COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sports fans want to believe their favorite players and coaches know all the rules, the score, the end-of-game scenarios and clock management dos and don’ts.
Every other week, it seems we are left shaking our heads at the absurdity of such thinking.
Don’t worry, we’ll get to Will Craig in a moment. But the latest high-profile brain cramp occurred Saturday night in the waning seconds of regulation in Game 7 of the Bucks-Nets playoff series in Brooklyn. The Bucks had the ball and a two-point lead coming out of a timeout. There were eight seconds remaining, but just two seconds left on the shot clock.
You would think Bucks’ coach Mike Budenholzer spent part of his timeout repeatedly reminding his players they needed a quick shot. Budenholzer said he didn’t. You would think a 13-year pro and Stanford-educated player like Brook Lopez would not need such a reminder. He did.
The Bucks in-bounded the ball to Lopez, who could have shot a corner 3-pointer. In this scenario, there are three likely outcomes and all favor the Bucks. Lopez makes the shot. Lopez misses the shot, but a teammate grabs the rebound. Lopez clanks the shot, but precious seconds run off the clock. Instead, Lopez passed the ball, claiming after the game he thought the shot clock had been turned off.
Given a reprieve, Kevin Durant hit a game-tying jumper — just inches from being a 3-pointer that would have won the game for the Nets. Lopez and the Bucks could laugh about the gaffe because they rallied in overtime and won the game.
Craig wasn’t as fortunate. A few weeks ago, he merely needed to step on first base after catching a throw that sailed wide of the bag in a game against the Cubs. Instead of tapping his toes on first to end the ending, Craig somehow got suckered into a rundown, chasing Cubs’ batter Javier Baez back to home plate. Cue Yakety Sax. Another Chicago base runner alertly scored and the Pirates ended up throwing the ball into right field. Craig became a national punchline and got sent back to the minors.
How could a pro baseball player not execute such a fundamental play? Well, stressful situations and plain absent-mindedness can make athletes do crazy things.
Three years ago, J.R. Smith dribbled away a chance to win Game 1 of the NBA Finals after grabbing an offensive rebound in the final five seconds of a tie game. His Cavaliers lost in OT. In the 1993 NCAA basketball title game, Chris Webber called a timeout his Michigan Wolverines did not have. In 2008, former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and several teammates admitted to being unaware an NFL could end in a draw after a 13-13 tie with the Bengals.
This year, veteran Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask skated to the bench in a tie game, thinking his team was down a goal in the final minutes, and it wanted him off the ice for an extra attacker.
“It's an entertainment industry, I guess," Rask told reporters. “That’s what we're trying to provide, entertainment for the fans . . . Hopefully, they got a good laugh out of that. I sure did.”
YOUR TURN: What is the most bone-headed play you can recall as the result of an athlete not knowing the rules, the score or understanding the situation?