FanHouse ChristianLaettner

Christian Laettner did many amazing things in his four years at Duke. But one instance stands out above the rest, a pump-fake, turnaround, buzzer beating jump shot against Kentucky in the 1992 regional final which gave the Devils a single-point victory in overtime against Kentucky, then coached by Rick Pitino. Vitamin Water relives that classic moment in hysterical fashion with the following awesome commercial (via Rush the Court).

It was the final college game at the Spectrum. It was the place where Bob Knight won two national championships at Indiana. It was the place where Christian Laettner hit the shot to knock off Kentucky and move Duke into the 1992 Final Four. So fittingly, in this finale, Villanova knocked off PItt 67-57.

This was an absolutely vital win for the Wildcats. They were on the verge of falling below .500 in the Big East. They lacked any high quality wins, and were barely staying in the Top 25. They got the big win by beating the third-ranked Panthers with the Wildcats' quickness able to get Pitt's inside players -- DeJuan Blair and Tyrell Biggs -- in foul trouble. It created the room for the guards to drive, dish and shoot.

There has been lots of debate about Elton Brand "stiffing" the LA Clippers this past week. Some say he owed nothing to the team (or Baron Davis, if he did coax him to signing there); some feel he's a first class jerk.

Many people bring up what Carlos Boozer did to the Cavaliers a few years ago. Boozer had a *wink wink* deal with them to let him become an unrestricted free agent and then he'd resign with them (they could have kept him for $695K that season, but the Cavs were generously going to lock him up for $39M over six seasons). Once Boozer lost his restricted tag, he bolted to Utah.

And what do these two have in common? They both went to Duke.

Coincidence? Maybe. However, that fact isn't lost on a lot of people ... including those at the Hardwood Paroxysm who goes as far as calling these two "a-holes". And before you get your panties twisted, the guy who wrote that is a Duke die-hard.

Chances are, you don't resent the Grant Hills or Elton Brands of Duke history. It's the role players, the overexposed guys of lesser talent, that grate. Specifically, you loathe:

• Seeing Lee Melchionni scream (pictured) when he got his layup.
  
• Watching Greg Paulus take a charge when no one touches him.
  
• The leg kicks JJ Redick employed so he could draw fouls.
  

But come on. Frankly, these young men should enjoy their moment in the limelight, because doom awaits them.

Because the tournament usually ends the same way for the Devils. Down by a basket, Coach K will resist the urge to draw up an actual play, instead asking his point guard du jour to drive downcourt and heave the ball up. K doesn't want to win so much as he wants to put his pupil through one more trial by fire. Usually, the kid cracks under the pressure. (Right at the 4:20 mark in this case).

And after he cracks, there is no great pro career waiting. The absolute best a hated Dookie can hope for is to end up like Redick, an unused, unappreciated NBA player. Do these guys really deserve your hate?

Judgment: You are a Severely Misguided Duke Hater.

You probably blame the guards in the Stanford Prison Experiment, too.

Not happy with your hater status? Click here to start over from the beginning.