It’s summer time, so a ball is always bouncing at Harlem’s temple, Rucker Park. Bacardi Flavored Rum is hosting “Flavor at the Rucker” nights every Thursday at 6 p.m. ET during a partnership with this summer’s Entertainers Basketball Classic The NBA is focused on the win, but Rucker’s where players can showcase their personal flavor of hoop brilliance. That’s what makes these next five sequences from the 2013-14 season such bold indictments of the defenders involved. In the NBA, you’re embarrassing the best.
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5. Jeff Green’s Game-Winning 3-Pointer Over The Heat
While this wasn’t a move, per se, it was such a stunning turn of events against the then-defending champions after so much turnover in Boston, it has to be included. The Celtics took the Heat’s 2-point advantage with 0.6 seconds left and sprinkled a game-winning three-pointer from Jeff Green on top. A perfectly lofted pass to Green in the far corner and his high arcing shot with LeBron in his eye might have been the best game-winner of the regular season — and it happened before December.
4. Terrence Ross Cranks It Down On Kenneth Faried
T-Ross had an exemplary 2013-14 campaign, dropping a career-high 51 points on a excellent Clippers team, then giving his mom the game ball. But that’s not how Ross made this list. No, it was his eruption on Nugget forward Kenneth Faried just a month after his 51-point detonation. Faried is still woozy, and a shot of the dunk is hanging on some 13-year-old’s wall along Yonge St.
3. Z-Bo Behind-the-back alley-oop bounce pass
We’ve only got an Instagram video of Zach Randolph‘s wily interior passing. That’s because his behind-the-back bounce pass alley-oop to Nick Calathes was so slight-of-hand, most people missed it! Late in the season with the Lakers visiting the Grit N’ Grind home floor, Z-Bo took advantage of a Lakers double-team on the block by throwing this behind-the-back bounce pass that rose so high off the floor, all Calathes had to do was lay it in. Simply amazing — though it was almost too unorthodox for us to believe he did it on purpose.
2. J.R. Smith Breaks Tristan Thompson’s ankles and freezes Anthony Bennett
J.R. Smith might have given former Knicks coach Mike Woodson some brutal heartburn — Smith has never met a shot he doesn’t like — but he more than burned a pair of Cavaliers in January game at the Garden. Smith’s first victim was 2013 No. 1 pick, Anthony Bennett, looked to be playing in concrete as Smith drove baseline for the jam. Then came Tristan Thompson’s turn to crack some ankle ligaments as Smith was yo-yoing at the top of the key before J.R. calmly sank a wide-open jumper.
1. Andre Iguodala’s Crossover of the Year
He didn’t score, and there was a certain mid-air behind-back-pass from the three-point line Iggy made that might have been an even more impressive play, but we can’t forget his crossover on Quincy Miller. Miller will now always be known as the victim of Iguodala’s open-court double crossover, such was the ferocity of Andre’s juke. In fact, Miller fell so hard for Iggy’s first behind-the-back dribble, we’re not even sure he needed to switch hands, but the crossover might mean Miller’s name on the playground has crossed over.
Which one is the best?
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