There was a basketball game last night?
by Bill from Tampa
OK, by now you may have heard there was a basketball game played at the Civic Center Sunday night. If you are a Seminole fan and you weren’t aware of that then all I have to say is insert that “hmmmmm” groan made by that mannequin in that TV commercial who “volunteered” to be in that manger scene. What the heck were you doing at the time, riveted to that Denver Seattle NFL game? Catching the latest episode of “Desperate Housewives?
Which briefly leads me to this. The game was listed as a sellout. Sell out means to me virtually no seats are empty. Unfortunately there were too many people masquerading as seats with those FSU towels for fans to wave draped over them. I mean sections and rows of seats just plain empty.
What is up with that? You spend the money to buy the ticket
and then you don’t come to the game?? Against your rival? “Desperate Housewives” better have been one dadgum good episode.
But I digress.
Allow me to offer a somewhat sleep deprived few (actually many) comments about the 70-66 win over the gatros (their …) aka crocs of XXVI.
Winning a game like that over a number four ranked team who just happens to be your rival especially after a certain football game on November 25th and something about some BCS game they are involved in made for a very enjoyable four hour drive back home.
As I deadpanned to one FSU coach after that game, “That was a fairly decent game to watch.” That got the desired chuckle I was looking for.
On to the game.
You only have to mention one name that propelled FSU to this win. Al Thornton.
The gatros (their …) aka crocs of XXVI
had absolutely no answer to Thornton. None whatsoever. Nada. Zippo (not to be confused as one of the Marx Brothers).
He was everywhere and did everything
on the floor.
The only thing that nearly stopped him was a cramping problem in his right thigh late in the game. At that point I’m thinking “Oh no, we don’t need this and neither does Al right now”. But when one fan leaned over the rail and asked if he was going to be OK, I felt a lot better when he said “I’m fine. I’ll be back in (the game)”.
Just a quick run down of some of Al’s plays that certainly
pleased his fan club section, Al’s Pals, behind the basket next to our bench.
Al starts off his 28 points on 10-16 shooting by canning a smooth
jumper just inside the three point line on the left wing. Shortly after that he just blows by Joakim Noah from near the right elbow. Later he abused Noah again faking him out of his you know what for another driving layup down the ride side of the lane.
The highlight basket of the first half though had to be his wrestling the rebound away from the gatros (their …) aka crocs of XXVI big men pivoting under the rim for the reverse slam dunk with 1:27 left to make it 36-27 in favor of the ‘Noles.
Thornton had another offensive putback in the second half as he fought off three defenders to grab the ball plus get the foul from Chris Richard. That gave FSU its largest lead at 53-40 with 12:08
to play.
Needless to say the very partisan FSU crowd rather loud. The gatros (their …) aka crocs of XXVI fans I think at this point were not happy. I could’ve been wrong though. Maybe it was the frowns of the two O&B clad fans next to us that gave me that impression or a group who earlier and often waved one of those blue flags with a head of a gator now sat motionless.
Add to that Al’s line 9 rebounds (6 offensive) and 2 blocked shots. I know his line says one. But I’m counting it as two. Both were the esult of not giving up on the play and erasing sure baskets by Tauren Green on the breakaway. I question that goal tending call as well. Come to think of it so did the rest of the Seminole fans. Certainly we had to see it better than those refs did.
Anyway, the second half was no different for Thornton. He started it right off by this time abusing Al Horford putting the ball on the floor and muscling by him off the left side for the layup.
OK, so now the gatros (their …) aka crocs of XXVI pack it in to prevent his drives. No problem. Al cans a three pointer at the 16:50 mark to make it 45-37.
But after going up by fifteen points, 58-43, thanks to Isaiah Swann’s three ball from the left wing certainly a number 4 ranked team is not going to go away easily. They made their expected run after Donovan benched most of his starters that is as a not so subtle message to step up the intensity.
A fast break layup, one of several late in the game as FSU got a tad sloppy with the ball, made it 60-56 with just over four minutes left in the game. And now those O&B clad fans are chomping away and we see that flag waving again.
Not to worry. Al to the rescue again. Noah is determined not about to let him drive past him again. Okaaaaaaaaay. Al just launches the jumper and FSU is back up 62-56.
The gatros (their …) aka crocs of XXVI inch still closer as Green drives in from the left wing for the layup for a 64-61 score.
Side note here. I guess someone finally got the message to not let Green drive to the right as he did about a bazillion times for what was often the easy layup.
With FSU’s offense struggling, Al makes the crucial basket at the 2:20 mark when this time he just schools Richard going right around him for another layup.
FSU now led 66-61.
Noah, who obviously was slowed with that respiratory infection, finally woke up late in the game and forced a tip in while drawing a foul from Thornton. However he missed the FT leaving the score at 66-63.
Thornton once again is the man stepping up to hit a very important shot. As he drifted up on the right side from the baseline with a very nice screen at the key by Ryan Reid, Al received the ball as it was reversed and line drived the ball into the hoop.
Now you’re talking bedlam in the place as the crowd is going berserk. Without a decibel meter in hand and just guessing I’m pretty sure that was the loudest I’ve heard a crowd at the Civic Center.
That shot was important because Walter Hodge nailed a three ball on the next possession from above the key to close the score to 68-66 with just 53 seconds left.
A missed three point attempt by Toney Douglas gave the gatros (their …) aka crocs of XXVI one last chance. Toney atoned for that miss however.
With seven seconds left Green rushed a three pointer from the right of the key only to have Douglas get enough of a hand on the ball for it to come up far short of the rim.
And there is Al grabbing the ball out of the air getting fouled in the process with only 4 seconds remaining.
What was fascinating to me was how Al just quickly made his way to the free throw line long before anyone else and before the referee was even finished signaling the call to the scorer’s table. Al was obviously ready to make those freebies and seal the win. There was no question he would miss those shots and he did not disappoint calmly swishing both shots.
Calling a timeout to set the play all the gatros (their …) aka crocs of XXVI toss the ball down the floor which was quickly intercepted.
As Ralph Mims (I think it was as by now I’m celebrating with the people in our section) tossed the ball high into the air that bounced off the gatros (their …) aka crocs of XXVI bench and into the stands students rushed the floor. I think that ball just became a souvenir of Seminole fan.
What a great scene as the students behind our goal chanted “FSU, FSU, FSU” as the students prepared to rush the floor.
With the final buzzer sounding, streams of students crowded the floor. Kudos to the security staff for at least protecting the FSU radio broadcast team from the onslaught. Apparently Mic Hubert (I wonder how many “OH MY”s he had to say about that) was
not so lucky. When last we saw of Mic, he was looking none to happy.
Even less happy was the gatros (their …) aka crocs of XXVI team. Green was rather demonstrative in his disgust at the outcome as he made his way through the mass of people and into the tunnel.
Oh, and back to those gatros (their …) aka crocs of XXVI fans next to us, for some reason they didn’t care to see those last four seconds. As their chant says, they got and went.
I hate to overlook other player’s contributions such as a key rebound by Jerel Allen, or Jason Rich’s floater as he seemingly hung forever in the air before launching it, but I’m sure no one wants to recap the size of “War and Peace”.
So as this elated writer made his way to the car for the long
drive home, I could hear the Seminole Sound drum line outside the Civic Center serenading a crowd of fans still buzzing about the win.
Oh yeah, one more thing. Speaking of buzzing Seminole fans or in this case a buzzed fan, one such individual still inside the arena high atop Spotlight Grill enjoyed the win but apparently had “issues’ with Swann and his play. He made his displeasure quite clear as the people emaining people on the court could only stare at him and wonder what is wrong with this bozo.
What made it worthwhile was when he made his way down the steps and promptly fell landing on his rear end. I’m not sure he even noticed that he did fall as he stumbled way down the remaining steps.
At this point I could only think that the only thing that could have made that better was to have this clown fall flat on his face. Didn’t happen though. Oh well. At least we won the game.
Comments? Questions? Kudos?