JR Smith on Gary Neal vs JR Smith 360 Alley-Oop
JR Smith is the ultimate NBA could-be. As erratic as can be, Smith shows flashes of brilliance and unstoppable offensive ability. Standing at 6'6", 220 pounds, Smith's ability to blast off the court makes him one of the highest risers in the NBA. Last year Smith scored 12.3 points per game and his career high is just 15.4. His athletic ability combined with his deft shooting touch (in 09/10 he had the second most three pointers in the NBA) should make him one of the top players in the NBA and a perennial All-Star, but he never seems to stay consistent. When Smith is on target he makes it all look too easy, like he's playing a pickup game with the other professionals and dominating. When Smith is not on target he is unbearably frustrating.
Thankfully Dunk Vs judges a player based not on consistency, but on a sporratic moment of exceptional ability. JR Smith has produced many of these in his seven-year NBA career, but the two dunks I've selected are the two most noteworthy.
When Smith dribbles down the court with less than six seconds on the clock, a smart play might be a desperation three-pointer. But when the defense opens up, Smith finds the lane and takes off to the basket. Gary Neal gets in the way just enough to get blasted into oblivion, and send Smith even higher while legitimizing his hanging on the rim. His swinging on the rim causes the Denver home crowd to whip into a frenzy while Carmelo looks on and nods in approval. Gary Neal falls like a corpse, and JR asks the crowd to let him hear their fervor. This, combined with the announcer's call "We've just seen a man fly! Ride 'em cowboy!" turn this spectacular dunk into spectacle.
While not a poster dunk on anybody, JR's 360 alley-oop in Minnesota is a stunning rarity in an NBA regular season game. This dunk is the type of dunk Nate Robinson would have to try twelve times in the dunk contest to nail it, and JR pulled it off during a game. Chauncey Billups sends a nice lob, and JR makes it more difficult than it needs to be. But JR has always been a showman.
As powerful as the dunk on Gary Neal was, the 360-oop is some serious uncharted NBA territory. Like the Snyder/ Wafer Vs Wallace/ Nachbar matchup in Dunk Vs: Part 3 I'm going to argue for originality and creativity over straight bangin'. The dunk over and through Gary Neal is strong, but ranks higher than maybe it should because of the pageantry after the dunk and the announcer's legend-making call. A "360 alley-oop" just sounds cool, and when you see it you know that no announcer's call is needed to explain how spectacular the dunk was. JR's 360 alley-oop is what 360special is all about.
Winner: JR Smith 360 Alley-Oop
|
No comments:
Post a Comment