Adelman: Barry's Shot was Lucky

[spurssheriff]

Not so good: As hard as Sacramento tried to "move on" from Tuesday's loss, it was impossible not to dwell on the defensive lapse that left Barry uncovered in the right corner for the tying 3-pointer.

Kings coach Rick Adelman could not fathom how Barry had been left so open.

"We made big mistakes defending that play and gave up a three," Adelman said. "Mike (Bibby) knows he should have been standing next to Brent.

"During the timeout (that preceded Barry's game-tying shot), nothing else was said except 'Stay on the 3-point shooters.' It takes mental discipline. We didn't do that, and I'm very disappointed in the loss."

Was Barry's shot lucky?

"Oh, yeah," Adelman said. "I thought it was lucky when I saw it live, but then I watched the videotape and it bounced twice on the rim and off the top of the board. I don't know if Brent works on the kind of spin he put on that shot, but it went in, and that's one of the reasons they're a great team."

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/s...k.f01a143.html

[jaespur21]

ouch is it good to be calling out your top player in such a way? Ive read bibby is aware he jacked up but also his coach pointed that out for every1 in case they didnt notice.

[mg06]

Was Barry's shot lucky?

"Oh, yeah," Adelman said. "I thought it was lucky when I saw it live, but then I watched the videotape and it bounced twice on the rim and off the top of the board. I don't know if Brent works on the kind of spin he put on that shot, but it went in, and that's one of the reasons they're a great team."

That's karma saying you shouldn't expect anything if you don't do your part.

[curiousspirit]

Horry has always said that there has to be some luck involved in winning a championship. I think this is a good example. We were very lucky to come out with a win, considering we defended poorly and lost the rebounding battle.

[bnwhuxley]

Think of it this way. It was a wide open shot. It could have swished.

[saspurs20]

The same with Larry Brown's "No three point shots!". May be some guys think this is kind of code-phrase

[pjjrfan]

Luck had something to do with it, but I think that the mental errors by Adelman's team had a lot more to do with that win for the Spurs.

[MarineForLife]

A coach reduces his chances of being lucky when he verbally bashes his best player in a public forum.

[Menudo Terremoto Williams]

Lucky counts just as much as skill.

[Spur2TheMax]

Luck is almost always involved in winning rings. It's just part of the run towards a championship. Look at the Bulls in all 6 of their runs. In the 1st one, they played the Lakers w/o 2 of their 3 top scorers (James Worthy and Byron Scott). The next year, when they played the Blazers, they had to beat the Knicks in a Game 7 then almost lost Game 6 of the finals at home until their scrubs pulled it out in the 4th and gave them back-to-back. The 3rd one was one John Paxson 3 and Grant block away from a Game 7. The next run (the 72 win season) was dominant but when they played the Jazz, both had some luck, i.e. a few Jordan buzzer beaters and a couple of bonehead plays by the Jazz that could have forced a Game 7 in Utah.

Most of these games could have gone the other way. Instead, they made plays, including several lucky ones, the other team didn't (also including some lucky plays - think Karl Malone not protecting the ball when Jordan stripped it from him) and they got a few lucky bounces along the way.

Does this take away their rings or minimize their championship runs??? No!!! Same for us - a few lucky bounces, some missed defensive assignments, good overall play and key contributions = 3 rings and counting...

[RichB]

Sometimes its better to be lucky than good.

[ATH]

ouch is it good to be calling out your top player in such a way? Ive read bibby is aware he jacked up but also his coach pointed that out for every1 in case they didnt notice.

That's one of the reasons Pop is such a great coach. He doesn't call out players to the media. Remember Nazr's 3-pointer? The media asked him about it, he told the media he was dodging the question. That's his way of saying, "When my players screw up, that's between them and me, you all just sit back and watch the game." Pop is one of the greatest coaches of all time IMHO.

[magnificent]

Originally Posted by Spur2TheMax

Luck is almost always involved in winning rings. It's just part of the run towards a championship. Look at the Bulls in all 6 of their runs. In the 1st one, they played the Lakers w/o 2 of their 3 top scorers (James Worthy and Byron Scott). The next year, when they played the Blazers, they had to beat the Knicks in a Game 7 then almost lost Game 6 of the finals at home until their scrubs pulled it out in the 4th and gave them back-to-back. The 3rd one was one John Paxson 3 and Grant block away from a Game 7. The next run (the 72 win season) was dominant but when they played the Jazz, both had some luck, i.e. a few Jordan buzzer beaters and a couple of bonehead plays by the Jazz that could have forced a Game 7 in Utah.

Most of these games could have gone the other way. Instead, they made plays, including several lucky ones, the other team didn't (also including some lucky plays - think Karl Malone not protecting the ball when Jordan stripped it from him) and they got a few lucky bounces along the way.

Does this take away their rings or minimize their championship runs??? No!!! Same for us - a few lucky bounces, some missed defensive assignments, good overall play and key contributions = 3 rings and counting...

i agree

[stp4]

Give us the luck...the Kings can have everything else

[bo spur]

There's a weird thing about lucky bounces on shot's like that. Those type of things usually happen to a team that ends up winning the championship.

GO SPURS!

[l=w]

Lucky? In a way. But Barry had been on all night. That's why they got him that shot. If he hadn't been on, no bounce.

[SAScrub]

I don't think there's a lot of luck involved in Brent Barry hitting a wide open 3 point shot. Would it really have made a difference if it hit nothing but net? No...Barry specialty is making 3 pointers, so I don't count it luck that he made this one.

If he was heavily guarded and made the shot while off balance and fading away, maybe call it luck. If there are .4 seconds on the clock and you throw up a prayer that is answered...luck. Hitting a wide open three is not luck. The Kings would have been lucky if he missed it.

[mckennaspur1]

C'mon, people, and 'fess up. When you saw the ball rim out, how many of you were already moving on to Game 3? That bounce off the backboard was unworldly.

Better to be lucky than good, indeed.

[dark21horse]

At the risk of sounding cliche....luck is where preparation meets opportunity. The opportunity came when Bibby had the equivalent of a mental diarrhea and blew his defensive rotation. Bones got the "shooters bounce" and the Spurs won. Was the shot lucky.....HELL YES!!! Would the shot have been there if Bibby would have rotated properly.....who knows.................

[mg06]

What may be lucky is the way it went in, not that it did. You relinquish the chance of making excuses the second you allow Brent Barry to take a wide open, uncontested three from the corner. Period.

[SAScrub]

Originally Posted by Nate From Ohio

A side from the mental errors your saying Brent's shot wasn't lucky. Do you honestly think Brent coud go out and shot that corner three again and have the ball go in and out off the top of the back board and through the hoop again. If so you are sadly mistaken.

I honestly think Brent could go out and make a wide-open three pointer from the corner. How it went in, swish or not, is irrelevant. Brent Barry does not need luck to make an open 3.

[Joe Tango from San Diego]

Press corps: Was that a Lucky Shot? "Oh, yeah, I thought it was lucky."- mike dunleavy, portland trailblazers head coach, May, 1999

http://www.nba.com/playoffs2004/armo...elliott99.html

[SAScrub]

Originally Posted by Nate From Ohio

So do I. You missed the point I was trying to make. How it goes in is relevant in my opinion. Barry is a good enough shooter that I'd guess 85% of his made 3 pointers are from the corner are swishes which I translate into skill, the other 15% hit the rim roll around maybe bounce off the back board in some way and end up falling in, that is luck. I bet he'd be the first one to tell you that too.

I see what you're saying...I think the way the shot fell added to the drama of the moment, but him making the shot didn't require any luck.

Six on one hand, half a dozen on the other.

[GameFan2k5]

If you really read the quote, it sounds like he isn't saying it was complete luck.

[Cruzzer]

Originally Posted by bo spur

There's a weird thing about lucky bounces on shot's like that. Those type of things usually happen to a team that ends up winning the championship.

GO SPURS!

I remember in the 2003 Championship when Horry's 3 rimmed out and landed in D-Rob's hands. He said something like "that just confirmed in my heart that this is our time".

[Rzarector7]

Originally Posted by RichB

Sometimes its better to be lucky than good.

YEP, and Horry's shot in 02 (The bastard was IN LA THEN SO IT SHOULD NOT HAVE WENT) was called lucky too by Divac..... Horry responded by saying he hasn't been watching me my whole career then obviously . Luck? Nahhhhhhhhhh, just a great shot.

Originally Posted by Cruzzer

I remember in the 2003 Championship when Horry's 3 rimmed out and landed in D-Rob's hands. He said something like "that just confirmed in my heart that this is our time".

One of the best quotes to me!!!!! Along with D Rob in game 6 against NJ, when he said guys we are not gonna lose this damn game, I don't care we are not gonna lose this game

Originally Posted by Joe Tango from San Diego

Press corps: Was that a Lucky Shot? "Oh, yeah, I thought it was lucky."- mike dunleavy, portland trailblazers head coach, May, 1999

http://www.nba.com/playoffs2004/armo...elliott99.html

Yep we stay getting lucky shots it seems, for all the HELL GOD Has put us through with the .4 and so on, I would have to say he has blessed us with our share of great shots for wins to more than even it out. We can stop with the .4 stuff now, Spurs are truly blessed at times.

[SRJ]

Sure it was lucky. That's basketball. But Sacramento had 4th quarter FT's that could have made the 3-pointer irrelevant.

If you don't put a team away, especially the defending champions, this is what happens.