Invincible

In Basketball or any sport, you win some and you lose some. Some of the best memories I have are winning some unbelievable games, at the buzzer, in overtime, in triple overtime, amazing come from behind games you would never imagine pulling out. There was one game that always comes to mind when I think about those type of wins.

I was playing for the Townsville Crocs in 2003. We were on a road trip to Adelaide to play the 36ers. To my recollection we had a tough win the night before in Perth, so we were all knackered not only from the game but from the constant travel of those 2 days before, but still confident. We arrived in S.A. all obviously gunning for a win but understanding it was going to be tough to back up in those circumstances, as Adelaide were coming in fresh not playing the previous night. We got off to a sluggish start but were in the hunt for most of the game. By half time we were only single digits behind. By the time we got to the 4th quarter our legs gave in and we went down considerably. Think it got out to around 20 points half way through the 4th. We had also lost a couple of our more senior players to injury and being fouled out. I think there was about 4 minutes to go in the game, we needed a prayer, we were down 16. Coach blew his last time out to try and rev us up for one last push. Something just clicked. It was one of those times where as a team it seemed as if we finally got to the top of the mointain and now we could slide down the otherside. Everything started to go our way, lose balls, rebounds, referees decisions. The notoriously loud and abusive 36er crowd was beginning to get very very anxious. We made play after play, all seeming like the game was in slow motion and Adelaide were irratic and panicking. Put backs, full court passes for lay ups, dunks, amazing assists, hussle, all seem to come at ease for us as we were rolling now. Ended up winning that game by about 6, just an amazing turn around upset win. The cowd was stunned as we were dancing around high fiving and hugging at centre court.

That year we started off the season poorly and by the half way point we were 3 wins and 10 losses! That 36ers game was in the middle of an amazing 16 game winning streak that saw us finish the year with a tied NBL record for consecutive wins and a finals berth that no one expected. In that wonderful purple patch we had 3 buzzer beating wins and 2 over time wins.  As a group we had decided at 3 and 10 we had to make a stand. We banned together and each said we wouldnt shave until we won 5 in a row. We won 5 staright away, so decided not to mess with the 'Hoop gods' and keep those wolf like faces going until we lost a game. We were a scrappy homeless looking bunch by the end of that year!

Lessons to learn from that game in particular and really the whole season 2002/03, was to just persist. Just stay the fight and see what happens. We rolled the dice that year, and it was an incredible feeling of invinciblity I will never forget.