Remember That Made-Up Time Ray Allen Dominated Syracuse?
So yesterday we touched on the Ray Allen Jumpman commercial that's been making the rounds on the Televisiontubes. It's part of a campaign that revolves around very specific moments in the history of college basketball and how they still haunt rival fans to this day.
For instance, there's the Illinois police officer who gives the North Carolina driver a ticket because he's still not over UNC's win in the NCAA finals a few years back. And there's the Texas fan who can't celebrate his daughter's birthday because it falls on the same day as when Carmelo led the Orange past UT in the Final Four.
Very specific, very salient moments in time that still haunt basketball fanatics. So that's what's weird about the Ray Allen one. Watch it again:
When was that? I'm a die-hard Syracuse fan and I couldn't even tell you what magical game that was. You know why? Because it never happened. Ray Allen needed to be shoehorned into one of these commercials because he's a Jordan guy and the best they could do was make up a fake moment in time when Ray Allen put a dagger in the heart of Syracuse fans that still haunts them to this day.
I tried looking for Ray Allen game stats from his college days to see if I could identify a specific amazing performance against SU but I couldn't find them. I never saw any reference to an amazing game in his bios anywhere. As far as I can tell, he never did anything remotely amazing against Syracuse at any given time. I'm sure he had good games, but nothing that continually drive the dagger into SU fans like Keith Smart's shot or John Thompson's antics.
Oh and then there's this:
Check out the scorebox. What arbitrary network without a logo is that supposed to be?
Based on the score and the fact that #44 John Wallace is in the commercial, I think this is supposed to be the March 8th, 1996 Big East Tournament Semis which UConn won 85-67. If that's the case, this commercial should have been about how there's no one named Khalid working at Syracuse Manufacturing. El-Amin was the hero that night and named Tournament MVP. (Not to mention the fact that SU, not UConn, went on to the Final Four that season)
If anything, that commercial should have been about how the employees of Georgetown Manufacturing are still bitter. Allen's shining moment in the Big East Tournament that year came the following night when UConn played the Hoyas for the Big East title.
In one of the most thrilling finishes in the history of the tournament, UConn won its second conference title with a 75-74 victory over Georgetown. In the final four minutes, the Huskies went on a 10-0 run after trailing by 11. With 13 seconds left, Ray Allen hit a running floater to give UConn the lead -- for good. Guarded by none other than Allen Iverson, Allen's game-winning bucket was the only field goal he made in the second half.
Admit it, Nike. You were made about the bad press you got over the Ernie Davis statue and this was your way of taking it out on us. Jerks.
Update: My bad on the El-Amin game. Obviously that was incorrect. But here's the actual game. Ray Allen did indeed have a good game. But memorable? The kind of performance Syracuse fans never forget? The SU fan who sent this to me even said he had to go digging just to find it. Memorable my ass.
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Comments
The article link
takes you to a 1998 game recap, in which El-Amin was the MVP, but I don’t think he was playing for UConn in the 95-96 season. Otherwise he would have been part of the 1999 draft and he was a rookie in 2000-2001
by Otis Hill on Mar 24, 2009 12:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
This PDF has all the Box scores of UConn games going back to 1987… unfortunately it is on the UConn site, Cuse didn’t have anything like this that I could easily find;
http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/MBasketball/2009/Historical_Supplement/Boxes20070820to%208687.pdf
Ray Allen had 29 points in the game. I remember watching the game and wishing someone would guard him, but I don’t rememberit as being a “legendary” game.
by Otis Hill on Mar 24, 2009 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
and the graphic designer who came up with that logo needs a pat on the back

by ryanwk628 on Mar 24, 2009 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was commenting all weekend...
…that the commericial made no sense. If the factory didn’t have anyone named “Keith” maybe Nike would be on to something. This is just stupid.
by Axl24Lax on Mar 24, 2009 1:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Agree
I thought Keith would have been the logical choice too.
Of course, the commercial where the SU alum wipes the face of the Georgetown alum is worse. All the other rivalries are just people doing normal things. I have never had anyone wipe my face. Why not just have him pick the guys nose or help wipe his ass too?
In addition—feel free to sell a few ads CBS. Apparently, sports advertising is premised on the concept of showing the same 8 ads 1,200 times. This always bothers me. Mix it up a little.
by ezcuse on Mar 24, 2009 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thank You
Finally someone else points out the fact that CBS shows the same commercials. Anyone else want something to happen to that Jimmy kid from Capital One. Or how about that man/woman on taco bell? Seeing the same commercials makes me never want to buy any of those products
by orangecuse on Mar 24, 2009 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The funny thing
is that I was going to reference specific commercials that I had seen over and over again, but could not remember a single one. There is effective advertising… an ad that pisses me off… but does not even stick with me.
One more came back to me. Enterprise Rent-A-Car even had to go back into the vault to dig out “Maaaaa.” “Maaaaaaaaaa.”
Agent: “Great news, I got you a part in a commercial.”
Actor: “Are their lines?”
Agent: “Well., you say the word ‘ma’ in a whiny voice three times. Not sure if the S.A.G. counts that though. BTW, your mother will be 50 years older than you too.”
by ezcuse on Mar 24, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And poor John Wallace has to be reminded of this loss every damn day
when he tries to sit down and enjoy his almamater back in the NCAAs.
by voteprime on Mar 24, 2009 1:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Pretty sure that purple-ish score box is what the ESPN graphics used to look like back in the day. They probably just took the ESPN logo off since, you know, it’s a Nike commercial.
by mcsteve on Mar 24, 2009 1:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I looked at another game from 1996
and it was different. It’s a made-up boxscore.
by Sean Keeley on Mar 24, 2009 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Piss Poor
The ad agency Wieden + Kennedy are responsible for the Jordan commercials. I suggest you flood their inbox with angry mail asap…
by lawrencemoten on Mar 24, 2009 1:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, just dumb
They didn’t do their homework, and they’re idiotic to think that people wouldn’t notice. I barely remember Ray Allen’s career. On my most hated list of UConn players, Allen’s not even in the top 5 (for the record, my top five most hated UConn guys are Khalid El-Amin, Jake Voskhul, Rip Hamilton, Charlie Villanueva, and Thabeet).
Keith for Keith Smart would have been the logical choice. Of course, it probably isn’t the ad agency’s fault – I’m just surprised that Nike and the Jordan brand don’t have anyone who ACTUALLY tormented the Orange, instead of inventing some Ray Allen b.s.
"(BARF)" - Donovan McNabb, during his game winning drive against Virginia Tech in 1998
by kotite4ever on Mar 24, 2009 1:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
one more hated uconnplayer ...
i would put rudy gay in my most hated uconn guys. he was annoying to play against
by smaze on Mar 24, 2009 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Syracuse Manufacturing
just announced mandatory furloughs. :-(
by ezcuse on Mar 24, 2009 5:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Syracuse Manufacturing's glory days
are long gone. There was a time when the world needed companies to arbitrarily manufacture things. No more…
by Sean Keeley on Mar 24, 2009 5:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They’ve probably put all their attention into not hiring people named “ray” and instead of focusing on the Khalid’s. Khalid’s are worthless! No wonder the business is going under.
by voteprime on Mar 24, 2009 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
blog is as flawed as commerical
John Wallace & El-Amin’s college careers didn’t overlap at all
pot, meet kettle. kettle, this is pot
by puja21 on Mar 25, 2009 12:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Well...
my errors were accidental, theirs were purposeful.
by Sean Keeley on Mar 25, 2009 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
regardless, couldnt be this game?
Jan 23 1995 Storrs
UConn 86 SU 75
Allen = 31 pts, 11-16 FG 3-4 3pt 6-7 FT
by puja21 on Mar 25, 2009 12:15 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs










