Allen Iverson's quickness, making defenders
worry about falling down when trying to guard him.
Tim Duncan's bank shot.
Jason Kidd grabbing a rebound and racing
past 7 players to finish a 2-on-1 break with a great assist.
John Stockton's great passing and great
shot selection. The guy only shoots when he's suppossed to. It's cool seeing
ball control at its finest.
Karl Malone. The greatest power forward
of all time. Aside from occasional cheapness, he's awesome to watch.
Jason Williams' amazing passes. Fine, they
may sometimes hit the hot-dog vender in the head instead of a teammate's
hands, but damn, they're pretty.
Chris Webber's dunks.
Kobe Bryant, doing the best Michael Jordan
impression of anyone.
Shaquille O'Neal's ridiculous combination
of size, strength and quickness. Can't relate to it but it's unique and
special.
Rasheed Wallace's intensity. He gets techs
because he cares. He's mad. He wants to win. His heart's in the game.
Kevin Garnett. Everything about his game
just rocks.
Jeff Van Gundy for providing comic relief
by hanging from Mourning's leg. Old highlight but it's still clear in our
minds.
Allan Houston for shooting so smoothly.
Andre Miller for being the only new point
guard with a style comparable to John Stockton's. Old, old school. Needs
a giant afro.
Moochie Norris for his giant afro.
Reggie Miller showing he can still run
past 18 screens, circle the court 27 times, catch the ball and bomb from
outside like no one else.
Alonzo Mourning's intensity. Picture him
this very second, angrily pacing around his house, wishing he was battling
on the court. Right now. Pacing, back and fourth. Back and fourth...
Vinsanity. So much fun to watch that we're
perfectly willing to use ridiculous, made-up words like "Vinsanity."
Ray Allen's silky-smooth jumper.
Stephon Marbury - the ultimate combination
of speed, strength, quickness and intensity. Thanks for representing Brooklyn.
"Coney Island's Finest."
Steve Francis, who declared himself a combination
of Iverson and Marbury and quickly began backing that up.
Tracy McGrady for turning out to be worth
all the hype. He's erupting. Vince vs. Tracy for the next 10 years. Oh
my. Put every game on national tv.
Gary Payton's ability to talk sick amounts
of trash and back up every word. See, most players - both pro and amateur
- get out of control and mess up when they get mad. I know it's happened
to you. You get mad and maybe jump slightly higher and move quicker, but
you're out of control. Your shot goes long. And you forget to get back
on defense, allowing your man to rush past you and help finish the break
while you stand around looking pissed. Well, GP gets mad, lets the entire
world know it, and then proceeds to bury 3 shots and dish 2 assists in
the next 60 seconds of game time. Again, I declare - damn.
Jerry Stackhouse for rising up. He was
an out of control shooter and now he's becoming a great player.
Lamar Odom for not being mad that I spilled
a little bit of a drink on his black leather jacket about two weeks ago.
My bad.
Paul Pierce for inspiring everyone by surviving
a horrible attack, getting out of the hospital far quicker than expected,
and then immediately kicking a$$ on the NBA level once again. Glad you're
ok, Paul.
Elton Brand for being really good. Not
a great start but we've got every reason to think he'll match what he did
last year and keep improving. The East needs more good power forwards.
NBA 2Night on ESPN2. It's the only NBA
show I go out of my way to watch.
Marv Albert's entertaining commentary.
College basketball for providing a great
alternative to the NBA.
College basketball crowds who don't shut
up the entire game.
The refs who, for the most part, do what
they can to keep the game fair.
Coaches, for wearing suits and yelling
a lot.
Every single basketball player that puts
his or her heart into the game. You're responsible for all of this. The
NBA stars of today wouldn't be this good if the people they played with
as kids didn't push them to new heights. Maybe you're one of those people.
It all starts with street ball.
The internet, for existing so we can share
our love of basketball with you.
You, for supporting InsideHoops.com and
spreading the good word.
