[76lsjumb]

Stefan Nastic played 30 minutes last night. That seems far from excessive.

Nastic really was heroic last night.  While TV viewers may have gotten to see some of the contact underneath, it's likely that 80% of the beating he was taking was off-camera.  Their big man -- with help from several others -- was absolutely mugging Nastic all night, right in front of the for-the-most-part completely oblivious refs.  Now, I would be the first to admit that Nastic himself is no finesse player and has been known to [and did last night] have the occasional wandering elbow or two, but it was an absolute cage match all night, and got more intense [with fewer calls] as the evening went on.  There was one Nastic shot attempt [somewhere in the middle of the infamous 10 minute dry spell, IIRC] where four players collided and went to the floor... and no whistle ensued.

All of this is by way of saying that Nastic's 30 minutes last night need to be judged on a kind of "dog year" scale.  Otherwise put, think Gaffney at the end of the Oregon game this year...

[76lsjumb]

Stefan Nastic played 30 minutes last night. That seems far from excessive.

Nastic really was heroic last night.  While TV viewers may have gotten to see some of the contact underneath, it's likely that 80% of the beating he was taking was off-camera.  Their big man -- with help from several others -- was absolutely mugging Nastic all night, right in front of the for-the-most-part completely oblivious refs.  Now, I would be the first to admit that Nastic himself is no finesse player and has been known to [and did last night] have the occasional wandering elbow or two, but it was an absolute cage match all night, and got more intense [with fewer calls] as the evening went on.  There was one Nastic shot attempt [somewhere in the middle of the infamous 10 minute dry spell, IIRC] where four players collided and went to the floor... and no whistle ensued.

All of this is by way of saying that Nastic's 30 minutes last night need to be judged on a kind of "dog year" scale.  Otherwise put, think Gaffney at the end of the Oregon game this year...