Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 11, 1991 TAG: 9103110041
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bill Brill
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
Like everything else that happened Sunday, he was denied what he wanted.
Laettner has had a great season for Duke. The 6-foot-11 junior is likely the ACC's player of the year.
But Sunday against intense, relentless North Carolina, Laettner's team lost badly and he lost his cool. Early.
On the game's opening - and indicative - possession, ACC Tournament MVP Rick Fox scored on an offensive rebound and was fouled by Laettner.
Just 2:21 into what became the third biggest blowout in tournament history (96-74, Tar Heels), Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski received a technical foul from Lenny Wirtz.
According to several sources near the Duke bench, coach K was yelling at Grant Hill and Wirtz misunderstood to whom the message was directed.
Laettner, the most intense of all the Duke players, immediately ran at Wirtz shouting, "Way to keep your head in the game."
After getting his second foul with just 5:40 gone, Laettner went to the bench to fume as the Tar Heels continued to build on a lead that once reached 26 points.
It was 11 minutes into the game before Laettner got his first shot, and by then the Devils were down a dozen.
Despite a late burst, in which Laettner scored Duke's eight points of the half, the blowout was secure and Christian's temper was apparent.
Early in the second half, he was called for walking and screamed profanities at official Gerry Donaghy, who chose to overlook them.
Later, with 2:30 left in what was to become Dean Smith's ninth ACC title, Laettner once more clapped his hands and directed his remarks to Donaghy, who finally called the "T".
Laettner left the game immediately, and his 22 points and five rebounds were, to him, meaningless numbers.
Having arrived back at his locker after a lingering shower, Laettner stood momentarily with his back to the audience, taking a deep breath, regaining his lost composure.
What about the technical, his first?
"What I said to get the `T' was the nicest thing I said all day," Laettner replied.
"I don't like my players getting technicals," Krzyzewski said, "but that's just Christian. That was just emotion and frustration. I'd rather have it and try to channel it [the proper way] than not to have it."
By all accounts, Laettner is by far the worst loser on the team, and he had a long afternoon to ponder that possibility, because the Tar Heels were devastating from the start.
"Their intensity was overwhelming," Laettner said. "That's totally our fault. They were killing us so bad. It was frustrating. I don't think we had it from the beginning."
It wasn't that Duke didn't anticipate the possibility of a Carolina blitz.
Proud to a fault, the Tar Heels not only lost twice to the Blue Devils this season, but also have had to sit home and watched as Duke has gone four times to the Final Four since 1986.
This one was never in question, Krzyzewski conceded, "from our first offensive possession. We didn't play strong. That doesn't mean you can't get it back, but we didn't. We played hard, but we didn't play smart or well."
And as the Tar Heels continued to dominate at both ends, Laettner became a time bomb waiting to explode.
Now it was over, and there were the NCAAs later this week.
"We need to learn from it," said Laettner, who led the voting for the all-tournament team. "This is a new season now.
"This humbles you, how poorly you can play. This can happen if you let it. If you don't meet that intensity, you're not going to turn it on.
"That should be one of our strengths. We weren't poised. We knew they were going to come hard. It's such an obvious thing."
A year ago in this same building, Duke lost to Georgia Tech in the semifinals and then Phil Henderson went off in the locker room, questioning the intestinal fortitude and commitment of his teammates.
This time, the frustration came on the court. Whether or not it has the same effect on the Duke team will be determined in the next couple of weeks.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB