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FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com
class helped accomplish
this.
“It’s something that’s
such a neat thing and is
special, but it’s not like
we're pushing everybody
along the way to make
sure we get deep in the
playoffs. The culture here
of winning has been
established since we’ve
done well. 1 think our
kids want to come out
and try to win region
championships and win
state championships.
That's their goal.”
FCN: Lambert won
eight region titles this
past season, the most of
any school in the coun
ty, but you’re about to
join a smaller region
next season with the
move to Class 7A. Does
that diminish the
accomplishment of a
region title at all?
Ferrer: “I still think it
means a lot because
you're still having to face
very good competition.
When you have a group
of 10 or 11 schools, you
might have some teams
in certain sports that just
aren’t quite as good. So
in some sports you can
honestly say it comes
down to four or five
teams every year. Like
FROM 1B
match. Wrestling had its
first individual state
champion in Matthew
Sheetz.
The familiar successes
and new ones helped
Lambert finish first in
Class 6A in the Director’s
Cup all-sports competi
tion for the second
straight season.
FCN: The school has
won the Region’s
Director’s Cup twice
now. Is that something
you talk about as a goal
with athletes and coach
es before the season?
Drew Ferrer, Lambert
athletic director: “We
don’t typically make a
big deal out of it through
out the year. 1 definitely
keep an eye on it because
I like to use it as a bench
mark. But I think when it
comes to late in spring, I
think some of the kids
pay attention to it now
because they've seen the
attention that comes from
it afterward for the
school. And I think it's a
neat thing, especially for
the seniors. They leave
and they feel like their
Warriors vow to get back to Finals stage
to watch Game 7 of the
NBA Finals again any
time soon, if ever.
“No need,” Green said.
While Green is eager to
immediately move for
ward, Thompson was
despondent a day later,
still at a loss for words to
describe how the Warriors
became the first team in
NBA history to squander
a 3-1 Finals lead and miss
out on a second straight
championship that was
there to be had.
“We’ll be there again.
You've just got to realize
how bad it hurts and why
winning is so good,”
Thompson said. “It was
very disappointing just
because we know how
good we are. We feel like
By Janie McCauley
The Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif.
(AP) — Draymond Green
wants to maintain the
momentum from a special
season that fell short by
competing in the Rio
Olympics. Klay
Thompson plans to take
his mind off basketball
and missed chances
entirely and go watch
brother Trayce play base
ball for the Los Angeles
Dodgers. Stephen Curry’s
toddler daughter, Riley,
helped the crestfallen
MVP begin to put things
in perspective by telling
him “It’s OK™ to lose.
Not one of Golden
State’s All-Star trio plans
the regular season. The
same team that beat the
Cavs in six in the Finals a
year ago.
They had to win three
straight against a Golden
State team that hadn’t lost
t"rree straight games in
« seasons under coach
Steve Kerr. “We're
sn.ed,” Kerr told the
New York Times. “We
thought we were going to
win.”
How much did this
series turn? In losing the
first two games,
Cleveland was outscored,
214-166.
By the time 54 seconds
remained in Game Seven,
the series scoring was
699-699.
Then Kyrie Irving,
James’ most able wing
man, knocked down a
step-back trey. A shot
that will live forever in
the hearts of fans in
Rocky River and Garfield
Heights.
And then Steph Curry,
improbably harassed by
Kevin Love, improbably
clanked his own trey
attempt. And there was
James, sailing to the bas
ket, drawing a foul, land
ing on his wrist. prone on
the floor.
Ten-plus seconds
remained. Every
Cleveland fan knew there
was still time for this one
to get away. After all, oh,
never mind. No one
dared mention the possi
bility, but everyone suf
fered the fleeting thought.
Then James missed the
first free throw.
But that only made hit
ting the second that much
more delicious.
And then a funny thing
happened. This marvel
ous player, who returned
to Cleveland two years
FROM 1B
through the near-misses,
disappointments, failures,
and miseries of their
sports teams for the past
51 and a half years, this
one’s for all of you.
Finally, you can let go
of Jim Brown. Gary
Collins. Frank Ryan,
Dick Modzelewski. Jim
Kanicki. Vince Costello,
and the rest of the "64
Browns.
For the first time since
Dec. 27. 1964, a crown
resides in Cleveland.
The man primarily
responsible for this curse
shattering turn of events
had a word of advice for
everyone at his post-game
press conference. “It’s
going to be the biggest
party that Cleveland has
ever seen!” Finals MVP
Leßron James declared.
‘lf you guys have a hittle
money left over in your
budget. vou guys better
make a trip to Cleveland
and get a little piece of
e
Cleveland.
The center of the uni-
VETSE
Believe it.
It had to be this way.
Just as Harry Potter had
1o go one-on-one with
Tom Riddle in order to
end Lord Voldemort’s
reign of terror, the Cavs
had to go against one of
the greatest teams ever
assembled in order to
finally break Cleveland’s
druughl,
Against all odds, like
becoming the first team
to overcome a 3-1 deficit
to win the NBA Finals.
Against a team that won a
record 73 games durning
been just incredible.
How long is it reason
able to expect those to
continue?
Ferrer: “I still think
you've got a pretty good
amount of talent in girls
golf, and I think this area
lends itself to these
sports. You look at all the
golf courses around here
and the swimming. Grand
Cascades and some of
these places have been
historically strong with
the youth stuff. I think we
have a chance to continue
to be strong and competi
tive in those areas for
years. Will it end? I think
it’s hard not to expect it
to end at some point. But
I've seen Walton girls
tennis win quite a few.
“When you have pro
grams that are thriving
and doing well, if some
one’s moving to our area
from another state they
might see a great girl golf
program or a great swim
ming program. I think
you have some of that as
well to help continue the
tradition.”
FCN: What issues do
you have your eye on in
the next couple of
years?
Ferrer: “The rezoning
is probably the biggest
baseball this year, there
was a race of probably
filve o SiX dteams.
Typically, in the past, the
north Fulton schools
haven’t been as strong in
softball.
“Even though we’re
shortening up in the num
bers, 1 think it’s going to
be the right schools push
ing each other, and I
think it’s going to be very
strong still.”
FCN: What do you
think adding Milton to
the mix will be like?
Ferrer: “Historically
very good athletics. With
lacrosse and baseball and
some of the sports we’ve
played them in, there’s
already a little bit of a
rivalry. Being that Milton
athletic director Gary
Sylvestri came from our
county and knows a lot of
us, I think there’s a really
good competitive rivalry.
“They’'re going to be
good. Boys basketball is
very strong, football’s
done well the last couple
of years. It’s going to be
a good school for us. I
think it’s going to make
for good gates and stuff
like that.”
FCN: The runs of
dominance by girls golf
and girls swimming has
anything for me,” said
Green, who sat out the
Game 5 defeat while sus
pended for flagrant fouls.
“I'm not going to sit and
throw a pity party for
myself or my teammates
or anybody else. We were
a minute away from win
ning a championship. We
had a 3-1 lead, we had all
the opportunities in the
world we needed. Got to
take your hat off to them.
They fought, they battled
and they took the series.
It’s nothing to sit around
and cry about. It's some
thing that you learn
from.”
A downtrodden locker
room was a strange sight
for this “Strength In
Numbers™ group. which
we're still the best team
in the world. We let that
slide. It hurts right now. I
can’t tell you when the
disappointment’s going to
fade, but it will.”
The best team in regu
lar-season history with 73
wins, Golden State suc
cumbed to a determined
Leßron James and the
Cavaliers 93-89 on
Sunday night as
Cleveland capped a
remarkable comeback for
the franchise’s first title
— doing so with three
straight victories, two at
typically intimidating
Oracle Arena — and to
end the city’s 52-year
championship drought.
“To sit and dwell on it,
that’s not going to do
Drive and The Fumble,
the edge is gone. When
folks in Lorain and
Euclid think about The
Shot. it doesn’t hurt like
ago for the sole purpose
of delivering a champion
ship to his native soil,
who willed his team back
from the edge of elimina
tion, who put up a triple
double in Game Seven,
collapsed on the court.
Again.
Completely overcome
with what he had
wrought. What an amaz
ing sight. Here’s a man
who’s got it all totally
overwhelmed by what he
was able to give to every
one else.
“Our fans, they ride or
die, no matter what’s
been going on,’ James
told USA Today. “No
matter, the Browns, the
Indians, the Cavs, and so
on, and all other sports
teams. They continue to
support us.
“And for us to be able
to end this, end this
drought, our fans deserve
it. And it was for them!”
Coach Tyronn Lue, also
overcome at the buzzer,
could not leave the team’s
bench. He sat and buried
his face in his arms. He
took over a 30-11 team at
midseason and led it to
the next level. He taught
the Cavs how to enjoy
playing basketball togeth
er. And that made all the
difference.
Yet Lue directed all the
credit to the Big Guy.
“The biggest thing with
Leßron and the reason
why I say he deserves it
is because of the person
that he is. He’s a giver.
He’s always looking to
take care of people. He's
always been nice to
everyone. If anyone
deserves it, Leßron
James definitely deserves
i
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from the ground up and
get these kids excited
about being Bulldogs,
War Eagles, Wolverines,
whatever it maybe, and
get them excited so we
can continue to build and
get them excited about
being here.”
FCN: What are the
things you hear other
athletic directors talk
ing about?
Ferrer: “I think you
still have a lot of the spe
cialization stuff. That’s a
big topic. How are we
going to encourage kids
to play multiple sports?
Because we’re not athlet
ic enough here to have
kids specialize. We need
kids to play two, three
sports here if they can
and want to. It’s great to
see someone like Tanner
Hall playing football and
basketball. But if that kid
didn’t do that, we’d take
a hit somewhere, because
he was special. When
Tucker Maxwell was here
— kids like that you want
to have playing multiple
sports. You see it with
soccer. If M.E. Craven
didn’t want to play bas
ketball — because she’s
very good at soccer — that
would hurt our girls bas
ketball team.”
question mark. I don’t
know what’s going to
happen with Denmark
High School, what neigh
borhoods we’re going to
lose. We're all just kind
of in limbo to figure out
what that’s going to look
like. That’s a challenge,
but that effects athlete
numbers.
“] don’t know if they’re
going to mark our district
at Georgia 141, if they’re
going to go Windermere
Parkway. No idea what
they're going to do. I do
know anytime 1 drive
near South Forsyth or
near here there are homes
being built. So I don’t
know if that’s just going
to take care of itself.
“That can have a pro
found effect on things. If
they think they’re going
to back-fill South with us
but there are neighbor
hoods being built over
there, they might not
even need to back-fill
South. I don’t know
what’s going to happen.
It’s a big, big question
mark.
“1 still think all of our
schools need to continue
to work on building feed
er programs from the
youth on up. I think that’s
important. We all have to
continue to try to build
wrong, what more he
could have done to
change the outcome.
“You look at the history
of the league, it would
have been really nice to
be in that group of teams
that repeated,” Curry said,
“creating that year-to
year special accomplish
ment. ... The teams that
have fallen short found a
way to come back stron
ger.”
While Green plans for
the Olympics, Thompson
is “exhausted” and said
he had planned to com
pete in Rio but is no lon
ger certain. Curry already
recently opted out of
playing for the United
States, needing to rest his
weary body.
relied on its deep bench
right along with the
shooting touch of Splash
Brothers Curry and
Thompson and Green’s
emotions and physical
play on both ends of the
court.
“We’ve had so many
moments of joy together,
and it was like, ‘Wow,
we're actually having a
moment of sorrow as a
team,”” Coach of the Year
Steve Kerr said. “It’s a
great reminder that, first
of all, it’s not easy to win
a championship. But, as |
said, it’s life. Things hap
pen. You move on.”
Curry, for one, can’t do
that just yet. He will
spend the summer think
ing about what went
it did before. And when
folks in Berea think about
Jose Mesa in the bottom
of the ninth in '97, no fit
of rage will surface. It’s
over.
Cleveland.
City of Champions.
Finally!