With Anthony back in the fold, Syracuse cuts down the nets for the second time in three years, beating UCLA despite the stellar play of Parker. David E. Klutho/SI

By Matthew Waxman

Moments after snipping the final strand of twine from one of the nets at the Edward Jones Dome, Syracuse forward Carmelo Anthony tried to place it around his coach's neck. But Jim Boeheim had another idea. He grabbed the nylon from his star and placed it on top of his head like a mock toupee. "I spent the first 26 years of my career tearing my hair out," he told fellow baldy Billy Packer on CBS's broadcast. "Does winning these help it grow back?" Don't expect Boeheim to be sporting Robert Redford's mane anytime soon, even after the Orange's 80-79 victory over UCLA gave Syracuse its second NCAA title in the last three years. But at the very least, the coach once defined by his incessant whining seems to have undergone an attitude -- as well as a hair -- transplant.

Has the 60-year-old Boeheim mellowed in his old age? Close. "'Melo has added years to my life," he said, nodding toward his otherworldly junior forward. "I think I'll send David Stern and the boys a thank-you."

Boeheim, of course, was referring to the NBA's landmark 2001 decision to prohibit athletes less than four years out of high school from turning pro. The new rule, based on the NFL's model and adopted after years of discussion between the NBA and its players' union, meant that Boeheim never had to worry about losing Anthony to the draft after the then freshman led the Orange to the 2003 title. That brought much peace of mind to the previously prickly coach, who had come up short in two earlier trips to the championship game. In 1987 Indiana guard Keith Smart found a seam and swished a 17-footer for a 74-73 victory. Nine years later Syracuse was overwhelmed 76-67 by a Kentucky team that had perhaps the greatest collection of talent of any squad before the NBA's rule change. After that battle Wildcats coach Rick Pitino quipped, "These games are life and death to Jim. He should go to Florida, go play golf. He's going to go crazy." Rather than go crazy, Boeheim kept at it, and eventually his perseverance paid off when he outmaneuvered Maryland and North Carolina to land Anthony, who capped his freshman season as the Most Outstanding Player in the Orange's 81-78 win over Kansas. "After waiting so long for the first one," Boeheim said after defeating UCLA, "who knew we'd get another chance so soon?"

Not since Larry Bird and Magic Johnson butted heads in 1979 has a championship final been greeted with such anticipation. After getting knocked out by Alabama in the Sweet 16 last year, when Anthony was slowed by a sprained right knee, Syracuse rolled through the '04-05 season as if a return trip to the Final Four was its birthright. The three-pronged attack the Orange used in 2003 was even sharper with Anthony, forward Hakim Warrick and guard Gerry McNamara's having played three years together. However, UCLA -- which in the semifinals nipped North Carolina 89-85 in a frenzied shootout -- countered with its own triple threat of center Tyson Chandler, forward Trevor Ariza and guard Tony Parker.

In such a star-studded affair, an unlikely hero provided the final margin of victory just before the buzzer. Twenty-three seconds earlier, Syracuse senior center Craig Forth was the goat. With the score tied at 77, Forth failed to box out on an Ariza miss, and Chandler, he of the 7'1" frame and pogo-stick legs, seemingly hurdled the 7-foot Forth to slam home the putback. Chandler, who had said he was going to "take Forth behind the woodshed," seemed to have backed up his words.

At the other end Syracuse cleared out for Anthony, who after crossing over Ariza was met in the paint by Chandler. Anthony smartly slipped the ball to an open Forth, who was fouled by Dijon Thompson as he went up for a dunk. The ball teetered on the front of the rim before falling through to tie the game with 0.4 of a second on the clock. With the powder-blue-clad UCLA faithful doing everything in their power to break his concentration, Forth, a career 60% free throw shooter, appeared to wink at Chandler before banking in the winning shot.

Afterward the hero denied he was baiting Chandler. "No, no, no," Forth told Packer. "I had something in my eye." McNamara then euphorically jumped on Forth's back and tried to tussle his crew cut. "Did I hear you call glass?" teased McNamara, who finished six of nine from international waters, accounting for all 18 of his points.

The key to the victory, as usual, was Syracuse's 2-3 zone defense, the same one run in every suburban Y pickup game around the country. This time Boeheim had to do some last-minute tweaking, but eventually it stifled the Bruins' up-tempo offense. In the first half the zone appeared vulnerable as Parker hit on five of seven three-point attempts to give the Bruins a 51-41 advantage. After intermission Boeheim installed the 6'8" Warrick and his go-go-Gadget arms at the top of the key to close out on open shooters. "[Warrick's] arms are like that bunny rabbit," said the Paris-raised Parker. "They keep going and going and going." With his jumper taken away, Parker began feeding Ariza and Chandler. But inconsistent midrange shooting -- the same problem that plagued the Bruins all season and prevented them from securing a No. 1 seed -- proved to be their Achilles' heel. Over the last 12:28 the team made only four of 18 shots from inside the arc, setting up Forth's shining moment.

Syracuse's semifinal win over defending champion Connecticut was no less scintillating. The Huskies' frontline -- 6'11" Charlie Villanueva, 6'10" Josh Boone and 6'10" Emeka Okafor, dubbed "the three tallest buildings in Storrs" by Vermont coach Tom Brennan -- seemed a tall obstacle for 'Cuse to overcome. But Anthony torched the Huskies with a dazzling arsenal of twisting layups and pull-up jumpers, finishing with 38 points on 11-of-16 shooting. "Right now the only better player in college basketball is maybe that Ohio State kid [LeBron James]," said UConn coach Jim Calhoun. "I wish to God they were in the NBA."

But they are not, allowing Boeheim another celebration. Shortly after Monday's championship game the Syracuse coaches and their wives gathered at Tony's, the upscale Italian eatery in downtown St. Louis. Before any food arrived, Boeheim stood up and clinked his champagne flute with a butter knife. "I just want to thank you for putting in all the hours you do on the job," he told his staff, "and for putting up with my crap for another season. I know at times it can be a hair-raising experience." As if on cue Boeheim's wife, Juli, interrupted. "What do you know about hair-raising?" she chided, as the table erupted with laughter. True. Hair may be a subject foreign to Boeheim, but raising banners certainly is not.

Issue date: March 10, 2005