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I wish I could have watched Game 4 of the NBA Finals Tuesday with Kentucky coach John Calipari. Why? Because I would have loved to have counted how many times he said former Kentucky great Anthony Davis was playing just like he did against Kansas in the 2012 NCAA Tournament championship game when he probably had the most dominating six-point game ever.
Davis didn’t score until making a free throw with 15:30 to play and his first field goal came with 5:14 left. But he had 16 rebounds, six blocks, five assists and three steals in the 67-59 win to make everyone forget he was 1-for-10 from the field.
On Tuesday Davis still had 22 points along with nine rebounds, four assists, four blocks and one steal. But it was his defense on Miami Heat star guard Jimmy Butler that was overwhelming. Butler had 40 points the previous game but “only” 22 on Tuesday.
Calipari had noted before the Finals even started that while Heat stars Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro were enjoying the underdog role and their rise to national prominence, Davis had just one thought.
“In Anthony’s case, he wants to win a world championship and he will have an impact on the game because he is in the game. He will have an impact,” Calipari said.
That’s exactly what Davis did Tuesday just like he did in the 2012 national title game.
“I’ll just give you a couple reasons: One, if he runs to the rim and you don’t go with him, it is a dunk 100 percent of the time. So that creates, any cut to the basket creates help,” Calipari said.
“Second thing, he may not block every shot, but he is going to change shots, which means instead of you making all those, you’re going to miss some. If you are not the tallest player and you’re not used to it, it changes your game.
“And again, maybe doesn’t get rebounds because other guys are on the court to get rebounds or are rebounding so you look at his numbers and I always say, ‘OK, rebound attempts that he had a chance or how many of those did he get? ‘The ball bounces away or sometimes it just goes the other way. If balls are bouncing near you how many of those are you going to get? He is a fighter and a competitor. He will get his share of those.
“And then lastly, he can pass. So, if you try to double team, you’re seeing him throw skips across the court. They might not always make it, but they’re there and he’s throwing that ball. And he is now, he’s being chased. You’re exactly right. It’s a totally different mentality and I think he’s growing daily into it and he takes pride in it.”
