The San Francisco Chronicle’s Rusty Simmons, in his article (Nuggets manhandle Warriors once again) about the Golden State Warriors loss to the Denver Nuggets, remarked “Warriors coach Mark Jackson left his top players on the floor into the game’s final minute so they could absorb the sting of a 102-91 loss and the jeers of an 18,523-person crowd Friday night at the Pepsi Center.”
He stated, “The Warriors (7-6) were beat up by the Nuggets in the paint and on the offensive glass, and they had no answers for Denver’s backcourt, either.”
Keeping the guys on the court was sort of a “burned hand teaches best” moment, I guess. Still, for fans it is hard to watch.
***
On Thursday, while many folks were getting a jump start on their Black Friday shopping, J-E-T-S (New York Jets) fans were “treated” to an absolute debacle. Here’s how Ben Shpigel of The New York Times described it:
In a 52-second span of their 49-19 loss to the New England Patriots, the Jets allowed three touchdowns and committed two fumbles, including the one created when Mark Sanchez slammed into Brandon Moore like a crash-test dummy. A 7-point deficit became 14, which became 21, which became 28.
This picture says it all.
The NY Daily News has a video clip if you can stomach it. It was indeed one of the ugliest moments in N.F.L. history. In fact, apparently, only twice since the A.F.L.-N.F.L. merger in 1970 had a team scored three touchdowns in less than a minute, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
It’s true that “no team implodes quite as spectacularly — or as publicly — as the Jets…”
Will they feel the pain enough to perform better? This seems to be a problem deeper than getting out-hustled.
“I was thinking a different play in my head,†Sanchez said.
Apparently, that’s what caused him to mess up the hand off to fullback Lex Hilliard that led to him slamming into Brandon Moore. Even though he said one thing in the huddle, by the time it came to execute, he was thinking something else.
Really?! That’s definitely mortifying.
***
In the San Francisco Chronicle, I saw the television reviewer make this comment:
“It’s so terrible, you’ll need to ice your face when it’s over to ease the pain of wincing .”
Brilliant! Many sports fans can relate for sure.
But seriously, in sports as in life, being in the moment counts. Thinking two or three steps ahead is even better.
Awareness is key.
###
By the way, the burned hand quote is from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings
Speak Your Mind