In 'Hoosiers,' Hickory players dissed coach just like LeBron did to Blatt
I was watching the "Hoosiers" movie the other day, and it occurred to me that, at a climactic moment, the Hickory Huskers pulled a LeBron James on their coach. To refresh your memory, watch the clip here.
In the state championship game, Norman Dale wants the team's best player, Jimmy, to be a decoy in order to set up Buddy to take the last shot in a tie game. But they clearly don't want to run that play. Jimmy says, "I'll make it," and they scrap the coach's plan, give Jimmy the ball and he makes a contested jumper from the top of the key. The music swells and we get all choked up.
Last year in the playoffs against the Bulls, Cavaliers coach David Blatt wanted a final play with James in-bounding the ball. Nuh-uh.
"The play that was drawn up, I scratched it," James said. "I told Coach, 'Just give me the ball.'"
"Just give me the ball" and "I'll make it" -- the same, right? Of course, what we don't know is if Jimmy told the newspaper guys how he and the other Huskers nixed Coach Dale's original plan.
So, in the "Cavaliers" movie years from now, LeBron will make the shot, and the music swells. Then, cut to eight months later, when Blatt is fired. A real Hollywood ending.
