After Lebron James jumped over 5’11″ John Lucas during last nights Heat win over the Bulls, everyone has been questioning where it ranks all time? While he did jump over another NBA player, does it really match up to other famous dunks? That’s for you to decide.
The following are ten of the greatest in-game dunks of all time. Based on your votes, I will then compile the top ten, in order, of the greatest dunks of all time.
The sports world is nearly in full-throttle at this time of year. The biggest sporting event in existence is one week from today. The NBA season is kicking into high gear. College basketball teams are about mid-way through their conference schedules. The MLB season is near as pitchers and catchers report to camp in 3 weeks. Lots to cover, let’s get to it.
When everyone’s television screen is fixed on NBC next Sunday evening for the Super Bowl, mine will be too. However, for the duration of the game, as entertaining as it may be, I will be watching in agony. A friend of mine said to me during Week 17 that we are going to see a rematch of a Giants – Patriots Super Bowl. With the roller coaster season that the Giants were having, I told him no way. Well, here we are. No other matchup could be more agonizing for a Jets fan.
It’s sure to be an exciting week in Indianapolis however. The beautiful Lucas Oil Stadium is set to host its first Super Bowl, one which features a developed rivalry, and a Patriots dynasty that is seeking revenge. One would have to imagine that Tom Brady will be playing with added fire to get back at a Giants team that ruined a Patriots 19-0 season just four seasons ago. Despite a high ankle sprain, Brady’s favorite target, Rob Gronkowski, is expected to play. Bill Belichick’s squad faces a Giants team that is without a doubt an opponent that the Pats did not want to face. The fierce pass rush led by Jason Pierre-Paul will be looking to hunt Tom Brady down all game. Eli Manning is having a career year and is helped by the emergence of fan favorite, Victor Cruz. As we get closer to Sunday I will have predictions and analysis.
Almost a third into the NBA season, things are picking up on the hardwood. Pleasant surprises have both Philadelphia and Indiana in the top 5 of the Eastern Conference. On a current 4-game win streak the Boston Celtics are back in the playoff picture after an abysmal start, while the New York Knicks have the same record as the New Jersey Nets. Yes, you read that correctly. Out west, to no one’s surprise, the Thunder have been simply dominant and have the league’s best record. However if the season were to end today, the Los Angeles Lakers would be heading home early, standing at number 9 in the conference. How about this for interesting: should Ricky Rubio win the Rookie of the Year award (and the young Spaniard is having quite a season), the ROY will have come from the same draft class the past three seasons, as Blake Griffin took the honors last year after sitting out his draft year due to injury. After a recent mega-collapse for the Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard called out his teammates for a lack of effort. Look for things on the trade-front to start picking up very, very soon.
Sticking to the hardwood but to the college side, we are experiencing an incredibly interesting season. Kentucky is unquestionably the most talented team in the country, but the question lies on their inexperience and how far it can take them in March. The Big Ten appears to have replaced the Big East as the nation’s top conference. Things in the Big East have been very weird to say the least. Pittsburgh and Villanova are in the bottom quarter of the conference for the first time in nearly forever. With the exception of Syracuse (which manages to keep finding ways to win even without Fab Melo), it seems as if any team is beatable anywhere on any given night. After seeing Kevin Jones of West Virginia play yesterday, I would be shocked if he was not the Big East Player of the Year, and First Team All-American.
Three weeks from today, pitchers and catchers will begin to report to their respective camps. The Prince has finally found a landing spot in Detroit, and once Victor Martinez returns (not until next season) that heart-of-the-order is simply lethal. With most rosters nearly set, many teams, mostly in the American League have done a lot to improve. In my opinion the Angels and Yankees have helped themselves the most. It is impossible to make any comparison to the Albert Pujols signing, because he is undoubtedly the best hitter we have seen in a very long time. The addition of Pujols and CJ Wilson should make the Angels the favorite in the West. The AL East will be very competitive again with a Blue Jays team gaining more experience, a tough Rays team set to battle again, a healthy Red Sox team, and a Yankees squad with a much improved rotation. Brian Cashman changed the state of the Yankees in about an hour span just a few weeks ago by acquiring Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda. The countdown to Spring Training begins.
One last note…don’t forget to watch the Pro Bowl today. Just Kidding.
John Smoltz's mansion in Milton, GA
If you’re looking for a home that’s 18,265 sq ft, with 10 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, an indoor and outdoor kitchen, a movie theatre, gym, a huge backyard patio surrounding a pool, a tennis court, basketball court, a full size baseball and football field, a large pond, and an 18 hole golf course, all on 20 acres of land, you’re in luck.
John Smoltz, the future Hall Of Fame pitcher, is selling his home in Milton, GA with an asking price of approximately $7.2 M. You don’t believe my description of the house? See for yourself:
http://www.alexmcgrawandassociates.com/700fhvt/slideshow.html
Sure, Syracuse still has its fair share of doubters, and some voters think Kentucky is the top team in the country, and they have every right to think so. AP voter, Ron Morris, begs to differ completely as he has the Orange at #4 on his ballot week in and week out. He admits that the only game he saw the Orange play was against Florida, and he thought Florida was better. He also claims that the depth of Syracuse will hurt them in the long run. This man could not be any more wrong and it is the thoughts of people like this that are the reason these polls don’t truly matter. In my opinion, Ron Morris should have his voting privileges stripped, the man is undeniably stupid, and the Orange should be a unanimous #1 in the polls by this point. Check out Nunes Magician’s article on Morris here (http://www.nunesmagician.com/2012/1/3/2680401/ap-voter-ron-morris-syracuse-poll-florida-kentucky-carolina-ohio). Not only are they just one of four undefeated teams left in Division I, but they have looked outright dominant with just three games having a result with a single digit margin. Jim Boeheim is on record of saying that this is the deepest team he has ever had, and it is evident that by him sticking with a ten-man rotation this late in the season, he firmly believes that. Having been a fan of the Orange my whole life, I’m gonna say this is the best team he has ever had. They are at the top of the country in steals, turnover margin, and bench points.
Last night, the top ranked Orange won by 14 at Providence, a feisty team that has potential, but will be towards the bottom of the Big East standings. Any double digit road win in the Big East is nice, however. But this win validates how important the depth of the Orange is. Backup center Baye Moussa Keita was held out of the game with a hip injury. Instantly we became aware that this would indicate more minutes for struggling freshman PF/C Rakeem Christmas. What we didn’t know was that Christmas would foul out and C Fab Melo would be in foul trouble virtually the whole game. No problem though. The Orange’s newest center, CJ Fair (really a small forward that has played power forward all season), stepped up and anchored the middle. James Southerland came in to play the 4 after Christmas fouled out and instantly knocked down a 3. Brandon Triche sparked the Orange with a few big 3′s. The Orange never looked scared or worried, and instead stayed calm regardless of how close the game got.
Brandon Triche vs. Providence
Last week the Orange beat down Seton Hall at home in the Big East opener. The Hall was 11-1 entering the game and people were saying after the game that the Pirates just played a cakewalk of a non conference schedule and will again be the doormat of the Big East. Wrong. Not after their own beat downs of West Virginia and UConn. In ‘Cuse’s 26-point win against SHU, leading scorer Kris Joseph was held scoreless. Scoop Jardine had 5 points. In no way shape or form am I comparing Scoop to Aaron Craft, but for example, there is no way Ohio State could beat an average Big 10 team with Jared Sullinger and Aaron Craft being held to a combined 5 points.
This team is scary good. The depth for this team is huge. Perhaps their best player, Dion Waiters, comes off the bench. Waiters has made an unbelievable turnaround for the ‘Cuse. The Syracuse Orange are 100% deserving of that #1 ranking. A test at home against Marquette awaits, but don’t be surprised to see this team in the top 5 of the polls all season long.
Although we are about a month away from crowning a Super Bowl Champion in the NFL, Fantasy Football Champions have already been crowned as the regular season has concluded. The two steals of the 2011 Fantasy Football season were without a doubt Cam Newton and Rob Gronkowski. Both were either late round picks or free agent pickups in most leagues. Five quarterbacks dominated the fantasy points column more than anyone this season: Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Newton, and Matthew Stafford. Coming in at number 6 was running back Ray Rice. As we await the start of the playoffs this weekend it is never too early to take a look at a preview for next season’s fantasy football draft.
2012 Fantasy Football Mock Draft – 1st Round
Before our picks start, let’s keep in mind the landscape of the NFL is changing and this past season was the year of the quarterback.
Notable Omissions: Adrian Peterson (Unlikely to be ready by the start of the season); Matt Forte (Should be healthy, but uncertain as to what team he will be playing for); Falcons (White, Jones {complement eachother}, Turner lot of mileage on those legs); Chris Johnson (Who?? Can’t trust him)
Mike Tannenbaum and Rex Ryan
There is nothing more frustrating, especially as a New York sports fan, then going into a season with high expectations, but to have dismal results. Reporters and fans have been quick to write off players within the Knicks and Jets organizations, pointing the blame towards certain individuals, but the more I give it some more thought, who is really to blame? Now I am not writing off the Knicks as a bad team, given the short preseason and they have only played five games, but due to the same philosophy within the Jets organization, specifically with management, I fear that the Knicks will end up with a very similar result as the Jets did. So I ask again, who is to blame? For Knicks, the combination of Executive Chairman James Dolan, Interim General Manager Glen Grunwald, General Manager from 2008-2011 Donnie Walsh, and Head Coach Mike Dantoni, and for the Jets, the combination of General Manager Mike Tannenbaum, and Head Coach Rex Ryan. Why you may ask? Why not Mark Sanchez? It is very simple. The two teams were built around the wrong philosophy. Both decided to part from chemistry and unity, and decided to go after stars.
The New York Knicks have been in the media quite often the past year and a half, after bringing in stars Amare Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler via free agency (Chandler was a sign-and-trade), while gutting their roster to trade for Carmelo Anthony. While on paper, the combination may seem like a dominant Big 3, however, you can’t pick any 3 stars, put them together, and expect results. The players need to be able to play together, and compliment each others style of play. When you look at the Boston Celtics, you had (past tense because their prime has past) Garnett playing down low as a big man, Paul Pierce working the mid range jumper, while Ray Allen worked the perimeter with his 3-point range (that’s not including a dominant point guard Rajon Rondo).
(From left to right) Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce
When you look at the Miami Heat, they have the very same formula which they have finally implemented this year (last season they seemed lost). You have Chris Bosh playing down low, Lebron James working the mid range, and Dwyane Wade working the point. What makes the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat Big 3′s so dominant at their prime is that they are all good passers, compliment each others style of offense, AND PLAY DEFENSE. In the Knicks case, none of those three key factors apply.
In the beginning of last season, Amare Stoudemire appeared to be the perfect fit in New York. He was a big time play maker who brought a lot of hype to the Garden. He was the go-to-guy on the team. At the time however, he had a point guard who could pass and shoot in Raymond Felton, perimeter threats with Danillo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and Shawne Williams, and Tony Douglass as a spark off the bench. While they would score around 110 points a game, they couldn’t play defense if their life depended on it. So, what did the Knicks do? They traded half their roster for Carmelo Anthony, the best scorer in the game, who of course plays poor defense. While it was the right move in the fact that they needed a star like Carmelo, he didn’t exactly fit well with Stoudemire. They both have a similar styles of offense, in the sense that they both are strong from mid range and work in isolation situations. However, Amare Stoudemire was still able to dominate with the pick and roll with the recently acquire Chauncey Billups in the Carmelo Anthony trade.
(Left to Right) Tyson Chandler, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire form the Knicks Big 3
During this offseason, the Knicks decided to amnesty their commanding point guard Billups in order to bring in the defensive center Tyson Chandler, and promote Tony Douglass to the starting point guard roll (something we all know will never be succesful). While bringing in Tyson Chandler was a great move by the Knicks organization, it indirectly demoted Stoudemire to a roll player, a roll he does not know how to play. Now before you start saying that is ridiculous, read my next point. Amare’s strength is working the pick-and-roll, which is also the strength of Tyson Chandler. By acquiring Chandler, he now runs the pick-and-roll (with a point guard who can’t get him the ball in Douglass). With Chandler taking Amare’s roll, and Carmelo Anthony demanding the isolation on the low post and mid range, Stoudemire has ZERO roll on this offense. He’s a waist of space defensively, so if you think about it, what exactly is his roll on this Knicks team? What the Knicks are lacking now are role players who can compliment Melo and Chandler. With the small chance Baron Davis comes back not just healthy, but in shape, the Knicks need to ship Amare Stoudemire for several roll players, or a commanding point guard, in order to be successful.
Mike D'Antoni
Now do I blame Stoudemire or Douglass for their lack of play? No, not at all. They have been placed in a position where they cannot succeed. They have been set up for failure. Management is not all to blame for this, but D’Antoni as well. He is trying to bring a philosophy to a team that doesn’t fit his philosophy. He likes to run a fast past, run and gun offense. However, he has a bunch of players who work best in a half court offense, not to mention that they have no three point shooting, aside from second round big man Josh Harrellson and Steve Novak. D’Antoni needs to start coaching a philosophy that fits his players, or else the team will not succeed this season, or anytime soon.
Jets coming soon…
