I think I once touched the rim when I was in high school...

March 11, 2013 1:14 PM

Last week, Robert Mays of Grantland put together a Best Alley-Oops of All Time mini-post (1/4 down the page), as a response to THIS. Today he had to redo his list because of THIS.
posted by rouftop (55 comments total)

That was a fierce, fierce dunk. Like something out of NBA Jam.
posted by thecjm at 1:16 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

Here's the authoritative GIF, courtesy Deadspin.
posted by selfnoise at 1:17 PM on March 11 [10 favorites]

(If people happen to post more dunks in this thread, I... well... I will watch every one of them.)
posted by rouftop at 1:17 PM on March 11

The exaggerated "oh my god that was literally staggering" move that the bench always erupts into after a ridiculous dunk is so funny.
posted by nathancaswell at 1:19 PM on March 11

My twitter feed last name was basically non-stop posting of pictures like this one and yet, somehow, it never got old.

The NBA as a game doesn't really interest me. The NBA as an exhibition of the absurdity of what you can do with the human body can be very worthwhile.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 1:19 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

Here's the authoritative GIF, courtesy Deadspin.

Now in glorious HD

Also you need to see this
posted by 2bucksplus at 1:19 PM on March 11 [8 favorites]

You've got to give little Brandon Knight credit for stepping up and even trying to contest that shot. Adrian Wojnarowski offers a counterpoint.
posted by thecjm at 1:20 PM on March 11 [7 favorites]

Best part is the kids freaking out.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:21 PM on March 11 [5 favorites]

A YouTube comment: "When my mom came to my room I switched to porn because that dunk was so dirty."
posted by Diablevert at 1:22 PM on March 11 [27 favorites]

ps this post is missing the "boom shakalaka" tag
posted by nathancaswell at 1:25 PM on March 11 [7 favorites]

I am taking my sons to a Harlem Wizards game tonight at the local high school gym, and I may warm them up by showing this clip. :7)

(The Harlem Wizards play "trick basketball," but apparently only do so as fund-raisers for schools and other non-profits. Pretty cool.)
posted by wenestvedt at 1:26 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

Single Pistons fan tear.
posted by klangklangston at 1:30 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

Was I the only one that expected a comic strip when I clicked?
posted by wittgenstein at 1:36 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

That would be the best Gasoline Alley Oops. *rimshot*
posted by selfnoise at 1:38 PM on March 11

Holy shit.

(Yes, I know dunk contests aren't "real basketball" or whatever, but some things are just fucking fun.)
posted by kmz at 1:41 PM on March 11

Why does his (Jordan's) teammate shove him out of bounds like that? To get him away from the ref?

Also, I thought I saw something like a black shoe fly out of the collision and out of bounds.
posted by jamjam at 1:48 PM on March 11

That was almost the kind of dunk you'd see in Slamball. Seriously insanely unthinkable without a trampoline. (Well, I guess unthinkable until now.)
posted by andreaazure at 1:55 PM on March 11

At least Brandon has a sense of humor about the whole thing. And it's no oop, but I've always been a fan of Shawn Kemp throwin' down.
posted by antonymous at 1:55 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

jamjam: Why does his (Jordan's) teammate shove him out of bounds like that? To get him away from the ref?

I think it was just a "Holy shit that was amazing" kind of shove.

The look on Jordan's face afterwards: "Oh man. That was kind of messed up what I did just then. I hope dude's alright."
posted by Rock Steady at 1:57 PM on March 11 [3 favorites]

Woooo lob city is about the funnest thing to watch in basketball right now. But they can't play half-court D.
posted by Mister_A at 2:10 PM on March 11

Can someone put this in football (soccer) terms for an ignorant brit?

Was there a point to the between-the-legs thing in the first one, besides looking cool?

If not... By basketball standards the scoreline didn't look like the team had it wrapped up, and in footie, strikers will rarely do that sort of pure showboating in a competitive match even if it's safely 4-0. It seems kinda risky. Do people try showboating like this often? Blow it often?

In the second one, a striker coming through the goalkeeper like that would surely result in the goal being ruled out and a free kick to the defending team. I know you can't bowl people over willy-nilly in basketball so what meant it was ok in that situation - the rules are written to favour the attacking team when both guys are in the air, or something?

(I'm sure I sound idiotic to NBA veterans, but my basketball experience pretty much amounts to 'whoah! dude'-ing at AND1 youtubes.)
posted by Slyfen at 2:13 PM on March 11

Does the ball bounce off Knight's face on the way down?

Since we're on the topic of sick dunks, I've always been partial to Vince Carter going over a 7 foot 2 inch Frederic Weis.
posted by cmfletcher at 2:17 PM on March 11 [3 favorites]

Slyfen: By basketball standards the scoreline didn't look like the team had it wrapped up, and in footie, strikers will rarely do that sort of pure showboating in a competitive match even if it's safely 4-0. It seems kinda risky. Do people try showboating like this often? Blow it often?

They were so far ahead of the rest of the defense that I guess he felt safe showboating like that. It pretty common on wide open fast breaks like that.

Slyfen: I know you can't bowl people over willy-nilly in basketball so what meant it was ok in that situation - the rules are written to favour the attacking team when both guys are in the air, or something?

Here's a good technical breakdown of the charging/blocking rules. You are basically suggesting that Jordan was charging, but it is clear in the video that the defender did not have his feet set in a defensive position before Jordan came in contact with him.
posted by Rock Steady at 2:19 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

Slyfen: This is showboating on a level that few professional NBA players are physically capable of. The jumping ability, coordination and strength necessary to pull off a slam-dunk like that are off the charts. And NBA players, especially big scorers, do tend toward being show-offs. It's part of the charm.

Also, with regard to the risk of the play, a basket is only worth two points, and a winning team in an NBA game will ordinarily score 100 or more. With a 19-point lead, you don't have to worry about eking out every possible safe shot.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:22 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

Rock Steady: thanks for the link, seems as clear and simple breakdown as I could have hoped for! Didn't mean to suggest Jordan was charging, exactly - more like I had no idea of the concepts of charging, blocking, or valid defensive positions before you posted that! :)

HZ'sSF (if I may call you that): Yeah, I love the showboating side of basketball, hence dipping into posts like this, and random streetball videos, where moves like that seems relatively commonplace(?) - but I've never got to grips with the actual rules of competitive/NBA games! So I wasn't clear exactly how rare and ballsy that move was in this context.
posted by Slyfen at 2:30 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

I am pretty sure those who hate DeAndre Jordan's dunk just hate FUN. Dunks are fun and entertaining! They show off the athleticism of the player! So good!!

(Yes, I know dunk contests aren't "real basketball" or whatever, but some things are just fucking fun.)

Vince Carter is definitely one of the greatest, most-epic dunkers of all-time. (if forced to choose, I'd probably go with 8 and 3 in that video as his personal favorites of mine.) SO much fun to watch. And he's still dunking like CRAZY!

And here is Terrence Ross, eventual 2013 Slam Drunk Contest winner, paying tribute to Vince Carter. (KG's reaction! SO GREAT.)

I am and have always been a Bulls fan (but a big big lover of the NBA in general), so here are some obligatory crazy D.Rose dunks.
posted by sc114 at 2:30 PM on March 11 [3 favorites]

Now in glorious HD

The longer I watch this, the funnier it gets.
posted by jquinby at 2:32 PM on March 11

Was totally expecting this.
posted by koeselitz at 2:42 PM on March 11

If not... By basketball standards the scoreline didn't look like the team had it wrapped up, and in footie, strikers will rarely do that sort of pure showboating in a competitive match even if it's safely 4-0. It seems kinda risky. Do people try showboating like this often? Blow it often?

I think this reflects the very different pacing of soccer (football) versus basketball. I'm far from being a knowledgeable fan of either sport, but one thing that is apparent to me about basketball is that it's a very fast-paced game with very little "memory." Some people complain that the problem with basketball is that a game will either be a blowout, with one team demolishing the other to the point of it not being a contest, or that teams alternate scoring pretty evenly to the point where the only drama to be had is in the fourth quarter.

So the interesting part of basketball is not so much the narrative of the game as the many many individual athletic highlights. At least, compared to most other team sports. And on that score, basketball delivers like little else. When you see both teams charging back and forth at top speed, passing and leaping and shooting, it's quite the spectacle, and very much a showcase of incredible physicality.

In light of this, I think this kind of showboating makes more sense in basketball. It's all about the moment and the spectacle. The guys who made the shot aren't making some kind of boast of predicted victory (well, not as overtly as a touchdown dance in American football). They're basking in the moment of their incredible feats of power and grace. Nobody will feel sheepish about it if their team doesn't go on to win the game. Rather, it will be a moment of victory they can salvage from otherwise defeat.

That's a whole lot of words about a sport I don't really know much about. Apologies to real fans if I got it wrong.
posted by Edgewise at 2:54 PM on March 11

Oh Vince. We had some good times when you were a Raptor.
posted by dry white toast at 3:03 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

cmfletcher: "Since we're on the topic of sick dunks, I've always been partial to Vince Carter going over a 7 foot 2 inch Frederic Weis. "

My mom came into my room and I thought I switched to porn but it was just Carter dunking while sitting on a guy's face.
posted by mannequito at 3:21 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

I am pretty sure those who hate DeAndre Jordan's dunk just hate FUN.

No, some of us still can't understand the concept that an alley-oop to an offensive player is a great play, whereas if a defender jumps up and grabs the same "pass" midair it's called goaltending.

Granted, it's a great play, by a 6'11 Center over a 6'3 1-sometimes-2 guard. If I wanted to put this into a footie perspective this would be a breakaway by Rooney with, well, me in goal.

Personally, I'm with Wojnaroski: This is showboating at it's best. If you're a fan of that sort of thing then that's great. However, those of us who admire competition and a sporting event see this as some sort of epitome of the death of the sport.

Might as well be watching the Christians battle the Lions at this point.
posted by Blue_Villain at 3:37 PM on March 11

"If not... By basketball standards the scoreline didn't look like the team had it wrapped up, and in footie, strikers will rarely do that sort of pure showboating in a competitive match even if it's safely 4-0. It seems kinda risky. Do people try showboating like this often? Blow it often? "

When I was a kid, we sometimes played pickup games of, like, six a side, where we would use half the field and play without goalies. There, you'd see slick moves and showboating all the time, in part because a neighborhood dad used to play semi-pro in Poland, so he had some ridiculous moves to use against us half-pints. (He could flip the ball into the air with his foot, catch it on his head, and jog with it up there.) My hunch is that goalies really strip a lot of the flash out of soccer players.
posted by klangklangston at 3:40 PM on March 11

This is showboating at it's best.

Really? It was basically a pick-and-roll where Jordan slipped the screen and dove the the basket*. He was wide open on the cut and the alley-oop was probably the most efficient way to finish that play, especially with the the best passer in the league throwing the ball to one of the better finishers. If Jordan had come down with the ball and tried to finish off of two feet it would have been monumentally stupid. It was a great highlight, but it was also a great basketball play.

a 6'11 Center over a 6'3 1-sometimes-2 guard

Knight played it perfectly. He saw Jordan diving to the basket and rotated over before the pass. When he saw it was a lob he got up high and tried to stop Jordan from catching it, which he almost did. Sure, it's not like he dunked over Mutumbo. But the epicness of the dunk was elevated by how well Knight played defense.

Compare to Kobe dunking over Josh Smith a couple of weeks ago. Smith is tall and a good defender, so you might argue that it's more impressive than Jordan's jam. But Smith was a step late on the drive and never actually got between Kobe and the rim. Knight saw it coming, played good defense and had a credible shot at breaking up the play. Points to Jordan.

*See: S. Nash and A. Stoudemire (2004) for a good example of how relying on this exact play can take you to the best record in the league.
posted by no regrets, coyote at 4:07 PM on March 11 [6 favorites]

It's amusing that someone can say that it was a basic play, defended well, not showboaty at all... in the middle of a conversation along the lines of "OMG this is the greatest dunk of all times" and it not be some sort of joke.

You seriously expect someone to believe that an ally-oop is NOT showboating?
posted by Blue_Villain at 4:12 PM on March 11

I didn't say it was a basic basketball play, I said it was a great basketball play. Given the situation as Jordan was cutting to the basketball, the alley-oop is a really good way to get the two (or in this case, three) points.

I don't think anyone has considered an alley-oop in the flow of an offense as "showboating" for about thirty or forty years. A dunk is a high percentage shot, and an alley-oop is a dunk where the shooter doesn't have to gather himself with the ball and give the defense time to collapse and swarm. If Jordan hadn't alley-ooped that play the defense would have had a much better shot at stopping him.

Coaches design plays specifically as alley-oops because it's such a good way to score points if you have the players to do it.

The Crawford to Griffin slam (also linked in the OP) was showboaty. It was great to watch, but it was unnecessary and if Crawford had screwed it up he would have looked like a doofus. If Knight had managed to break up the Jordan dunk no one would have criticized Chris Paul for trying. They would have given Knight kudos for breaking up a sure two points.
posted by no regrets, coyote at 4:27 PM on March 11 [3 favorites]

An *alley-oop is a perfectly legitimate play and the clippers have it down to a science. Thanks for the post.
posted by meta87 at 4:28 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

so here are some obligatory crazy D.Rose dunks

Weeps openly, pining for a bright future now clouded with doubt and despair.

/Bulls fan
posted by Ghidorah at 4:31 PM on March 11

Was I the only one that expected a comic strip when I clicked?

I was expecting that great basketball team, the Hollywood Argyles myself.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:27 PM on March 11

complaining about this masterpiece dunk is like saying lynn swann was bad for football because he kept making showoff catches that were unfair to the other team = makes absolutely no sense
posted by facetious at 6:28 PM on March 11

That dunk was such serious business that even The New Yorker had to cover it.
posted by mcmile at 7:05 PM on March 11

Didn't mean to suggest Jordan was charging, exactly - more like I had no idea of the concepts of charging, blocking, or valid defensive positions before you posted that! :)

Of course. Didn't mean to put words in your mouth. Perhaps I should have said, "One might claim Jordan was charging..."
posted by Rock Steady at 7:10 PM on March 11

Griffins dunk was bullshit. DeAndres was serious business. Watch your ass West Coast.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 7:26 PM on March 11

If I wanted to put this into a footie perspective this would be a breakaway by Rooney with, well, me in goal.

Or to put it into a philosophical perspective, the truth of the matter pitted against your knowledge of current pro basketball.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 8:05 PM on March 11

On the showboating issue, all I can say is this:

Fellow white people, stop trying to ruin the game of basketball; you've tried it your way, but everyone hates that game. Cut it out.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 8:19 PM on March 11 [2 favorites]

You would not believe how many 1993 highlight reels I had to watch on YouTube to find the dunk I find most memorable -- Pippin inbounds to himself, dunks (1993 finals against the Suns, Game 3; video link starts at 3:33; much better angle on instant replay at 3:47). The dunk isn't showy, but the pass is sure unusual!

(Also watching all those 1993 highlight reels reminded me that gravity really didn't apply to Jordan, did it? GEEEEEEZ.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:21 PM on March 11 [4 favorites]

Some apt commentary from a pair of real dunk artists: perpetual motion dunking machine.
posted by TreeRooster at 8:34 PM on March 11

I've watched and re-watched that dunk and all of the slow-mo reverse-angle replays and I just want to report that I was unable to discern even the faintest whiff of any any faked funk whatsoever.
posted by the painkiller at 9:05 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

I guess it's safe to assume his induction into Phi Slamma Jamma will be allowed to proceed unabated, then?
posted by ShutterBun at 9:39 PM on March 11

Sorry ShutterBun the deans closed that frat thirty years ago.
posted by mahorn at 10:18 PM on March 11

Fellow white people, stop trying to ruin the game of basketball; you've tried it your way, but everyone hates that game. Cut it out.

Amen. For those wanting to watch short white guys shoot from a comically close three-point line, I hear there's some mid-major conference tournaments this week.
posted by no regrets, coyote at 10:24 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

I won't rest until they bring back the peach baskets and get rid of that new fangled fad of a 24 second shot clock!
posted by Apoch at 2:38 AM on March 12

That dunk was such serious business that even The New Yorker had to cover it.

Holy crap, that last Bill Russell one they link is ridiculous.
posted by Slyfen at 5:49 AM on March 12

Griffins dunk was delicious. DeAndres was serious business.

FTFY.
posted by azpenguin at 6:52 AM on March 12

It's a little late, but I just saw a stat that Blake Griffin is #1 in overall dunks this year, with the #3 slot going to DeAndre Jordan. You don't end up on that list without a great setup man (aka Chris Paul).

And just for fun if you haven't clicked that link yet, guess which team has players who are (as of this writing) #2, #7, and #8 on that list? Another (more underrated) PG behind that success as well...
posted by antonymous at 4:55 PM on March 12