Duke Floor Slapping

October 27, 2022

Duke Delivers A Floor-Slapping In Miami’S Face

DURHAM—

Quinn Cook made a 3-pointer to put Duke by 10 with 1:55 left on Saturday, turned to the Blue Devils bench and tapped three fingers against his temple, just for his teammates and the frantic Cameron crowd Indoor Stadium know exactly how many points he had just scored. As he crossed the half-court line, the Duke point guard crouched down and slapped the ground, triggering a ripple effect that spread to Ryan Kelly and Rasheed Sulaimon. I just did it."

It should have been the signature moment of Duke's 79-76 win, the enduring image of a game the Blue Devils (25-4, 12-4 ACC) needed for their sanity as much as to keep them going. life a slim shot to a share of the ACC regular season title. Instead, Miami (23-5, 14-2) proved just how tough the outing will be as March goes crazy, closing within two points and getting two shots to send the game into overtime before losing. . It was a fitting end to a game between the two ACC heavyweights this season, which featured nine draws and 13 lead changes, with six draws and nine lead changes coming in the second half alone. When Cook's 3-pointer put Duke 48-47 with 13:51 to go, Shane Larkin responded with a layup to put Miami back in front. "It's March," said Duke freshman Rasheed Sulaimon. March madness.

Sulaimon, who had been out of whack since scoring 27 against Boston College last Sunday, gave Duke his big break, after some cajoling from Kelly. Sulaimon said Kelly pulled him aside during a time out and said, "You're going to make the biggest play in this game."

Sulaimon came into the lane and hit a layup, then stole the ball and converted another to put Duke ahead at 72-65 with 2:38 left, getting fouled in the process. As Kelly helped lift Sulaimon off the ground, he said, "Didn't I tell you?"

A great moment, yes, but not the biggest play of the game, not when Miami still had gas in the tank thanks to 3-pointers from Larkin and Trey McKinney Jones.

Coach K Addresses Floor Slap In Duke’S Win Over Texas Tech: ‘What The Hell, Why Not?”

With the stakes as high as they have been all season, Duke found a way to pull off a 78-73 win over Texas Tech in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night. The final minute of the game saw the Blue Devils make a number of crucial defensive saves on their way to victory, an effort sparked by a lore as legendary as Mike Krzyzewski himself. Krzyzewski, the credited inventor of the infamous ground slap, was asked after the match why he had responded that way at the time, to which he replied: "What is it? , why not?"

He continued, “Our guys really wanted this because it's kind of like crossing the bridge to 'The Brotherhood,' you know? I hope they can say it again, at least on Saturday.

Coach K's patented ground slap has rallied a number of wins at Duke and has shaken up more than its share of opponents since its introduction in the 1986 season, Krzyzewski's sixth at Durham. Exactly how Duke's journey will end remains to be seen, but for at least one more game, Krzyzewski was able to deliver another signature moment ahead of Saturday's clash with the No.

Why Do Basketball Players Slap The Floor? Some Interesting Answers

Some interesting answers

"The tradition of players hitting the ground was invented by Duke Basketball team head coach Mike Krzyzewski. So if you're curious about 'Why do basketball players hit the ground', then here's the simple answer:

"They do it to increase the intensity of the game or when they stop."

Other than that, if you're interested in how this 'slap on the floor' thing started, then let us discuss it, without further ado:

Basketball ground slapping background

The tradition began in 1980 when Mike Krzyzewski returned to Duke Blue Devils as head coach and made them a basketball powerhouse. In his words in a 2015 interview, "Tommy Amaker and a few other guys did it in '86 and it wasn't orchestrated but a spontaneous reaction to make the game more interesting."

What started as a spontaneous reaction from Duke has become their identity and the basketball team now does it in a more unified way to hit the ground running during the game. Former Blue Devils player and then game commentator Grant Hill taunted the Duke players with the following words: "Could you do that in the playing area?"

Anyway, the match resulted in a victory for Duke, and later Allan (Duke's main player) defended his teammates by saying, "Yes, you can smack the ground in the playing area, but this symbolizes a halt rather than forming a man-to-man defence.

This is how all the drama of basketball players hitting the ground began and is now evolving into new forms. Quin Cook, the Duke Blue Devils playmaker, elaborates on the ground slaps with the words: "We do it when we need a stoppage or we think the game is not going our way or when there is a breaking point."

So aside from intensity and stopping, it could be said that basketball players hit the ground when their team is not up to scratch.

# Video | Duke Floor Slapping

Be the first to know
Latest News
Related Tips
Background of Floor Slapping in Basketball
Site Information Navigation
Ball Durham

Duke Floor Slap

Duke Turns Up The Heat With A Slap Of The Floor

But at one point in the 1980-81 season, during practice at Cameron Indoor Stadium, a freshman coach named Mike Krzyzewski demanded that his players do something they had never done before. "Never," said Vince Taylor, who played on that team. It has endured, passed from team to team, from leader to leader, like a legacy. He is a symbol of tenacity and fodder for mockery, loved by his fans and reviled by almost everyone. When Krzyzewski did, in a game this season against Toledo, he broke his watch.

Duke Slapping Floor Texas Tech

Patented Duke Basketball Weapon Has Returned In Epic Fashion

However, none of these hold a candle to the adrenaline rush in the game that is Duke basketball's Cameron Indoor ground slam. Over the years, slapping on the ground has been a signal to everyone that it's time to protect the house. ALSO READ: Duke Has A Born Star Against Virginia

Down one point with 2:40 left in the game, senior guard Jordan Goldwire slapped the ground. The Blue Devils (10-8, 8-6 ACC) trusted J Gold's energy — for good reason as the man had four interceptions — and decided the Cavaliers wouldn't see anything else going on. the hoop. They didn't score after that 👊🔒 pic.twitter.com/piaV7F9M8h — Duke Men's Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 21, 2021

Duke basketball growth symbol

You can point out a lot for Duke's improvement lately. Tough times make strong men, and last night gave hope that these Blue Devils have learned from the tough times and are able to come out the other side tougher than a fortress made of Salisbury cafeteria steak. Duke has lost seven games by seven points or less this season, and for a team clinging to its life in March Madness, those must have started to turn into wins at some point. Now the Blue Devils may have found their spark, and with four regular season games to go to impress the selection committee, a spark is as vital as air. While I'm confident Duke has found sixth gear and will play through March, I can also truly say that while it's too little too late for post-season hopes, the effort and passion returned every game will be a welcome return to normal for all of us Duke basketball diehards.

Duke Slapping Floor Against Texas Tech

Duke Basketball: Texas Tech Defense Is Elite But Offense Is Vulnerable

Opponents are averaging just 60.2 points per game against the Red Raiders this season while shooting 38.2% from the floor, 31.4% from 3-point and 68.5% from the free throw line. ALSO READ: Duke shows the timing isn't too good for his comeback

On the other side of the ball, Texas Tech's offense presents a very balanced offense with six different players posting at least 8.0 points per game. Team shoots 47.0% from the ground, but only connects at 31.4% from deep

The group is clearly led by Bryson Williams, who is averaging 13.9 points per game and shooting 53.7% from the field and 40.9% from 3-point range. It's Mark Adams' team defense that keeps Texas Tech in the game when their offense doesn't hit, but the Blue Devils have the offensive firepower to make things tough for the Red Raiders.