Valentine's heroics give Bulls Summer League title in crazy finish
The NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League is more about the chance to see top draft picks and youngsters before real games start than about the competition itself. A few more games like Monday night’s tournament final between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls could change that opinion soon enough.
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Down 69-68 entering the fourth quarter, the Wolves managed to enter the final few possessions tied at 74-74. Minnesota handed the ball to newly crowned LVSL MVP Tyus Jones to make a play, which he apparently failed to do as two Chicago defenders limited his movement well outside the three-point line. Yet that defense didn’t keep Jones from giving his team a big lead on an unlikely shot with just three seconds left on the clock:
The Bulls’ first-round pick had an answer. Summer League head coach (and normal assistant coach) Pete Myers drew up a play that put center Christiano Felicio in a position to find guard Denzel Valentine for an open three, and the Michigan State star forced overtime with just 0.2 seconds on the clock:
It looked as if Valentine’s jumper would prove the game’s biggest shot when point guard Jerian Grant, a recent Bulls addition via the Derrick Rose trade, scored the first five points of the two-minute extra period. However, a Jones lay-up with 42 seconds left, a Spencer Dinwiddie offensive foul on the next possession, and two missed free throws for Dinwiddie after a Jones miss gave the Wolves a chance to force a second overtime with 16 seconds on the clock.
Naturally, Xavier Silas banked in a three-pointer to continue the wild ending:
Xavier Silas banks the 3 pointer, tie game again.. pic.twitter.com/qdXtt2GobG
— ⓂarcusD (@_MarcusD_) July 19, 2016
The game had time for one more wild shot. And Valentine delivered it again:
Valentine only scored seven points on 3-of-10 shooting in the Bulls’ 84-82 win, but it’s safe to say that his two shots in the final 2:01 of the championship game more than made up for his misses. Another new Bull certainly liked what he saw:
Ok Denzel Valentine I see you kid!!!
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) July 19, 2016
Grant earned the game’s MVP honors with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, and forward Bobby Portis added 26 points and 10 boards, too. Jones led the Wolves with 27 points and 10 assists, although he also had seven turnovers.
It’s hard to say that this result especially matters for both teams. The Bulls will take plenty of positives from Valentine’s heroics and Grant’s fine performance, but both players figure to struggle to get big minutes with new additions Wade and Rajon Rondo set to join Jimmy Butler as ball-dominant backcourt vets. Portis is probably their Summer League participant most likely to step into a bigger role in 2016-17.
The same general dynamic applies to the Timberwolves. Jones had a terrific Summer League, but he figures to be the team’s third-choice point guard behind Ricky Rubio and first-round pick Kris Dunn, who played two games this summer before suffering a concussion.
Whatever. The Olympics ensure that we will see high-level competitive basketball before the preseason schedule opens in October, but we’ll take a crazy finish involving NBA teams whenever we can get it. Monday’s contest was a ton of fun. We won’t blame anyone for watching these four shots again and again.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
