Do you acknowledge any moral victories in basketball?

[Kblaze8855]

You know what I mean. The losses that still feel like an accomplishment. Rocky losing in Rocky 1(50 year old spoiler). Leonidas vs the Persians:


https://thumbs.gfycat.com/GreenVillainousImago-size_restricted.gif





Where you lose but spark the movement and all.

but I feel like it can’t just be anytime you lose close to a better team. I feel like there’s more to it. An X factor. I feel like I remember people wanting to give the Thunder credit for how they lost to the Lakers in the playoffs in what I believe was the first year Durant and Russell made the playoffs.



You have any losses you award the coveted moral victory to? I’m not positive I even accept the concept.

[jlip]

Ultimately No... But... I can think of two scenarios where I would be very tempted with the "moral victory" attribution.

1) When an obvious underdog team overachieves and does better than expected, or maybe even when a player valiantly goes down swinging giving their all carrying their over-matched squad in a close loss.

2) When blatantly obvious and lopsided officiating greatly impacts the outcome of a close game where if one or two of those calls had they gone right, things would have changed things for the losing squad. (In this instance I'm more mad than ready to declare a moral victory sometimes).

But ultimately, in those scenarios, I can't necessarily pull myself all the way to the moral victory threshold because it's officially a loss. But I may be close, because I recognize nuance and understand that not all losses are equal, but again, ultimately a loss is a loss.

After saying all of that, I may have just refuted myself and actually declared these instances to be moral victories.

[bison]

No not really. I guess only exception is if my team is in a rebuilding season where it’s more about more about the development of young players and draft picks than about what record you end up with. Then you can pick out games where your team may lose games but is ‘moving in the right direction’. But if it’s playoffs you’re aiming for, no there is no moral victory and every game counts.

[Axe]

2018 lebron was being raved about for being an ultimate carrying machine that year, even though he still ended up getting swept in the finals.

[j3lademaster]

Jordan’s 63 point playoff record and Lebron in the 2015 finals.

[SouBeachTalents]

I'd give one to Butler & the Heat in 2020. They were going up against a clearly superior team, facing injuries, and managed to push the series to 6, with Butler having literally 2 of the greatest Finals performances ever and almost singlehandedly willing Miami to 2 wins.

2020 Nuggets deserve a mention too, toppling the heavily favored Clippers despite trailing 3-1 and facing huge deficits in the 2nd half in Games 5 & 6.

Going more old school, I'd give another one to the 1986 Rockets. They were literally the only Western team to knock off the Lakers from 1982-1989, beating the defending champs in a massive upset, then pushing a team many consider the GOAT in the '86 Celtics to 6 games in the Finals.

Going to a different sport, an example where a loss literally was a moral victory, the 2007 Giants playing all their starters in the regular season finale with nothing at stake, and nearly knocking off the undefeated Patriots, a result which undoubtedly gave them confidence and propelled them to the Super Bowl, where they would beat those same Pats for the title.

Another different sport example, Rocco Mediate nearly knocking off peak Tiger at the '08 US Open.

[MrFonzworth]

Iguodala and a young Jrue Holiday pushing Boston's big 4 to 7 games

[Real Men Wear Green]

Sometimes a team can discover something about themselves like a lineup that works, a player that was underused, or just that they are capable of competing with a team that was thought to be too far ahead of them to challenge. I guess that is a moral victory. But I will never care about that kind of thing as much as a real victory

[Phoenix]

2019 Clippers without a single all-star/all NBA teamer taking the Warriors to 6 and needed Durant to go off in order to close them out. It led to the idea that adding Kawhi( fresh off his Raptors title run) and PG13(3rd in MVP voting that year) on top of the existing core was pretty damn close to a guaranteed chip.

90 Bulls taking the Pistons 7 and potentially winning if for for Scottie's migraine. That kind of had 'we're coming' all over it.

[Full Court]

Can't think of any. Ultimately, if you don't win.....you don't win.

[Wally450]

The 2018 Celtics making it to Game 7 of the ECF with Hayward and Kyrie injured and playing a rookie Jayson Tatum. They had no business getting as far as they did. They messed around with house money and making the Finals would've been the icing on the cake knowing we would've lost to the Warriors.

[j3lademaster]

Can't think of any. Ultimately, if you don't win.....you don't win.Damn, how you gonna say that as a Bull's fan? Jordan 63 point playoff performance against an arguably goat Celtics team. Imagine a performance so massive it made the fans forget about your 49 point outing in the game before. Bulls taking the Pistons to 7 like Phoenix pointed out earlier? 2009 playoffs against a KG-less but still good and battle-tested Boston team? Rose had a 36/11 playoff debut. I remember hearing people go 'good thing ya'll took Rose over Beasely'(yes this was a discussion at the time). It was Joakim Noah's playoff debut, too if I recall correctly. BG had that legendary shootout with Ray Allen.

[Real Men Wear Green]

I admit I would have drafted Beasley at the time. And I still believe he should have had a better career than he did. Oh well.

[iamgine]

I assume moral victories refers to accomplishments other than the final score? In that case then yeah there's plenty of moral victories during the game. Even something as small as a team playing slightly better than their last game is a moral victory.

[DCL]

if you're like level 70 or 80 or whatever and you almost beat powerhouse level 100, it's all good.

[j3lademaster]

I admit I would have drafted Beasley at the time. And I still believe he should have had a better career than he did. Oh well.He was a monster at K-State, if I wasn't Chicago biased I might have felt the same way.

[tontoz]

I think moral victories are a real thing for young, up and coming teams. Pels in the playoffs last year as an example.

[bison]

I think moral victories are a real thing for young, up and coming teams. Pels in the playoffs last year as an example.

Pels is a good example. They got bounced in the first round but they were able to use that series to develop an identity that they would carry over into this season.

[ShawkFactory]

Of course moral victories are real. Sometimes you're just completely outmatched but if you fight and make it a contest when it objectively shouldn't be then that's a win.

Some people take those moral victories and sit on them though. You have to still continue to do everything in your power to improve.

[Full Court]

Damn, how you gonna say that as a Bull's fan? Jordan 63 point playoff performance against an arguably goat Celtics team. Imagine a performance so massive it made the fans forget about your 49 point outing in the game before. Bulls taking the Pistons to 7 like Phoenix pointed out earlier? 2009 playoffs against a KG-less but still good and battle-tested Boston team? Rose had a 36/11 playoff debut. I remember hearing people go 'good thing ya'll took Rose over Beasely'(yes this was a discussion at the time). It was Joakim Noah's playoff debut, too if I recall correctly. BG had that legendary shootout with Ray Allen.

As impressive as getting 63 against the Celtics was, as a Bulls fan I cared more about my team winning than about Jordan getting individual stats.

[ShawkFactory]

As impressive as getting 63 against the Celtics was, as a Bulls fan I cared more about my team winning than about Jordan getting individual stats.

But you knew your team wasn’t going to win. So having the best player than anyone has ever seen go nuts wasn’t cool at least? It’s not about the stats even.

[Full Court]

But you knew your team wasn’t going to win. So having the best player than anyone has ever seen go nuts wasn’t cool at least? It’s not about the stats even.

Of course it was cool. But I never considered it a moral victory.

[ShawkFactory]

Of course it was cool. But I never considered it a moral victory.

Having the best player that anyone had seen, presumably for years to come, wasn’t a moral victory?

[Full Court]

Having the best player that anyone had seen, presumably for years to come, wasn’t a moral victory?

Lol. No. The Celtics won. Even Jordan himself didn't consider it a moral victory.

[ShawkFactory]

Lol. No. The Celtics won. Even Jordan himself didn't consider it a moral victory.

I’m sure that dropping like 45 a game with a trash supporting cast against maybe the GOAT team allowed him to sleep at night.

Bright future and all that.

[FKAri]

"Lost but spark the movement" ?
That's more than a moral victory. That sounds like taking something from a loss to achieve a greater victory in the future. Like using a regular season loss to figure some things out as a team that make you stronger and end up being a part of why you win a championship. Does that even count in this? Because obviously that is something to acknowledge.

[Street Hunger]

Moral victories might be best for coaches, for motivation purposes.

[Full Court]

I’m sure that dropping like 45 a game with a trash supporting cast against maybe the GOAT team allowed him to sleep at night.

Bright future and all that.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2020/4/16/21223762/jordan-brushes-greatness-again-but-hed-trade-63-point-masterpiece-for-a-victory

Quote from Jordan after that 63-point game:

“I’d give all the points back if we could win. I wanted to win so badly.”

[Jasper]

Can't think of any. Ultimately, if you don't win.....you don't win.

I have the perfect one : Kobe was in a playoff series , last game of the series , and he played hard for 3 qtrs , and in the 4th qtr he walked around shaking his head at his teammates.
It was the ultimate ball hog war out moment in bball.

[ArbitraryWater]

Every LeBron game ends in either a win or a moral victory

[ShawkFactory]

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2020/4/16/21223762/jordan-brushes-greatness-again-but-hed-trade-63-point-masterpiece-for-a-victory

Quote from Jordan after that 63-point game:

“I’d give all the points back if we could win. I wanted to win so badly.”

Maybe that’s how he felt in the moment. I’m sure after some reflection reality set in.

[Full Court]

Maybe that’s how he felt in the moment. I’m sure after some reflection reality set in.

Lol. I'm going with what he actually said rather than speculating about how he might or might not have REALLY felt.

[ShawkFactory]

Lol. I'm going with what he actually said rather than speculating about how he might or might not have REALLY felt.

So what about a 14 seed who makes the final four while knocking off a 2 and a 3 on the way?

As a fan of Vermont State are you mad that you lost to the #1 overall seed in the final four or are you proud of your boys for showing out and getting as far as they did?

[Full Court]

So what about a 14 seed who makes the final four while knocking off a 2 and a 3 on the way?

As a fan of Vermont State are you mad that you lost to the #1 overall seed in the final four or are you proud of your boys for showing out and getting as far as they did?

I'd respect them for having heart, but I wouldn't call it a moral victory. Ultimately, it's completely a matter of opinion. It's not like there's a right or wrong answer.

[ShawkFactory]

I'd respect them for having heart, but I wouldn't call it a moral victory. Ultimately, it's completely a matter of opinion. It's not like there's a right or wrong answer.

Yea I guess it’s how you look at it. In my opinion unless you’re Jordan, Gretzky, Brady or someone of that caliber in their field then there is always someone better than you. And to me there’s no shame in going down fighting against someone genuinely better than you. If you fight and do absolutely everything you can and garner respect from your opponent, that’s a moral victory in my eyes.