Chris
02-11-2005, 12:10 AM
Now, I know not many will care about this post, since it speaks of the strengths of the ABA and not its (many) weaknesses, but for those that are interested in high-quality professional basketball ... tonight's Arkansas-Utah game was a treat. Best game I've seen in a long time, and I've seen a lot.
The ABA is struggling, but there still needs to be a place for players on teams like Arkansas and Utah, and others, to play - they are too good not to be playing somewhere.
Anyway, here's a summation of a game I hope is as good as the title game.
BY CHRIS GIVENS
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
They played every bit like the two best teams in the American Basketball Association in a game that lived up to lofty expectations.
The Arkansas RimRockers beat the previously unbeaten Utah Snowbears 104-97 in a high-quality, high-intensity game before 5,431 fans in an electric atmosphere at Alltel Arena Thursday night.
The RimRockers (25-4) rallied from a 13-point third-quarter deficit and got the clutch-shooting performance of the season from Todd Day to give Utah (23-1) its first loss, but the victory celebration was muted by one very important fact — the same two team’s play Saturday.
“Nothing until Saturday,” Day said. “If get them again ... We look forward to playing them again because they have doubt [that Arkansas is the better team]. When they leave we don’t want them to have any doubt. The statement game will be Saturday. If we can win Saturday then we don’t have to debate who is the best team in the ABA.”
Arkansas ended up the best team on Thursday, but until Day bailed out Arkansas late that debate may have been leaning the Snowbears’ way.
Day overcame a woeful first half to score 30 second-half points, including 11 in the final 2:13, to finish with 35 and lead all scorers. Day was 2 for 15 in the first half and 9 for 11 in the second, and hit the three-pointer with 59 seconds left that gave Arkansas the lead for good at 98-97.
“We had to get him going,” Arkansas Coach Joe Harge said. “He wasn’t hitting early, but he’s so competitive. He’s going to hit shots. You’ve got to stick with him. He’s our shooter.”
Arkansas also got a huge shot from a very improbable outside shooter — 6-10 center Oliver Miller.
Miller, who had 7 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in his first game as a RimRocker, hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to put Arkansas up 87-86 with 5:25 left, its first lead since the end of the first quarter. Earlier Miller launched an airball from the same spot.
“I have too much pride to leave it with an airball,” Miller said. “When they backed off of me I knew I can shoot that shot and I knew once I released it, it was good. I just want to come in and do whatever I need to as a role player.”
The shot gave the RimRockers momentum, but the Snowbears matched Arkansas shot-for-shot.
Then Day took over.
Day scored nine consecutive points in the final minutes: a leaner with 2:13 left, a free throw at 1:39, a turn-around jumper and free throw at 1:20 (after which he screamed to his friend and Utah Coach Ike Austin “This is my house!”) and the three-pointer with 59 seconds left.
“It was a refuse-to-lose attitude,” Day said. “If we lose, a loss like that and we don’t know which way this team goes. I wasn’t going to let us lose.”
Kareem Reid did his part for Arkansas, scoring 21 points with 11 assists and 1 turnover in 46 minutes. Marco Cole added 12.
Clay Tucker had 25 points to lead Utah, with Curtis Millage adding 23 and Harold Arceneaux 21.
“We knew Arkansas was a good team, but we’re not scared to play anybody,” Austin said. “It was a big game, and they just pulled it out in the last few minutes. Our guys weren’t focused mentally down the stretch on what they had to do.”
Despite what players said was their biggest victory of the season it was a subdued RimRockers lockerroom after the game, with the same players saying their focus was squarely to the front, the not rear.
“If were not able to get them again, then we haven’t done anything,” Reid said. “Hopefully that’s a preview of the championship.”
Utah M FG FT O-R PF A PTS
Camara 23 2-5 1-1 4-10 2 0 5
Arceneaux 39 9-19 2-2 2-5 2 2 21
Koford 34 2-4 3-5 1-8 6 1 7
Tanner 27 0-6 0-0 0-3 5 1 0
Tucker 45 7-21 8-9 1-6 3 4 25
Millage 26 7-14 4-4 2-6 4 3 23
Driggers 28 4-11 6-6 5-6 6 3 14
Broxie 13 1-2 0-0 1-5 2 1 2
Team 2-5
Totals 240 32-82 24-27 18-54 30 15 97
PCT. FG 39.0, FT 88.9 3PT — 9-27 33.3 (Millage 5, Tucker 3, Arceneaux). TO — 24 (Arceneaux 5). BL — 3 (Koford 2). ST — 6 (Koford 2).
Arkansas M FG FT O-R PF A PTS
Day 40 11-27 7-9 1-6 3 3 35
Reid 46 8-18 4-5 3-6 4 11 21
Jackson 24 0-5 4-6 1-3 7 0 4
Johnson 33 4-5 0-2 5-8 2 2 8
Cole 24 4-7 2-2 2-6 2 0 12
Davis 20 3-7 0-0 0-3 1 1 8
Terrell 2 0-2 0-0 0-1 0 0 0
Dean 31 2-3 5-5 0-2 4 1 9
Miller 20 2-7 2-4 1-6 4 4 7
Team 1-6
Totals 240 34-81 24-33 15-47 27 22 104
PCT. FG 42.0, FT 72.7. 3PT — 12-31 (Day 6, Cole 2, Davis 2, Reid, Miller). TO — 14 (Day 3). BL — 6 (Day 2, Jackson 2). ST — 12 (Reid 4).
Utah (23-1) 19 30 25 23 — 97
Arkansas (25-4) 20 19 29 36 — 104
Attendance — 5,431.
The ABA is struggling, but there still needs to be a place for players on teams like Arkansas and Utah, and others, to play - they are too good not to be playing somewhere.
Anyway, here's a summation of a game I hope is as good as the title game.
BY CHRIS GIVENS
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
They played every bit like the two best teams in the American Basketball Association in a game that lived up to lofty expectations.
The Arkansas RimRockers beat the previously unbeaten Utah Snowbears 104-97 in a high-quality, high-intensity game before 5,431 fans in an electric atmosphere at Alltel Arena Thursday night.
The RimRockers (25-4) rallied from a 13-point third-quarter deficit and got the clutch-shooting performance of the season from Todd Day to give Utah (23-1) its first loss, but the victory celebration was muted by one very important fact — the same two team’s play Saturday.
“Nothing until Saturday,” Day said. “If get them again ... We look forward to playing them again because they have doubt [that Arkansas is the better team]. When they leave we don’t want them to have any doubt. The statement game will be Saturday. If we can win Saturday then we don’t have to debate who is the best team in the ABA.”
Arkansas ended up the best team on Thursday, but until Day bailed out Arkansas late that debate may have been leaning the Snowbears’ way.
Day overcame a woeful first half to score 30 second-half points, including 11 in the final 2:13, to finish with 35 and lead all scorers. Day was 2 for 15 in the first half and 9 for 11 in the second, and hit the three-pointer with 59 seconds left that gave Arkansas the lead for good at 98-97.
“We had to get him going,” Arkansas Coach Joe Harge said. “He wasn’t hitting early, but he’s so competitive. He’s going to hit shots. You’ve got to stick with him. He’s our shooter.”
Arkansas also got a huge shot from a very improbable outside shooter — 6-10 center Oliver Miller.
Miller, who had 7 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in his first game as a RimRocker, hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to put Arkansas up 87-86 with 5:25 left, its first lead since the end of the first quarter. Earlier Miller launched an airball from the same spot.
“I have too much pride to leave it with an airball,” Miller said. “When they backed off of me I knew I can shoot that shot and I knew once I released it, it was good. I just want to come in and do whatever I need to as a role player.”
The shot gave the RimRockers momentum, but the Snowbears matched Arkansas shot-for-shot.
Then Day took over.
Day scored nine consecutive points in the final minutes: a leaner with 2:13 left, a free throw at 1:39, a turn-around jumper and free throw at 1:20 (after which he screamed to his friend and Utah Coach Ike Austin “This is my house!”) and the three-pointer with 59 seconds left.
“It was a refuse-to-lose attitude,” Day said. “If we lose, a loss like that and we don’t know which way this team goes. I wasn’t going to let us lose.”
Kareem Reid did his part for Arkansas, scoring 21 points with 11 assists and 1 turnover in 46 minutes. Marco Cole added 12.
Clay Tucker had 25 points to lead Utah, with Curtis Millage adding 23 and Harold Arceneaux 21.
“We knew Arkansas was a good team, but we’re not scared to play anybody,” Austin said. “It was a big game, and they just pulled it out in the last few minutes. Our guys weren’t focused mentally down the stretch on what they had to do.”
Despite what players said was their biggest victory of the season it was a subdued RimRockers lockerroom after the game, with the same players saying their focus was squarely to the front, the not rear.
“If were not able to get them again, then we haven’t done anything,” Reid said. “Hopefully that’s a preview of the championship.”
Utah M FG FT O-R PF A PTS
Camara 23 2-5 1-1 4-10 2 0 5
Arceneaux 39 9-19 2-2 2-5 2 2 21
Koford 34 2-4 3-5 1-8 6 1 7
Tanner 27 0-6 0-0 0-3 5 1 0
Tucker 45 7-21 8-9 1-6 3 4 25
Millage 26 7-14 4-4 2-6 4 3 23
Driggers 28 4-11 6-6 5-6 6 3 14
Broxie 13 1-2 0-0 1-5 2 1 2
Team 2-5
Totals 240 32-82 24-27 18-54 30 15 97
PCT. FG 39.0, FT 88.9 3PT — 9-27 33.3 (Millage 5, Tucker 3, Arceneaux). TO — 24 (Arceneaux 5). BL — 3 (Koford 2). ST — 6 (Koford 2).
Arkansas M FG FT O-R PF A PTS
Day 40 11-27 7-9 1-6 3 3 35
Reid 46 8-18 4-5 3-6 4 11 21
Jackson 24 0-5 4-6 1-3 7 0 4
Johnson 33 4-5 0-2 5-8 2 2 8
Cole 24 4-7 2-2 2-6 2 0 12
Davis 20 3-7 0-0 0-3 1 1 8
Terrell 2 0-2 0-0 0-1 0 0 0
Dean 31 2-3 5-5 0-2 4 1 9
Miller 20 2-7 2-4 1-6 4 4 7
Team 1-6
Totals 240 34-81 24-33 15-47 27 22 104
PCT. FG 42.0, FT 72.7. 3PT — 12-31 (Day 6, Cole 2, Davis 2, Reid, Miller). TO — 14 (Day 3). BL — 6 (Day 2, Jackson 2). ST — 12 (Reid 4).
Utah (23-1) 19 30 25 23 — 97
Arkansas (25-4) 20 19 29 36 — 104
Attendance — 5,431.