NBA players react to title-game finish
The last 13 seconds of Villanova’s 77-74 win over North Carolina in the NCAA championship game will go down in history as some of the most memorable in basketball history. And NBA players were locked into the game, reacting in real time on Twitter. First, it was UNC guard Marcus Paige sending them into a frenzy with his game-tying, double-pump 3-pointer.
BIG SHOT!!!!!!!! Whattttt!!!
— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) April 5, 2016
Oh my lord Marcus Paige
— Meyers Leonard (@MeyersLeonard11) April 5, 2016
Yoooooooooooo 😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳
— Jason Thompson (@jtthekid) April 5, 2016
😳😳😳😳😳😳 wow #NationalChampionship #FinalFour
— Nikola Vucevic (@NikolaVucevic) April 5, 2016
What a shot! What a game!
— Trevor Booker (@35_Fitz) April 5, 2016
Paige 👀
— Ricky Rubio (@rickyrubio9) April 5, 2016
Wow this is one National Championship game!!!!!
— shabazz muhammad (@ShabazzMuhammad) April 5, 2016
But that was far from the end of the heroics. Villanova’s Kris Jenkins drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Wildcats to their first national title since 1985, and his shot sent Twitter into a frenzy.
Wooooooooow for the game
— Dorell Wright (@DWRIGHTWAY1) April 5, 2016
OH MY GOD!!!!!!😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱
— Festus Ezeli (@festus) April 5, 2016
OMG!!! Best college game I ever watched
— Evan Fournier (@EvanFourmizz) April 5, 2016
Oh my lord!!!!!!!!!!!
— Jared Sullinger (@Jared_Sully0) April 5, 2016
An even bigger shot! What a game! #gamewinner #MarchMadness #NationalChampionship
— Mike Conley (@mconley11) April 5, 2016
This is why basketball is an amazing sport!!!! #FinalFour #CLUTCH
— Nikola Vucevic (@NikolaVucevic) April 5, 2016
There’s no better way to end the tourney better than that #NCAATourney16
— Reggie Jackson (@Reggie_Jackson) April 5, 2016
Best college game ever!!! Smh for real
— Austin Rivers (@AustinRivers25) April 5, 2016
What a finish… That’s why I love basketball. Best sport in the world hands down.
— Ricky Rubio (@rickyrubio9) April 5, 2016
WHAT A FINISH! Kris Jenkins & Marcus Paige much respect. Big shots. That’s how a championship game should end
— Will Barton (@WillTheThrillB5) April 5, 2016
Now that was a GAME!!!
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) April 5, 2016
Jenkins’ buzzer-beater was the first in a national title game since NC State won on a dunk by Lorenzo Charles in 1983. It’s a shame Twitter wasn’t around for that shot and Jim Valvano’s epic run around the court after the game. Though Michael Jordan is probably happy there was no one to photoshop his crying face onto Houston players back then. He had no such luck Monday night.
