In the past 10 days, the Denver Nuggets morphed into one of my favorite teams in the NBA. Their role as a grossly undersized underdog certainly helped make me feel the way I do, but what really captured my attention was the way this team managed to ignore that underdog mentality while facing elimination; turning the pace of Game’s 5 and 6 in their favor and making a supremely talented Lakers squad look as though they’d rather not be playing basketball. It was admirable.
Denver may not have a superstar, but what they lack in dependability, they make up for in unpredictable excitement. When you watch the Nuggets play in the fourth quarter, you have no clue where the offense is coming from. It’s both a gift and a curse, able to turn the life of a defense into a nightmare or a simple duty, depending on whether or not anybody catches fire. I was rooting for this team to win last night, but knew it was unlikely. The Nuggets weren’t the better team in this series, and the better team always wins. They were, however, more deserving. If they manage to continue on their promising path of development, someday soon they’ll be the favorite, and the Game 7′s will fall in their favor.
The Knicks just announced Baron Davis tore his ACL and MCL, and partially tore his patella tendon in yesterday’s victory over the Heat. Truly sad news. In honor of one of the league’s most colorful players, here’s what’s probably the last nationally televised crossover of his memorable career.
Some things should never happen. In the clip above, Joakim Noah looks like he’s trying to execute a simple in and out move to attack the basket, but never has complete control of the ball. The result is a non-move and some quick head-jerking. Meanwhile, his defender’s left foot happens to slip on what MUST be an unfortunately placed wet spot. The result? A truly embarrassing moment in time.
A little over a week ago, DeShawn Stevenson put a behind the back dribble move on reigning First Team All-Defender Rajon Rondo. There was nothing special about it—no crazy shoulder juke or undecipherable speed—and yet Rondo, one of the most underrated false manufacturers of contact that the league has, fell to the floor, clutching of all things his head. As he was executing the move, Stevenson appears to steady himself by placing his hand on Rondo’s hip; what followed may or may not have been a gentle push. Nothing strong enough to send a grown man flying, but just a little something to afford him some breathing room. My consensus on the outcome here is that while Stevenson is not known for his ball-handling expertise, Rondo IS known for a) flopping (but mostly on the offensive end) and b) playing hellacious defense. For him to fall over just doesn’t make much sense, and the ultimate result is a non gift-wrapped whistle from the refs, coupled with an embarrassing moment that’s now on Youtube. Shame on you, Rondo.
…no, not really, but still. When I saw this move live last Friday night, I described it on CelticsHub by saying it made me adjust my television, which wasn’t a lie. There’s a great chance this is the last crossover Dooling puts on display for the rest of his career. Also a good chance this was the last time he scores in double figures. Enjoy this insightful, behind the scenes veteran while he’s still around; moves like this one are rarer than rare.
At the risk of using hyperbole: this entire sequence is breathtaking. The way Paul controls a basketball as if there is no ball in his hands is remarkable. He dances around the court, going as fast or as slow as he thinks is best—making you believe he wants to get to the line one moment and then quickly stepping back between his legs and preferring a jumper the next. Sometimes we say people are too smart for their own good, that they have so many thoughts brewing in their head at once that the collision of separate ideas will cause them to outthink which one should be chosen. Something tells me we won’t be applying this saying to Chris Paul anytime soon.
Tony Parker had more than one crossover in last night’s win against the Lakers, but hat tip to TBJ for this particular clip, with a particularly embarrassing performance by Jordan Hill. Watching it without laughing is impossible, unless you are void of real human emotion.
I’ve been meaning to write something about Lou Williams for a while now. He’s played almost 500 less minutes than Andre Iguodala this season, yet he’s scored over 200 more points. I know Iggy isn’t the first scoring option, and has said time and time again he’s more comfortable facilitating an offense instead of taking it over, but still…he’s an All-Star and Lou Williams does not start. He may be one-dimensional—and the Sixers may be in the middle of a most unfortunate free fall that could ultimately leave them out of the playoffs—but Williams is going to lead his team in scoring from the bench. (If you know who the last guy was to do this, please leave it in the comments.) Philadelphia scores 6.1 more points per 100 possessions when he’s on the court. His influence on this team has been incredible, and even though James Harden will probably win the Sixth Man of the Year award, please don’t overlook the type of season Lou Williams is having.
We’ve covered Kevin Durant’s crossover several times this season, and in its effective ability to create efficient baskets, this one is no different. Durant only made five baskets in this game (which these days is rarer than standing outside in a downpour and not getting hit with any rain). He did, however, pull this move off—a sequence of beauty that should probably count for more than your typical two points. It’s so difficult not to love.
