That is literally what I screamed at the top of my lungs with nine seconds left in game two of the NBA Finals featuring the New York Nicks vs San Antonio Spurs... and I was in a bar when I did it.
Actual footage of Mitch Johnson not calling a time out that could have helped win the game.
I honestly can not believe what I saw last night. For the first six quarters of the NBA Finals, the best basketball player in the world, Victor Wembanyama looked lost. Actually, he looked like a 22 year old playing against guys who had been in the NBA for a decade. In game one he went 6 for 21 from the field and a dismal 2 for 9 from three point land. The best line I saw on the internet was "Wemby looked like he was going second in a game of horse behind a very creative player". Wemby seemed to be throwing up wild shot after wild shot. The same held true for the first half of game two. Wemby had just seven points at halftime. Charles Barkley, who always tells the truth, said it best. He said that Wemby was getting his as kicked. he also pointed out a big part of it was youth and inexperience.
Well apparently Wemby heard Chuck and took it to heart. he was absolutely fantastic in the second half of game two... until there was thirty seconds left.
But to be fair, the Spurs head coach, Mitch Johnson, should be taking a huge portion of the blame. Just like Wemby looked like an inexperienced player, Johnson looked like a very inexperienced second year coach.
With thirty seconds left with the score tied, the Spurs had the ball. Johnson called a timeout and decided to go for a two for one so the Spurs would have two cracks at scoring during the final 30 seconds of the game. Apparently the plan was for Wemby to take a jump shot. Of course he missed.
On the next trip, the Knicks ended with an empty possession. The game was still tied. Wemby had the ball with nine seconds left and that is when the Spurs coach lost the game. Many will argue that Wemby passing the ball to Stephon Castle when he wasn't looking was the reason they lost. But that should have never happened. As soon as the Spurs grabbed the rebound, Johnson should have immediately called timeout... but he didn't. And the Spurs lost. As soon as they did, I said "you sir are fucked" (referring to Mitch Johnson). Sadly a guy at the bar thought I was talking to him. We straightened it out quickly. But Mitch Johnson caused that problem too.
I know there are two schools of thought here. Some coaches want their team to play fast and not allow the defense to set up. But the Spurs best three players, who were all on the floor, have a combined 6 years of NBA experience. Wemby is in his 3rd year, Castle is in his second, and Harper is a rookie. All of their ages combined are only slightly older than me (yes I'm old). Thsoe kids needed a time out to calm their nerves and set up a play. But instead the kids did what kids do. The Kicks stole the ball, Brunson got fouled and hit one of two free throws.
Mitch Johnson had one chance to redeem himself. With 7 seconds left, he could draw up a winning play. Perhaps he would send Wemby to the basket. Maybe he would have Castle drive. Nope. Another jumper by Wemby. And they lost. You can hang this loss on the coach.
Call A Freaking Timeout You Idiot!
What is the series at now? I haven't really been watching most of it. I know my father in law is cheering for the Knicks to win.
2-0 Knicks and both games were in San Antonio. Spurs are in huge trouble.
Ah, okay. I didn't know if they had played game three yet.
Wherever we are sitting and the match is in an exciting phase, our breath stops, especially when our favorite team starts losing or is not performing well. Interesting matches are those where the loss is won by fewer runs
I was thinking the same thing. with such a young team on the floor, not calling a timeout in that moment felt like a huge mistake, those final seconds completely change the game.
Ohh so who wins?
Any idea btw thanks for sharing with us ☺️
even the best humans are not invincible
@hanshotfirst, me interesó lo que compartiste sobre "Freaking Timeout Idiot!". Gracias!
Perhaps the plan was to call time to put together a good play, since there was an opportunity to do so, but let's remember that most of them are novices, both coach and players, so this is their first experience in such an important situation.
The Spurs coach's mistake was undoubtedly due to inexperience, and I took into account that although they are players with incredible futures, perhaps the pressure of the moment overwhelmed them in that split second needed to make that decision that hurt the entire game and made them lose, falling behind 0-2. Now they face the difficult task of calming down to win in New York.
I haven't seen any of the Finals games yet, but it's a huge surprise that the Knicks are up 2-0 and now they're going home to try and sweep the Spurs. As I've mentioned, I'm a big fan of betting, and picking a winner is tough, but the underdog on defense should be a good option because both teams need to take that aspect of the game seriously. It might have been neglected before, but it's now very valuable. In these crucial moments, you need that experience that the Spurs lack in every position. But hopefully, they can take advantage and bring the series back to San Antonio. Right now, it seems strange to me that only the Knicks are at -1.5; that seems like a very low number.
Man I can literally feel the raw tension and adrenaline just reading your title 🏀🔥 There’s nothing more stressful than watching the clock tick down in the NBA Finals and screaming at the TV for a timeout that never comes That Knicks vs San Antonio series was pure intensity and game two had everyone on the edge of their seats. Love the passion in your writing it perfectly captures what being a real sports fan is all about Great breakdown looking forward to reading more of your sports takes 💯🙌