3 Responses to “Layups: Basketball-Reference + NBA.com Contest”

1. Garron Says:
   June 15th, 2010 at 2:07 pm

   I was going to go for the Big Baby and-1 off the Tony Allen miss, but I'm going to have to go with Rondo's offensive rebound tip-in, and here's why;

   There are so, so many things wrong with that play that makes it both a great play in the Celtics / Lakers rivalry, and one of the great plays of Rondo's career. I think as fans, the reasons why we love Michael Jordan's climb to glory after many unsuccessful playoff attempts, the fact that Kevin Garnett and to an extent both Allen and Pierce have resurrected their careers once all joined in Boston, and why many revered Iverson's game one performance of the 2001 "David v Goliath" matchup, is that it reminds us all that these athletes are human, and what separates them from regular athletes is that they play above their athleticism. This is what Rondo did. Never mind that he's jumping from a worse position that one of the most tenacious "wants it more" players in the games history in Kobe Bryant, and a 6'10 super rebounder in Lamar Odom. Rondo just wanted it more. If it was Perk, KG, Sheed or even Paul, we might see it as a play that happened. But Rondo gave it his all there, and that is what this rivalry has always been about. Giving it your all.

   More importantly, it defines what Rondo's career is about. So unconventional, always gambling, and almost always paying off. If Rondo didn't secure that tip, we could be seeing a fast break by the Lakers with Rondo removed from the ball. But it's what Rondo does that makes him so great, because he takes these calculated risks, just like the steal to seal game 4. If he missed, Derek fisher would have been wide open if the ball went to Lamar, then him, breaking down the defense. Add to the fact that this was the play that probably sealed the fate of the game?

   Definitely the Rondo tip in.

2. P Middy Says:
   June 16th, 2010 at 11:11 am

   I'll go with Sheed crapping the bed last night. Classic.

3. fpliii Says:
   June 17th, 2010 at 7:53 am

   Hey there! (I'm a long time lurker on the S-R family; these sites are my crack). Let me give this a shot:

   There have been a few pretty sweet plays/series of plays thus far in the 2010 finals, though there a few highlights that have been particularly sweet thus far. It's pretty hard to find one moment that will define the finals, but if I had to choose one, it'd have to depend on who ends up winning the series.

   If the Lakers win, the play I'd pick thus far would have to be Derek Fisher's driving layup (+1) through KG, Big Baby, and Ray Allen. Not only was it incredibly clutch, but it illustrated what the Lakers' lowest profile starter brings to the table for an otherwise incredibly stacked squad. Now, that me preface by saying that I'm generally not a proponent of the concept of clutch insofar as describing players, though obviously one can clearly retrospectively look at plays which can be classified as integral to the success of a team unit. This play in and of itself wasn't especially significant on a local scale, per se, but in addition to being a sweet-looking drive, it meant quite a bit for the series. If LA lost the game, the Celtics would have had a 2-1 lead with 2 more games at home, and as winning 3/4 games is quite the daunting task, this probably would have spelled the end for this year's Lakers squad (note: I was far more impressed by the degree of difficulty of some of Kobe's shots in his third-quarter outburst a couple of games later, but it's hard to name a this the play of the series in a losing effort, especially when it doesn't paint an entirely accurate description of the collective ability of Kobe's teammates; also, I'm not sure if we could have mentioned highlights from Game 6 as well, but the game was really defined by a consistent beatdown of one seemingly-lesser side by a monster team...the two Shannon Brown dunks were nice eye-candy, but they didn't really sway the course of the game in either way, and they didn't take place in the fourth quarter, so there is no OMGSOCLUTCH factor as well.)

   If the Celtics manage to come from behind and win, I think the highlight highlight that ends up making it to the annals of Celtics-Lakers lore, if any, would have to be from Game 5. Game 5 was an extremely pivotal contest—losing surely would've brought about an irreconcilable scenario for the Celtics, winning not only actually made the Celtics seem like they had a shot in the series for the first time, but actually made them look like the better team in this title bout—the play that basically closed the door was (albeit Artest missing important free throws was huge as well) probably the inbounds pass across half the court from KG to Pierce, followed by the hurl to Rondo to finish. If there was any hope of a Lakers comeback, it was surely erased by this play. The play was also somewhat symbolic, of not only Garnett's willingness to accept a lesser role to Pierce on the offensive end of the ball upon his trade, but also in the proverbial passing of the torch as leader of the team from Pierce to Rondo (cheesy, I know) This was actually a really sweet play on its own, but the one problem is I don't think the Celtics have a chance in game 7; if the Celtics do end up winning, this would also help illustrate the team ball they would have played in their run to the championship (though, KG has likely been Boston's best player thus far in the series, and if they end up winning, he should be in theory collecting his second finals MVP; even though KG has been decried as inconsistent as hell this series, Pierce and Rondo have actually taken the night off on several occasions).

   So I guess take my response FWIW, disregarding my case for a highlight for the losing team. I do expect there to be a huge moment of sorts in Game 7, likely from Kobe (I'm usually a big critic, but I think he'll come up huge in G7 at home), though a huge KG play would be welcome as well (and would win him the Finals MVP that, again, he should've won two years ago).