The 39 Minute Player

In basketball there are a few extremely talented players who can make shots from any position and in tough circumstances. They just feel it. It can't be trained, taught or practiced. It just comes from the God given talent that they possess.

They (usually) defy basketball: don't need set plays, won't get discouraged if they miss three in a row, taunt their adversaries and many times ignore the coach's indication. They are loved by the fans and hated by the opposition.

Any coach would want such a player on the court in the final minutes of a close game. Just give him the ball, sit on the bench and see the opponents shake in their sneakers. They usually deliver.

There are a few players there, who can do these things, they have the talent, the attitude, the works, but only during the first 39 minutes of the game. They score 20+ points in a game, make tough shots, exasperate the opposing coach and send the fans into heaven. But come the last minute, they fall into an unknown abyss and simply forget about everything and become doombringers for their teams. They commit turnovers, miss shot after shot, and if they are kept on the court, they most probably lose the game all by themselves. 

Such a player is Matija Ceskovic from CSU Atlassib Sibiu, previously at BC Mures. His talent and basketball skills can't be contested. When he is on fire, almost nothing can stop him from scoring. He is a pain in the arse for any defender and defensive system. He can score from way beyond the arc or he can penetrate to the basket even against much taller opposition.

But all this only in the first 39 minutes. If a coach had the bad decision of leaving him on the court, moreover gave him the ball in hope that he would win the game, it would mean almost certain doom for the team. There are many examples from both his BC Mures and CSU Sibiu periods and I won't bother to line them all up here. A perfect example was today's match against Pitesti, which Sibiu lost in the final minute. 

After taking the lead with less than a minute to go, thanks to a 3 pointer by Ceskovic, Sibiu gained possession due to a Lee rebound. Ceskovic received the ball with less than 40 seconds on the clock and tried to wind down the clock as usual for a team in lead. After a failed inside pass to Lee, the ball bounced to Bojovic, who passed it to Ceskovic. With the shot clock winding down he was forced to shoot a desperation three, but wasn't even close and on the ensuing fast break Pitesti scored with an easy dunk. Sibiu called for a time out and the coach decided to give the ball to, you guessed right, Nr. 26. With only a few seconds left on the clock, Ceskovic attempted to pass the ball to Lee under the basket, and he succeeded, but committed travelling in the process and there was no more time left for a miracle in Pitesti.

I have nothing personal against Matija Ceskovic, he is a very talented and versatile player. I liked him both time he played for BC Mures, but if I were the coach, I would have left him on the bench every time when there was a clutch situation within the final minutes of a game.