The Six Seconds You Might Not Remember If Not For This Blog Post

When I was in college, I used to play ping pong for what seemed like hours a day in the school cafeteria.  One of my favorite opponents was this teenaged math whiz kid, who I'll call Mike, who had graduated high school at the age of 12 and thus started New College much younger than his classmates.  We used to play these intense ping pong contests (sorry Charlie, there were others, but I was totally thinking of you the entire time) where we should sweat profusely, dive for shots, and generally not impress any of the females in the area (the story of my college years).

In general, we were fairly well matched skill-wise, but the thing about Mike was that I always knew I could turn it on when I needed to.  I just owned him psychologically.  In fact, it became kind of a thing that he never won a match.  I mean, he won once in awhile, but I must have beat him something like 97 percent of the time.  As my wife knows, I don't have the greatest memory for stuff like this, but I can actually remember thinking, almost 20 years ago, "I can take this guy" even when I was down by 9 or 10 points at match point - and sure enough, I would come back and win.

I was thinking about this today in the aftermath of the Heat's stunning G5 victory, and specifically, the 18-3 run that they went on during the last three minutes of the game.  What is it like to turn on the jets and blow someone away like that?  How does that happen?  I got curious and started watching this sequence of game play, and in a special Top Five edition, am presenting, in sequence, the Top Ten plays of the 18-3 run as a means of painting a picture of what that kind of dominance entails.

My take-away?  While it's a lot easier to focus on the amazing offensive from Wade and LBJ, particularly some of the three point shots, this comeback was about one thing:  DEFENSE, DEFENSE, and DEFENSE.  I mean, the kind of suffocating, incredible defense that you can only appreciate when you watch individual plays over and over again to see how it all unfolded.

Here's my list:

1.  Dwayne Wade's genius.  Ok, it's 77-67 with 2:49 left in the game.  Rose has the ball with players all around him moving to try and create an open passing lane.  Dwyane Wade is trailing Deng under the basket but is somehow still watching Rose, who slips around LBJ, but then confronts Haslem who switches off from Taj Gibson to close off the lane.  Rose goes up but can't take the shot over Haslem and adjusts to make a pass to the suddenly open player (Gibson) left by Haslem, but Wade leaves Deng and darts in to intercept the ball.  What incredible recognition by Wade to anticipate the pass!  To top it off, Wade races down the court, takes the pass from LBJ, and converts a layup over two Bulls player and draws a fall.  He misses the free throw, but now it's 77-69.

2.  Why I love Udonis Haslem.  Ok, so the Heat go on a 7-2 run in a stunning quickfire offensive sequence: LBJ hits a three pointer over Rose, who takes too long to contest the shot and even pulls up short, probably fearing that LBJ would drive around him to the basket, Rose makes a beautiful spinning shot in the lane, and then Wade steps back, hits a three-pointer AND is fouled by Rose.  Once again Rose's defense is a bit at fault: he falls asleep a bit, perhaps trying to sneak over to help on LBJ but lets Wade get into position to receive the ball.  That sequence is what people will probably remember from the game, but what happens on the next possession is what gets me charged up.  LBJ is all over Rose, and Kurt Thomas is frantically trying to get in position to set a pick on LBJ to free Rose up.  He's finally successful, and Rose slips by only to immediately confront Haslem, who sticks his long arms up to cut off the shooting angle and (probably more importantly) keep himself from fouling Rose.  Rose missses the jump shot, and Wade boxes out Taj Gibson under the basket (actually, he fouls him) and LBJ grabs the rebound.

3.  Why I love Udonis Haslem, part two.  LBJ takes the ball up the court in that casual way of his with Ronnie Brewer guarding him.  Haslem slips out and sets a lovely pick on Brewer, LBJ is suddenly open and hits a three pointer.  79-79 with 1:01 left.

4.  Great Defense, the LBJ Way.  Rose has the ball and is being guarded by Bosch, with LBJ lightly guarding Kurt Thomas but actually closing in on Rose.  Thomas slides into a corner, open, ready to receive a pass from Rose, but LBJ times a jump perfectly and steals the ball from Rose. 

5.  Jeff Van Gundy fundementals award.  LBJ brings the ball up the floor and, driving to the left to create space, hits an 18-foot jumper.  81-79 Heat, 29 seconds left.  The shot is created by a textbook isolation play: LBJ is on the right side of the floor, and the only guy near him is Wade, who is being guarded by Rose.  All of the rest of the Heat players are all the way on the other side of the floor.  Rose knows he can't leave Wade or else LBJ will pass him the ball.  That gives LBJ all the time in the world to size up Bogans, who has a deer in the headlights kind of look.

6.  Reggie Miller versus Steve Kerr debate.  Here's how Miller and Kerr broke down this play:

Miller:  "Where does LeBron like to go?  To his left.  If you're Ronnie Brewer, you have to get on his left side and force him right."

Kerr:   "The problem you have, if you send him right, he goes to the hoop.  I think Chicago's strategy throughout the series has been to send him left and force him into that jump shot because they're so worried about him going to his strong hand and going to the basket.  The problem now, he's making that shot, there's nowhere to send him."

7.  Steve Kerr sizes up the situation.  Rose drives and draws a foul, makes 1 of 2 free throws, Heat up 81-80 with 26.7 seconds left.  The Heat call timeout and the camera focuses on a young Bulls fan, who is clutching his chest like he's having a heart attack.  Steve Kerr: "Bulls fans (pause) -- nervous."

8.  If only Kurt Thomas was five years younger.  On the inbound at half court, the Heat make a risky pass and Kurt Thomas stretches out his old, not particularly lithe frame . . . and the ball slips off his hands and back to the Heat.  Bosch is fouled and calmly makes two free throws.  83-80.

9.  The Six Seconds You Might Not Remember If Not For This Blog Post.  Ok, Bulls down 83-80 with 16.8 seconds left.  Rose brings it up and it's clear they have no other option than him.  Rose gives it up to Korver at 9.9 seconds, clearly expecting to get it right back, except that LBJ is draped all over Rose and Miller does a nice job of trapping Korver.  Six agonizing seconds pass with Korver trying to figure out what the hell to do before Rose gets it back - even further away from the basket than when he started, in a bad offensive position.  Those are the six seconds I will probably remember the most about this game: the incredible intensity of LBJ and the entire Heat team on the defensive end.

10.  The totally not surprising ending.  Rose drives to the left with LBJ all over him and barely any time on the clock.  Taj Gibson steps up and provides a so-so screen, but Haslem (who was guarding Gibson) steps up and cuts off Rose, who goes up and takes a wild shot that is blocked by LBJ.  Game over.

*****

Bonus Bill Simmons quote: in a podcast recorded the day before Bulls-Heat G5, Simmons presciently says:  " I think the Bulls need to figure out who their toughest guys are and play them.  That means Kurt Thomas and Keith Bogans.  I think you put Boozer on the bench."  That's the lineup that (almost) won them the game.  Love it when coaches throw their rotation out the window (ala Westbrook-Harden-Maynor on the floor at the same time) in a moment of desperation.

Extra bonus:  Rick Boucher revealing that "Big Sexy" and "Old Crazy Eyes" are Kurt Thomas nicknames.