Friday, March 24, 2006
The Gon(e)-Z(s)aga
I was never a huge fan of Adam Morrison's game. OK, I must admit, I've never really watched him play. But after hearing all the comparisons to NBA legend Larry Bird, I tuned in to watch him lead his team against UCLA in the sweet sixteen matchup. I was disgusted that the Bird comparison had emanated in the first place. What is it about all these Bird comparison's anyway? Do we not show him or his game enough respect? or is it because he is white? To compare the fake Mexican moustache-donning big man to Bird appeared so atrocious after the Gonzaga-UCLA game.
So he had somewhat of a good first half. It didn't seem to matter in the waning minutes as the Morrison-led 'Zags, blew a 17-point lead to the Bruins. What did I take away from the game at the end of the day? Morrison choking away the game, and then crying like a lost child in the middle of the desert. I watched in disgust as Morrison blew shots after shots and passed up some more. Finally my stomach churned with irritation when with less than 30 seconds left in the game and the 'Zags up by only one, Morrison, after receiving the inbound, chose to pass the ball away. He's supposed to be a good freethrow shooter, but maybe taking choking into account, he may not be the best. I may be wrong, but when a game is down to one possession, you give the ball to your best player(which they did,) but Morrison passed up the ball after barey holding onto it for three seconds. Subsequently UCLA stripped the ball from the receiving player (Batiste?) and from the corner of my eye I could see Morrison running up the court, instead of toward his teammate to get the ball back.
It doesn't end there. After UCLA had taken the the lead and were up by three with about 1.2 seconds left. With no time outs left, Gonzaga proceeded to in-bound the ball with a deep pass. Guess who was no where close to the centre line? Morrison. He wasn't even in the picture when the pass was made. I guess he was prepping to fall on d floor and start weeping profusely as he did shortly after. To say I'm disappointed doesn't quite do it. After all, I had never known him personally nor watched his game intensely. His teammates have to be the most disappointed of all. You endure the whole season listening to everyone say he is the one to put your team over the top, and he disappears when that time comes. I guess we know why he grew the 'stache, he's a con artist.
I wasn't a big fan of Gonzaga, not one, don't know if I'll ever be. But as a basketball player and fan, I know I was extremely disappointed to see how that game ended. Now mention the name Adam Morrison next to me and I'll definitely have a lot to say about him, thanks to yesterday's game.
So he had somewhat of a good first half. It didn't seem to matter in the waning minutes as the Morrison-led 'Zags, blew a 17-point lead to the Bruins. What did I take away from the game at the end of the day? Morrison choking away the game, and then crying like a lost child in the middle of the desert. I watched in disgust as Morrison blew shots after shots and passed up some more. Finally my stomach churned with irritation when with less than 30 seconds left in the game and the 'Zags up by only one, Morrison, after receiving the inbound, chose to pass the ball away. He's supposed to be a good freethrow shooter, but maybe taking choking into account, he may not be the best. I may be wrong, but when a game is down to one possession, you give the ball to your best player(which they did,) but Morrison passed up the ball after barey holding onto it for three seconds. Subsequently UCLA stripped the ball from the receiving player (Batiste?) and from the corner of my eye I could see Morrison running up the court, instead of toward his teammate to get the ball back.
It doesn't end there. After UCLA had taken the the lead and were up by three with about 1.2 seconds left. With no time outs left, Gonzaga proceeded to in-bound the ball with a deep pass. Guess who was no where close to the centre line? Morrison. He wasn't even in the picture when the pass was made. I guess he was prepping to fall on d floor and start weeping profusely as he did shortly after. To say I'm disappointed doesn't quite do it. After all, I had never known him personally nor watched his game intensely. His teammates have to be the most disappointed of all. You endure the whole season listening to everyone say he is the one to put your team over the top, and he disappears when that time comes. I guess we know why he grew the 'stache, he's a con artist.
I wasn't a big fan of Gonzaga, not one, don't know if I'll ever be. But as a basketball player and fan, I know I was extremely disappointed to see how that game ended. Now mention the name Adam Morrison next to me and I'll definitely have a lot to say about him, thanks to yesterday's game.
