Borrowed almost whole cloth from TrueHoop:
Last night was there was preseason game between the Heat and the Spurs...in a game that was hastily added to the schedule purely as a fundraiser for Hurricane Katrina relief. (At halftime, they presented a check for $1.1 million to the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army, and Feed the Poor.) This game was a sellout and a nail-biter, making the for the most exciting possible finish. In the end, the Heat inbounded the ball with less than three seconds left, and the score tied. In a classy move, they worked the ball to an unheralded rookie, Kevin Braswell, who was only signed a week ago and is unlikely to make the squad.They were clearly giving the kid a thrill on the big stage, in front of 20,000 people. Braswell didn't disappoint, making a layup at the buzzer to win the game for the Miami Heat.
Here's the classiest part of all. After the game ended, the referees conferred to see if the ball had indeed beaten the buzzer. San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich rushed over there to lobby to let the basket stand. He was arguing against his team having a chance to win, and for the perfect ending to a heart-warming preseason game. That's cool. The referees did let the basket stand, and the Heat won.
Wow. Good sportsmanship is unfortunately so rare that heart-warming moments like this one, even in games that don't really count, is so unusual as to be memorable.
Kudos to Popovich for quick thinking.
Tags: Spurs, /Basketball, /Miami_Heat
