Word: duking
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Harvard halted its two-game skid on Saturday with a 6-5 upset of No. 12 Duke...
...That logic, as I've tried hopelessly to explain, is patently absurd. While it might have been understandable back in the early '90s, when Duke won two consecutive national championships, it really doesn't hold water these days. Sure, the pairing of senior Shane Battier and sophomore Jason Williams has taken college basketball by storm. But these guys work unbelievably hard - and their intelligence on the court belies any charges of complacency. Listen to or read any interview, and you'll find this Duke squad is unfailingly humble, a quality that's getting rare among today's college players...
...What really makes me bristle is the assumption that this year's spectacular showing has been easy for Duke - that these kids are just waltzing through the tournament, pausing to remove their silver spoons just long enough to play the games. This year's team has fought its way back from multiple injuries (Carlos Boozer's broken foot, Jason Williams' badly sprained ankle), several crushing defeats (Carolina, Maryland, Stanford) and a mid-season slump at the line. This Blue Devil team has very little depth from the bench and is markedly smaller than most teams they play. Does that sound...
...wrestle with a strange and unwieldy configuration of emotions, familiar, I'm sure, to Yankees fans. Pride swirls into protectiveness, which can easily evolve into unflattering defensiveness. I can rationalize away a part of the antipathy, reminding myself that fans of less successful teams are understandably jealous of Duke's spectacular record, sterling reputation, legendary coach. It's hard, though, to completely shake the incredulous anger that rises in my throat when someone dares deprecate my team...
...take some comfort, at least, in the fact that anyone who really dislikes Duke doesn't understand the first thing about the program. To harbor deep-seated animosity for someone like the spectacularly fluid and talented Jason Williams, for instance, is the sign of a cold human heart. And I've always suspected that those who grumble in the face of Coach K's passion are lacking in passion themselves...