gets to start again and shoot a lot. at least he gets to go out on his terms.
December 4th, 2009 at 9:46 am
illest says:
his emotions that he showed on thursday were real. he obviously cares about the game. i just wish he cared about a title as well.
December 4th, 2009 at 10:10 am
ali says:
there’s no question that AI is passionate about the game and his tenure in philly. he did seem genuinely touched with coming back “home”, where it all started for him. let’s see how long the honeymoon lasts. i really hope this ends happily for AI. who knows, he might surprise with one more spectacular run through the league. the ball is in his court, as the saying goes.