BAD DOG(S), BAD!!!



via

The ball is passed to Shelvin Mack with seconds remaining...he scrambles around to find an open shot...he lofts the ball up in the air...3...2...1...The crowd holds their breath as he releases it from his hands and sinks it in from outside the 3-point line as time expires....Butler Bulldogs by 3 over the UCONN Huskies!!....HOORAYYY!! <<CELEBRATION! JUBILATION! HINKLE FIELDHOUSE, INDIANAPOLIS, THE NATION, GOES BANANAS!>>

Right?....Well, sadly that was only the end of the first half. 

I once heard a saying: "If 'if' was a fifth, we'd all be drunk" Well "if" the game ended at the half, Butler would have won the National Championship and the season would have truly ended in the fairy tale fashion that everyone had anticipated.  Instead, it was like Cinderella got all dressed up for The Big Dance: new dress, shiny glass slippers, hair and makeup to the nines, and then the Prince went home with another girl (and trophy)....Disappointing!

Don't get me wrong, I am proud of the Butler Bulldogs, their players, cutie-patootie coach Brad Stevens, their passion for the game and their electrifying back-to-back runs to the National Championship.  They have been tremendous, on and off the court, and I know that collectively, the city is super proud of them.  But, and this is a BIG but, it was painful watching them play what is probably the worst game of their careers, and sadly, the last for a few players, too.  Like my boyfriend D, they just couldn't stay up til the end of the game. 

In the first half, both teams struggled offensively and defensively but it seemed like Butler had the defensive edge for a while -- and the momentum going into halftime.  I thought for sure that Brad Stevens was giving his team a momentous --"If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can be, I don't care what the scoreboard says. At the end of the game, in my book, we're gonna be winners." (from the movie, Hoosiers) -- kind of pep talk in the locker room and that the Dawgs were going to emerge with a vengeance, like hungry dogs ready to sink their teeth into a t-bone steak-- or like a team seeking redemption and ready to finally capture the prestigious trophy and title that eluded them last year against Duke.  But what happened in the second half was anything but that: absolutely no offense with a complete inability to get inside the paint (let alone actually score in there-there were only three the entire game!); and lackluster defense (unlike what we've seen in previous games) with poor rebounding on both sides of the court.  Smith, Hahn, Mack, Vanzant, Howard, Nored -they all fell flat, like someone just let the air out of Butler's tires and they just couldn't keep up with the Huskies. 

Mack, Hahn and Howard via Indy Star

I'm not a sports writer or even someone who is competent enough to give you a recap of the game so for the details (in case you didn't witness it ), here's ESPN's Pat Forde.  They say, everyone is a critic nowadays but I was slightly annoyed that I stayed up til close to midnight watching the game, despite having to be at work at 6am so I'm dealing with a bit of a sports hangover.  But this too shall pass and so will the bitter taste in the mouths of Butler fans (both true and fair-weather).  I hope that the team receives a warm and loving reception this afternoon at the welcome home ceremony taking place at 4pm because they deserve it and hey, there's always next year, right?