Duke weathers storm spiced by Curry
Jan 8, 2009
Outside, leaves driven by gusting wind hopped like early-emerging frogs. Tree limbs and puddles pocked roads lashed by rain that on other January nights would have left a coating of snow.
The demand to gain entrance to timeless Cameron Indoor Stadium, always listed as sold out, was unusually high, and not due to the weather.
In a throwback to another era, the game between Davidson and Duke merited close attention, earned by the Wildcats’ improbable run to the Elite Eight in last year’s NCAA tournament and the presence of Stephen Curry, the nation’s top scorer. ESPN was ubiquitous, at one point delaying action while a cameraman failed to quit an oncourt closeup of Curry as his team attempted to inbound the ball.
Davidson is the most persistent nonconference opponent on Duke’s schedule. This was the 15th time in two decades that one of Bob McKillop’s clubs came to Cameron, a testament to the similarities between the schools and to Mike Krzyzewski’s respect for his coaching counterpart. “As a coach, I love coaching in that building,” McKillop said prior to the season. “It’s got an elegance that’s defined by history, not be structure.”
Jim Valvano used to complain with tongue in cheek that, in his 12th year as a head coach, at his fourth different school, he was regarded as an overnight success once his 1983 Wolfpack won the national championship. Imagine, then, how McKillop felt when his masterful coaching was finally acclaimed in 2008 after 34 years on the job, 15 at the high school level and the remainder at Davidson. “I’ll take it,” McKillop said with a smile in that summer interview.
McKillop actively sought to move up the professional ladder several times, as coaches are wont to do, only to be stymied by his relative obscurity and lack of connections. Now, at 58, his ability to weave smart, tough, aggressive squads from the lesser thread of mid-major talent is widely recognized, but overshadowed by fascination with Curry, the superbly subtle guard who plies the court with silent, relentless, efficient grace.
On this night, the fascination in part involved watching how Mike Krzyzewski, a Hall of Fame coach noted for his defensive orientation, would scheme to stop Curry. Or, rather, how second-ranked Duke would contrive to make Curry work for every one of his 29 points, almost exactly his season’s average. “We tried to corral him,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s potentially a lot of points.”
Central to Duke’s strategy was switching constantly when confronted with the numerous screens set by Davidson to free Curry, who needs only the slightest opening to strike with a pass, shot, or drive. Curry’s defenders rarely left him to help on anyone else, a rare, respectful divergence from Duke custom.
Most often, the responsibility for checking Curry fell to guards Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer, with a forward cheating toward an occasional double team. Kyle Singler and Lance Thomas were especially effective shadowing Curry and the Devils’ own guards. That made switches, when they came, nearly seamless. Thomas visibly pinned his hands behind his back to avoid hand-checking Curry, a nicety observed by few of his Duke teammates.
At one time or another eight different Dukies wound up guarding the junior, every Blue Devil who played except for 7-footer Brian Zoubek. And even Zoubek was used occasionally to flash out beyond the top of the key to harass Curry before racing back to the post.
“They really pressured the ball whenever I had it out on the perimeter, and took us out of our offense that we were comfortable with,” said Curry, who spent much of his time fidgeting with his mouthpiece and slapping at defenders’ controlling hands. “I got some good looks and kind of rushed it a little bit. I didn’t get my rhythm until the second half.”
Three of Curry’s seven turnovers – against six assists -- came early as he patiently used his formidable passing skill to attack from the point guard’s position, taking what the defense allowed. Curry did not score until Davidson’s 23rd possession of the game. He was so closely monitored on the perimeter, he rushed his 3-point attempts, missing seven of eight.
“I thought we did a good job on Curry defending his three,” Krzyzewski said. “He didn’t get open looks. He’s a hell of a player, and he’s just never out of it. All the attention that you give him does create things for other people.”
McKillop long ago adapted his strategy to exploit such opportunities. So it was that, after Duke built a seemingly comfortable 26-point lead with 14:33 to go, the Wildcats came roaring back. “It was tough,” Smith said. “The thing that wasn’t there was our defense.”
While Curry’s mere presence on one side of the court appeared to mesmerize defenders, Davidson successfully attacked the basket from the other side. “We started the game focusing on Davidson,” Smith said. “In the second half we focused a little bit more on him.” Not that Curry was deterred; 21 of his points came in the final period.
Duke’s advantage shrank from safe to shaky, shriveling to 69-61 with under three minutes to go. “All was good in Krzyzewskville, and then all of a sudden the clouds came. And the wind. And it was eight points and Lance was on the line,” said Krzyzewski, attuned to the stormy conditions outside. “How the hell did that happen? Bad story. The story’s going to end bad.”
But it did not, at least for Duke.
The Duke contingent knew that Thomas, a 6-8 junior, came into the game hitting 51 percent at the foul line this season, 54 percent for his career. The worst foul shooter on a team making 74.6 percent, he converted one of two high, arching free throws in the first half. Now, needing to stave off Davidson's surge, Thomas confronted a one-and-one opportunity and made both tries.
The Blue Devils already had slowed the action, milking the clock with a spread offense ably administered by Scheyer, who matched Singler with 22 points, six in the final two minutes. “We stopped them a little bit more than they stopped us,” Krzyzewski said of the 79-67 victory, Duke’s 13th in 14 games.
“They put you on your heels,” McKillop said after his team fell to 10-3 entering SoCon play, where it and Bobby Cremins’ College of Charleston squad are expected to battle for supremacy. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years against Duke. They expose you, they undress you, and unless you...fight from the center of the ring, instead of back-pedaling and getting caught on the ropes, you’re never going to be able to be successful against Duke.”
McKillop will now build upon the hard-won experiences of a nonconference schedule tougher than many in the ACC, featuring Oklahoma, N.C. State, West Virginia, Purdue, and Duke. The Wildcats took a similar route to becoming last year’s overnight sensation, upsetting seven seed Gonzaga, No.2 Georgetown, and No.3 Wisconsin in the NCAAs before falling to Kansas, the eventual national champion.
