History Repeating?

On game night, Veterans Memorial Coliseum was packed once again. The season had gotten off to a rough start, but just as it had for last season's finale, a matchup between Wake Forest and Duke could always be counted on to pull a big crowd into the arena — never mind that tonight's game was being broadcast nationwide. Only, whether it was the fans in the stands or the Demon Deacons on the floor, everyone looked a little grim. If Wake Forest lost this one too, they would be mired in a nightmarish three-game losing streak. And that was a very real possibility. Duke had been ranked No. 11 in the season's first AP poll, but on the strength of steady play they had climbed to No. 6 in the latest one. Wake Forest couldn't even beat No. 20 Boston College — so what hope did they have against No. 6 Duke? The broadcast was called by renowned B Sports commentator Ian Eagle and his partner Jay Williams, a former Duke and NBA player and the No. 2 overall pick of the 2002 draft. They began with the history of the rivalry, but the topic soon turned to Curry. Early in the season, Curry had made The Associated Press twice — in completely opposite roles — and that, together with his status as the son of a star, had left a deep impression. What made this game special was that Duke was one of the big-name schools that had originally turned him down — and because Curry had once attended one of Duke's training camps, the Blue Devils were the ones carrying the most storylines. "Jay, do you think Coach K misjudged him?" Eagle's opening question was pointed. "I think every coach has his own standard when he picks his players. Passing on a guy doesn't mean he thinks the kid can't play — maybe he just doesn't fit the system." Williams was new to the booth and chose his words carefully, especially on a subject that touched his old mentor. "But as I understand it, Coach K passed on Curry because he didn't believe the kid could handle the intensity of A League play." Eagle clearly wasn't going to let him off easy. "He really said that?" Williams sounded doubtful. "Yes — it was reported in an earlier Associated Press story." Eagle was referring to Curry's second appearance in the AP's pages. "In that case… then I think Coach K made the right call." Williams changed his view. Players who came out of Duke nearly all believed in Coach K without question. "So you think Curry can't play at the NAA level either?" Eagle knew exactly how to keep a storyline alive. "No — Curry has already proven he can play NAA ball," Williams fired back quickly. "But we all know the A League is a step up in intensity." As he spoke, he rummaged through the notes on the desk — he had prepared thoroughly for this broadcast. "Against North Carolina, Curry had 16 points but 10 turnovers. Against Boston College he scored just 11, on 5-of-15 shooting." Putting the notes down, he gave his verdict: "I think Wake Forest made a bad choice recruiting Curry. In a weaker league, he'd be playing a lot better." "Achoo!" In the stands, Yang Shuai sneezed. The arena's air conditioning was set a little too cold tonight. He rubbed his nose, then turned his eyes back to the court. Unlike the pessimism hanging over most of the crowd, he was confident about tonight's game. Wake Forest had lost to Boston College last time out, but they had fallen just short at the very end. Besides, in pregame practice Prosser had told him one thing: tonight the team would be making further tactical adjustments. Before long the pregame ceremony began, and the two starting lineups were announced one after the other. Blue Devils: Greg Paulus, DeMarcus Nelson, Gerald Henderson, Jon Scheyer, Josh McRoberts. Demon Deacons: Westbrook, Curry, Michael Drum, Kevin Swinton, Kyle Visser. Visser won the opening tip for the Demon Deacons, and Westbrook came out with the ball and blasted straight to the rim, powering up through the double team from Paulus and McRoberts to draw a foul. It drew an immediate wave of applause from the home fans. Under pressure that heavy, more than skill was called for — it took the kind of fearless, head-down courage Westbrook had just shown. He calmly sank both free throws. The Demon Deacons had struck first, but nobody on the Blue Devils paid it any mind. A gap in talent isn't something morale alone can close. Yet the moment they pushed the ball into the frontcourt, they ran straight into another jolt. From the opening whistle the Demon Deacons had been trapping on defense, burying the ball handler under pressure, and Henderson's hurried pass was picked off by Curry. Just as that scrimmage long ago had shown: one-on-one, Curry could be bowled over by a stronger body, but with his solid lateral quickness he was far from helpless in help defense. This defensive scheme was tailor-made for him — play to the strengths, hide the flaws. Curry raced upcourt with the steal, and when help defense met him at the arc he flung the ball ahead to Westbrook, who had charged out in front. Westbrook gathered it in and flew down the floor, leaving the chasing Paulus far behind in no time. By the time he reached the frontcourt there wasn't a defender within three meters of him, and he didn't waste it — he soared into the air and finished a flying one-handed slam. On landing, Westbrook pounded his chest and roared, and in an instant the home crowd was on fire. Riding that wave, the Demon Deacons charged to a perfect 10–2 start. The cheers washed over the arena like a tide. Morale alone truly couldn't bridge a talent gap — but tonight the Demon Deacons had more than morale. They had tactics. This reckless, relentless pressing, this sudden burst of pace, was a perfect illustration of the old saying: wild punches can floor the master. The camera cut to Coach K on the sideline. Mention North Carolina and plenty of names spring to mind — Jordan, Dean Smith, Roy Williams, Vince Carter, and so on. But mention Duke, and the first name everyone thinks of is Coach K. A coach who had been at Duke since 1980 and had already led the team to three NAA Tournament titles, he had long since become a totemic figure of the school. The camera showed no ripple of emotion on Coach K's face — only a new tactical signal flashed to the floor. For a man who had stood courtside for countless big moments, a scene like this was hardly worth mentioning. The Blue Devils' play right after proved it. They stopped dumping the ball to the perimeter and instead brought McRoberts up to the high post to run the offense. First McRoberts delivered a perfectly timed pass, finding Scheyer's cut for a thunderous dunk at the rim; then on the very next possession he spun and drove straight at the basket, dropping in a soft floater off the glass and drawing a shooting foul from Swinton as well. The No. 1 high school player in the class of 2005 had averaged just 8.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in his freshman season. A power forward in high school, he had been pushed by Coach K to add weight and play center, and plenty of people had written him off as a ruined recruit. But with those two possessions he showed exactly what he could do. McRoberts stepped to the line for the extra free throw, and just then a short whistle sounded from the sideline: Ibaka checked in for Swinton. The substitution sent a stir through the arena. It was Ibaka's first appearance in a Demon Deacons uniform, and most of the fans had no idea who he was. It wasn't just the fans — even Eagle was caught off guard: "The Demon Deacons are subbing in a kid from the deep end of the bench while they're in a bad spot?" Beside him, Williams pawed through his notes and at last dug up Ibaka's profile, his face full of disbelief: "They actually recruited a player from Congo? Wait — where even is Congo?" Hearing where the kid hailed from, Eagle couldn't hold back a laugh: "Prosser's panicking." Watching Ibaka out on the floor, Yang Shuai instinctively rubbed his hands together. So this was the further tactical adjustment Prosser had talked about. Come to think of it, after that last conversation he had figured Prosser would give Ibaka his debut against Boston College — but it never happened. Now, against Duke, Ibaka was being thrown onto a stage that was an opportunity for him — and at the same time, a big test. McRoberts made the free throw, and the score moved to 10–7, the deficit down to a single possession. The Demon Deacons came up empty on a half-court possession. With their offense steadied, the Blue Devils' defensive intensity began to climb as well. Duke now had a chance to tie the game or take the lead. The home fans couldn't help growing restless. If all this hope got built up and they still lost by a landslide in the end, it would be a carbon copy of last season's finale!