The Shrine

I watch sports manga. Lots of it. Almost invariably sports manga, to create tension, has stuff decided in the last point/second/whatever, and it gets boring when every single game always comes down to the last point (especially since the hero's team never loses). A few days ago I was watching basketball games with my friend, and what happens in a similar situation? Some guy dribbles the ball to the last second, gets trapped, throws up an impossible shot and didn't even hit the rim. I believe people who keep track of statistics says the chance of hitting a game winning shot is under 25% so that is an unsurprising result, and it's also rather boring to watch. Sure, you'd like to see someone make the impossible shot with shot clock at 0, but 9 out of 10 times it the impossible shot stays impossible and you can't help but to wonder what that guy is thinking getting into such a situation in the first place.

Assuming no preferences on the teams involved, is a last second/inning/whatever win really the most dramatic finish to a sporting events? Sure, no one denies last second heroics are great, but it seems like such things are better saved for highlight reels on Sportscenter. I actually prefer a defensive stop that just says 'game over'. The most well-known one in the world of fiction would certainly have to be Slam Dunk where Sakuragi's team is up by 2 with 10 seconds left, and then he steals the ball and fast breaks for a dunk, and finish off their rival without even giving them a chance to run their final play. A real-life example would be one where Magic Johnson stole the ball against the Blazers (I think) and throws it straight up, and you know by the time the ball falls down, time would ran out and Lakers would win the game and there's nothing anyone can do about it. I prefer the cold-blooded endings to last second heroics, because they are far too abaundant in fiction, and they fail too miserably in real life. I didn't watch the football game but from what I've heard the game ended on a defensive play (interception, ran clock out). Is this any less dramatic than if a team just throw a touchdown in the last second and win?

I guess I can kinda agree with you. I have read and watched all of Hajime No Ippo, and I think he only wins like 2 or 3 fights easily. 1 was his debut and the other was when he made a promise to Takumura to end it in one round.

But its boxing so its all good

I certainly agree, which is one reason why i find baseball so exciting. When the team who is up brings out their closer for the last inning, it gets intense. Sure, a walk off homerun is exciting, but equally exciting is watching Rivera (Yankees) mow down 3 guys in a row to seal the deal in the bottom or top of the ninth.

The football game last night had a great ending. Brady and the Pats were driving hard and fast, only to lose it on a great defensive play. Defense is apart of every game and since it requires strategy, almost results in a better win than when the offense heaves up a last second shot/pass and wins on pure luck.

Last second stuff is only good when it's a back-and-forth or comeback scenario, not when someone tries to set up a last-second comback or win. It's when you're down by 8 with 15 seconds to play (basketball) and you score a 3, steal, score a three, foul the other team immediately, they miss their two free throws under the pressue, then you hit a game winning three in the remaining half second (I believe McGrady did something similar to this for Houston a year or two ago) that it's exciting. It's just as exciting to have that team who's pressing get their final attempt blocked or otherwise thrwarted during a spectacular defensive play as well. If you're down by 2 points with 20 seconds left and you run the clock down to get that last second shot away, it ain't nearly as fun.

The team behind has to be pressing for the tie/win or the teams have to be trading back and forth for it to be exciting.

Reggie Miller scored 8 points in like 10 seconds by stealing the ball twice, but that's stuff that's stranger than fiction and you certainly can't expect to actually see it happening with any regular frequency.

Don Wang wrote:Reggie Miller scored 8 points in like 10 seconds by stealing the ball twice, but that's stuff that's stranger than fiction and you certainly can't expect to actually see it happening with any regular frequency.

I'll actually try and stick to the point of the damned post....

No, but since when has anime ever been based in reality? I mean, do you really expect observers to be in awe over the way a Go piece is place on the board? Anime's always about extremism, it is fantastical after all.