Never say die Bama wins again...

A game for the centuries....

Mitchell celebrates big three in OT

       Perhaps 4,000 Alabama fans witnessed  a game that 10 years from now at least 100,000 people will swear they watched. As the years progress the game will take on an almost legendary proportions. Bobby Thompson move over, you now have company. It was a game where the impossible became the improbable. The improbable proved to be the unbelievable. The unbelievable will become one of those moments in Alabama sports history where grandfathers will tell their grandsons what happened and finish the story by saying, "and I was there." I was there. I still find it find the convince myself that it really happened  From 14 down with only 7:33 left with Georgia holding the ball the Crimson Tide decided to write basketball history.

     This is a story that is almost impossible to tell. The only story that comes to mind is that of Lazarus. Alabama came back from the dead. The Crimson fought back on defense. They snatched, clawed, dived, and hustled themselves back into contention. Georgia lost their composure. Alabama found their groove. For the last 7 minutes Alabama could do nothing wrong and Georgia could do nothing right. It was as if Georgia has run out of gas, and Alabama hit the Turbo button. Back finished on a 19-5 point run to tie to the game at 53. With four seconds left Georgia's Dustin Ware took an inbounds pass and dribbled just outside the three point circle and shot a floating one hander. Off the glass and Georgia wins. Nope. Instead of the letting the Georgia players go for the win, Mark Fox decided to coach a little. . Fox called a time out just before the Ware worked his magic. The Georgia players looked stunned. I'm not sure that Fox even saw the ball go into the basket. The glee of that moment turned into disbelief. And five minutes later that disbelief turned into defeat.

     I'm not defending Fox, but the whistle clearly sound before the shot and Alabama's JaMichael  Green who had blocked everything thrown his way in the last 7 minutes, heard the whistle lowered his arms. This allowed Ware to shoot unobstructed. Green likely would have either blocked the shot or altered Ware's shot and he wouldn't have made it. Who knows?  All defeats are bitter. But this had to be as bitter as hemlock for a Georgia team that had played flawlessly for 53 minutes. While all the mini-drama will be talked about as long a peach baskets are nailed to walls it - doesn't take on thing away from Alabama's never say die team. Even in the overtime when Georgia twice took the lead they Tide came back. Bama won the overtime on a fierce defense, a key three point basket by Tony Mitchell in overtime, and clutch free throw shooting by Bama. In overtime and just for record Green pulled down so many key rebounds he seemed like the unmovable object.  For the game Green had 20 points, 13 rebounds, five blocked shots, and the full hatred of every Georgia Bulldog who watched the contest.

Ware's last second 3 didn't count when Coach
Mark Fox decided to call time out. 

     Look, this is a game where you can write the numbers, but it won't tell the story of the game. This is a story about an Alabama team that played so bad my buddy Jeff Sherrer said he couldn't tell if the Tide looked like a train wreck or a dumpster fire. For while it might have been worst than that.  The Tide proved that you can make silk purses out of sow's ears if you have persisitence and effort. Bama pulled it together and and Georgia fell apart. At halftime,  Coach Grant told Tony Mitchell to be a man and shut down Georgia's Lesile. He challanged him. He questioned his manhood and his effort against his home school. Tony answered the challange and shut down Leslie in the second half. When the last seven minutes were played Leslie became the invisible man. Mitchell sacrificed a lot of offense by burning himself on defense until he hit that rock the cradle three late in overtime.


Can't keep out Bama from NCAA now...

     Trevor Releford commented to the press that Grant challanged Mitchell man to man, and told him  to kill  the snake by cutting off its head. Stop Leslie. Mitchell stopped Leslie and Georgia lost. Bama now stands at 21-10 with a semi-final game with Kentucky on Saturday. Bama has earned a berth to the Big Dance. The Tide has shown that the RPI should be renamed the RIP. It is a meaningless number. It meant nothing when it was dreamed up and clearly its value is baseless. I have no idea where the NCAA will send Alabama. But a lot of coaches who will be in the NCAA is saying "please not our bracket? Roll Tide my Crimson Brothers and Sisters. Thank you Alabama reminding each of us that impossible is not a word if you believe its not.

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