>Down 102-100 with seven seconds remaining in the game, Washington fouled and sent Detroit’s John Long to the free throw line, praying he would miss at least one free throw, and then try to send the game to overtime. Long at the time was Detroit’s best free throw shooter at 88%, but ended up missing both of them.
>Bullets rookie Darren Daye boxed out Laimbeer, grabbed the missed free throw, pushed the pace up the floor as time wound down, and sent a questionable no-look pass Malone’s way. The ball went sailing over Malone’s head, apparently headed into the stands, but he was still able to track down the ball as his momentum was forcing him out of bounds in the far corner at the baseline.
>Malone must have known with all of this chaos going on that the clock was about to expire, and the second he tracked the ball down he was going to have to throw up a prayer.
>Sure enough, his prayers were answered. Malone nailed a fadeaway three-pointer falling out of bounds to give the Bullets a 103-102 lead.
>The incredible part of Malone’s game-winner is that the shooting guard had to rely on the crowd to let him know whether he was a hero or not.
>“I just had to plant and throw it,” Malone said. “When I shot it, I fell and I didn’t see it go in. I heard the crowd roar then I got up and saw Jeff Ruland had his hands in the air. That’s when I thought ‘Ooh, I made that.”
>Despite the players and fans going absolutely nuts at Capital Centre, there was still one second left on the clock. Detroit called a timeout, passed the ball inbounds to Laimbeer who nailed a jumper as time expired, almost ruining Malone’s game-winner. Reluctantly, the referees determined that the ball was still in Laimbeer’s hands as the clock expired, and Malone ended up registering one of the greatest game-winning shots in the history of the game.
>Malone’s ‘Maryland Miracle,’ and the level of difficulty that came with it, makes it more than deserving of being among the greatest game-winners in franchise history.
SlappyPappyAmerica
I was obsessed with this shot when I was a kid. I used to practice it all the time. I’m probably the world’s biggest Jeff Malone fan. The guy was butter-smooth and had the prettiest jump shot in the league. Thanks for posting.
2 Comments
https://www.monumentalsportsnetwork.com/article/is-jeff-malones-maryland-miracle-the-greatest-buzzer-beater-ever
>Down 102-100 with seven seconds remaining in the game, Washington fouled and sent Detroit’s John Long to the free throw line, praying he would miss at least one free throw, and then try to send the game to overtime. Long at the time was Detroit’s best free throw shooter at 88%, but ended up missing both of them.
>Bullets rookie Darren Daye boxed out Laimbeer, grabbed the missed free throw, pushed the pace up the floor as time wound down, and sent a questionable no-look pass Malone’s way. The ball went sailing over Malone’s head, apparently headed into the stands, but he was still able to track down the ball as his momentum was forcing him out of bounds in the far corner at the baseline.
>Malone must have known with all of this chaos going on that the clock was about to expire, and the second he tracked the ball down he was going to have to throw up a prayer.
>Sure enough, his prayers were answered. Malone nailed a fadeaway three-pointer falling out of bounds to give the Bullets a 103-102 lead.
>The incredible part of Malone’s game-winner is that the shooting guard had to rely on the crowd to let him know whether he was a hero or not.
>“I just had to plant and throw it,” Malone said. “When I shot it, I fell and I didn’t see it go in. I heard the crowd roar then I got up and saw Jeff Ruland had his hands in the air. That’s when I thought ‘Ooh, I made that.”
>Despite the players and fans going absolutely nuts at Capital Centre, there was still one second left on the clock. Detroit called a timeout, passed the ball inbounds to Laimbeer who nailed a jumper as time expired, almost ruining Malone’s game-winner. Reluctantly, the referees determined that the ball was still in Laimbeer’s hands as the clock expired, and Malone ended up registering one of the greatest game-winning shots in the history of the game.
>Malone’s ‘Maryland Miracle,’ and the level of difficulty that came with it, makes it more than deserving of being among the greatest game-winners in franchise history.
I was obsessed with this shot when I was a kid. I used to practice it all the time. I’m probably the world’s biggest Jeff Malone fan. The guy was butter-smooth and had the prettiest jump shot in the league. Thanks for posting.