10 reasons to love Lebron's dunk
By Josh Lampley
I've decided to do my best Clay Travis impersonation and count down the top ten reasons why this is one of the greatest dunks seen in a while.
10. It was against the Celtics
Other than dunking against the Lakers, Thunder, or Cavaliers, this is the best team for this to happen against. The Celtics wanted nothing more than to end the Heat's 22 game win streak. They had been leading the whole game and were getting pretty cocky. Paul Pierce was elbowing LeBron all night, talking into his ear, and hitting shots from everywhere on the court early on. This is how LeBron answered. He torched the Celtics in the playoffs last year and he reminded them again on Monday that he is literally capable of just about anything on the court. The only person who can stop LeBron is LeBron, and the only thing that can stop the Heat in the East is... well... nevermind.
9. It was on Jason Terry
Does anyone outside of Boston like Jason Terry? He's one of the biggest a-holes in the league and gets no recognition for it. People hate Kobe, Dwight, and LeBron just for being great, but shouldn't we hate a guy for being a huge douche? Jason Terry got the NBA championship trophy tattooed on his arm... before the Mavericks won the championship. He comes off the bench and scores the most overconfident 10 points a game that I've ever seen. Is he a good player? Of course. Should he have gotten out of the way and given LeBron the dunk? Definitely.
8. It changed the tide of the game
From this point on in the game, I had no doubts that the Heat were going to win. It just didn't seem logical for LeBron to do something so disgusting and filthy to Jason Terry, only to let his team lose in the clutch. He went on to hit the game-winning shot with three seconds left in Jeff Green's eye. The fact that you are hearing more about this dunk than the game-winning shot should tell you something... this play was special.
7. The first time you see it, you don't believe what you just saw
When my roommate and I first saw this play, we looked at each other with pure disbelief in our eyes. My roommate, a Grizzlies fan, couldn't keep his mouth closed for approximately three minutes straight. On our television, it felt like you didn't even see LeBron on the screen until he appeared to be straddling Jason Terry's face, finishing with one hand. Watching replays, it's fantastic. But I will never forget how unbelievable it was the first time I saw it.
6. Jason Terry got "nasty-necked"
This is a term my roommate taught me. I assume it's originally from Memphis. To give you the dictionary defenition, a "nasty-neck" occurs when a basketball player jumps so high, with so much force, that he dunks the ball whilst simultaneously rubbing his genitals on someone else's face/neck area. For a split second, before he went flying backwards, Jason Terry got "nasty-necked" through and through. It wast the textbook definition. The best part, for me at least, was how Jason Terry got helped up immediately by his teammates, acting as if nothing happened.
5. The passing pre-dunk looked like a Harlem Globetrotter game
Dwyane Wade got the steal, flipped it backwards to Mario Chalmers, who passed it to Norris Cole, who lobbed it halfway between the baseline and the free throw line. Could Norris Cole have just layed it in? Probably, but what fun would that be? I think the passing was so crisp that it made the dunk look that much better. The whole play developed so quickly that it was hard to follow at first. It reminded me of when my brothers and I would play keep away from my little sister. Jason Terry was just hopping around, hands up, begging for the ball to come to him. Balls came to him alright... just not the ones he wanted.
4. The Heat didn't even celebrate
Norris Cole just stood there. Mario Chalmers walked over to the ball and picked it up. Dwyane Wade jogged over to LeBron and gave him a slap on the hand. Chris Bosh was nowhere to be seen, probably laying eggs somewhere (Bostrich joke had to be thrown in there). It was just a routine play for a championship team.
3. The announcer's reaction to the dunk is perfectly timed with the dunk itself
The commentary on the play was perfect. It happened so quick, yet he was able to perfectly time, "Wade takes it from behind, Chalmers, Cole, JAAAMMMMEEESSSSS." End quote.
2. LeBron's face said it all
The fact that LeBron didn't celebrate at all made the dunk that much better. He was stone cold. He reminded me of Liam Neeson in "Taken", when he is mercilessly killing people without a second thought. LeBron didn't even smile. The look on his face was terrifying, because it showed that he only cares about one thing... winning.
1. A technical foul was called
LeBron got penalized for saying nothing... He dunked on Terry, looked at him, and walked away. Nothing needed to be said. It was so vicious that the referee felt like it was against the rules of basketball for him to do such a thing to another human being. I wish LeBron would've gotten ejected from the game. The dunk was that good.
0. Jason Terry was pronounced "dead" on Wikipedia
I know I already counted down ten to one, but this needs to be included in the article. Here is a screenshot from Wikipedia the night that the dunk occurred.