That Was Not A Dream

After pinching myself this morning, I came to realize that yes, Jodie Meeks did in fact drop a big five-four on Tennessee last night.

Fiddy.

Fo.

Now, I probably couldn't score 54 points if you gave me an hour in any empty gym-- but even I can recognize that when a player passes a name like Dan Issel on any kind of basketball-related list, well, attention must be paid.

So you go back to your DVR and you break it down Zapruder-style and you see this: Mr. Meeks just really got off a remarkable amount of field goal attempts where he: first, got his feet set quickly, then made sure he had a clean look, was in the flow of the offense, and within his established range, and recognized that he was not overlooking an open teammate closer to the basket.

Now, I have come up with a very sophisticated term that I use for these type of shots. They are what I like to call--follow me here-- "good" shots.

That's right, Jodie took a bunch of good shots. And boy, he made more than his share.

Much to Bruce Pearl's chagrin. *giggles*

Now, sure as I am typing this, there are gonna be days where Jodie will be taking the same kind of shots, getting the same exact looks, and for whatever reason...they just aren't dropping. I told Brother JC that I was not trying to look for a cloud in the 54-point silver lining, but I do think there is a risk of this Kentucky team becoming over-reliant on that kind of performance. You don't want 4 guys standing out there just spectating, as an old coach used to say. Even if you've got a front row seat for the Jodie Meeks Show.

I'm sure Billy Gillispie will be working hard to prevent that kind of outcome, though. Patrick Patterson is certainly capable of putting up huge numbers on any given night, and I see glimmers from Miller, from Stevenson, from Harrelson (even though he didn't play against the Vols), that indicate there should be enough offensive firepower on this roster to win any given game, as long as the Cats defend well and continue to cutdown on the giveaways.

But it was definitely Jodie Meeks' night, and I for one will remember it for quite awhile. High-fiving everyone at F & H. Screaming "Shoot!" every time Meeks dribbled across mid-court. Was Wayne actually lifting that chair up over his head, shouting, cheering, laughing, while Jodie was making it rain in Knoxville? Yes, yes he was.... it really was not a dream. Or perhaps it was better said in Talladega Nights: "That. Just. Happened."