Chapel Hill, N.C. -- Nate Britt hasnt been able to make up for the offense and shooting touch lost with North Carolinas starting point guard sidelined by an ankle injury.Still, the senior was good enough in the final minutes of a tight game to help the No. 7 Tar Heels complete a big comeback -- with some help from a couple of freshmen.Rookie big man Tony Bradley Jr. blocked a shot in the final seconds to help the Tar Heels rally from 15 down to beat Tennessee 73-71 on Sunday, a performance that Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams described as a struggle.With Joel Berry II missing his second straight game due to a sprained left ankle suffered last weekend, Britt finished with 11 points and shot just 4 of 14, but he also had seven assists and a career-high five steals.I talked to (assistant coach Hubert) Davis after practice yesterday and he was telling me: The shots will come ... but youve got to lose yourself in the game, Britt said. You can do so much more than just knock down shots.Britt has started with Berry out, but went 0 for 8 against Davidson. Justin Jackson scored 27 points and hit seven 3-pointers to carry the offense that night, but he shot just 3 of 15 Sunday -- though he had the go-ahead driving score with 2:14 left.While Kenny Williams III led UNC with 12 points, Bradley finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds while fellow freshman Brandon Robinson tipped in a missed drive by Britt with 52.4 seconds left for a three-point lead.Roy Williams was irked by his teams play in the Davidson win. He wasnt much happier Sunday.I approach it like we stunk it up, and we made a couple of plays at the end, he said.Robert Hubbs III had 21 points to lead the Volunteers (4-4), who led 30-15 early and shot 65 percent in the first half before finishing at 52 percent. But UNC had 22 offensive boards and scored 25 second-chance points to offset its 40-percent shooting.We told our team at halftime: if were going to win the game, were going to have to do it by rebounding the ball, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. We didnt do it. Carolina just played volleyball with it.BIG PICTURETennessee: The Volunteers repeatedly came up big shots to answer UNCs pushes in the second half. But rebounding and the 3-for-13 shooting from 3-point range was too much to overcome.Like I told them, its easy to go in the locker room and say, `We did this, we did that, but the fact is we came to win and we didnt, Barnes said. I dont want them to feel good about being close in games. Weve got to figure out a way to get over the hump.UNC: The Tar Heels badly miss Berrys floor leadership, scoring ability and toughness to finish through contact. That was especially glaring with Jackson struggling and the front line of Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks combining for 15 points and nine boards.While Roy Williams wouldnt focus on Berrys absence, Britt was asked about his takeaway from the past two games of playing without Berry.You could see how much we need him, Britt said.BRADLEYS BLOCKTennessee had a last chance to tie as Lamonte Turner drove toward the basket. The 6-foot-10 Bradley blocked the shot and grabbed the loose ball in what amounted to the Volunteers last real shot.The point guard was dribbling toward me kind of fast so I knew just to try to help, Bradley said. I put my hand up and the ball hit my hand, and I got the rebound. It happened so fast. Boston Celtics Gear .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. Boston Celtics Pro Shop . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. https://www.cheapceltics.com/ .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. Fake Celtics Jerseys . Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice. Custom Boston Celtics Jerseys .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. The older I get, the better I was goes a familiar saying, referring to the human tendency to embellish the past and exaggerate ones abilities in a now-distant youth. I am often reminded of this when I encounter references to Indias alleged glory days in the 1970s, when, one may be led to believe, the side were world beaters.According to this myth, the quartet of great spinners - Chandra, Bedi, Prasanna and Venkat - backed by sharp close-in fielders and doughty batsmen made India a formidable opponent, especially at home.A nine-year-old who became a fan of the game the moment GR Viswanath hit that debut century against Bill Lawrys visiting Australians in the 1969-70 series, I was a keen witness to the decade that followed, and humbly suggest a fair amount of selective recall has rendered that era a tad more glorious than it really was.It would be churlish to deny that India did well to win in the West Indies and in England in 1971. But what followed thereafter is difficult to describe as great on any comparative yardstick. The MCC team that toured India in 1972-73 had exactly two Test players with any real experience - Derek Underwood and Alan Knott. Regulars like Geoff Boycott, John Snow, Bob Willis, John Edrich, Ray Illingworth, Basil DOliveira and others had either chosen to skip the subcontinent, retired, or been dropped on form.They were led by Tony Lewis, who was yet to play a Test match, and their top order was composed mainly of batsmen who had failed to establish themselves over the years (Dennis Amiss, Keith Fletcher, Mike Denness) or were just a few Tests old (Barry Wood and Tony Greig, for instance). Medium-pacer Geoff Arnold, himself a non-regular in the England team, was joined by Bob Cottam (playing his third Test) and Chris Old (yet to make his debut). Underwood was supported by three other spinners, who were best described as journeymen - Pat Pocock, Norman Gifford and Jack Birkenshaw.Despite the evident weakness of the MCC side, India managed to lose the first Test quite badly. They beat the visitors in Calcutta by 28 runs in a low-scoring thriller, and almost made a meal of chasing a mere 86 to win at Chepauk. The series was effectively over after the third Test since the featherbeds in Kanpur and Bombay spelled draws. While Indias spinners, especially Chandra, took the lions share of the wickets, the 2-1 win was hardly indicative of any greatness on Indias part.When India returned to England in the summer of 1974, they were trounced so badly that it hurts to recall it even now. In the course of three Tests, they lost 60 wickets (well, 59 - an injured Chandra did not bat in the infamous 42 at Lords), while England lost 24 - only two in the third Test - and won the second and third Tests by an innings each. Indias spinners were completely ineffective in the first half of a cold English summer and their batsmen simply unable to play the moving ball. While we proudly recall coming back from 2-0 down to level the home series against Clive Lloyds West Indies in the 1974-75 series (before losing the decider at thee Wankhede), we tend to forget how inexperienced Indias opponents were.dddddddddddd Gordon Greenidge and Viv Richards had yet to play a Test, and Andy Roberts had just made his debut at the time. Only Lloyd, Lance Gibbs and Roy Fredericks had played much Test cricket at all. With their experienced spin quartet ostensibly in their prime, and bowling in home conditions, India were favourites going in, yet lost the series.This was followed by back-to-back tours to New Zealand and the West Indies. India tied 1-1 with New Zealand in a three-Test series, and lost 1-2 against West Indies, the lone win of that tour being the record chase of 403 in Trinidad. That West Indian team had just been hammered 5-1 by the Australians, and two of Indias four Tests were played in Port-of-Spain, where the wicket was known to be both slow and ideal for spinners.When Greig led an England team to India later in 1976, once again the hosts began as firm favourites but proceeded to lose the first three Tests. England showed that patience and occupation of the crease were the secrets to succeeding on the slow tracks, and their tight bowling lines directed away from the strengths of Indias batsmen ensured a steady supply of wickets for their largely faceless bowling attack. Another home series lost.Perhaps the definitive indicator of the real worth of the Indian team back then was the tour to Australia in 1977-78. The Australians were severely depleted by the desertion of all their main cricketers, barring Jeff Thomson, to Packers World Series Cricket, and were effectively fielding a 2nd or even 3rd XI, led by Bob Simpson, who had come back after retiring from Test cricket a decade prior. Six Australians made their debuts in the first Test. Indias bowling attack included Chandra, Bedi and Prasanna, yet they lost by 16 runs. They also proceeded to lose the second (with Venkat replacing Prasanna), where nightwatchman Tony Mann, playing the second Test of his career, made a century to help Australia chase down 339. India did well to come back to level the series but eventually lost 3-2 - against a team that was, to put things in perspective, beaten 5-1 at home the next season by England.In October-November 1978, India lost 2-0 in a series in Pakistan that effectively finished tje spin quartet (even if some of them played on for a few more Tests). Later that season India prevailed 1-0 in a six-Test home series against Alvin Kallicharrans Packer-depleted West Indians. The sole victory amid five boring draws came at Chepauk, where India lost seven wickets on the way to chasing down 125.It is not my intention to query the skills of those players, or to deny that India had their moments of individual and team glory. Its rather to put those accomplishments back then in a comparative perspective in assessing their true worth. Most importantly, its to guard against that all-too-human tendency to view the past through rose-tinted lenses. ' ' '
