Thursday Throwback Posterization: Shaq Crushes The Dream

It's already Thursday again Dank Gamers, so you know what that means... Throwback Posterization time! This week's throw down is courtesy of Shaq Diesel, as he absolutely destroys Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon. Because Scott Skiles was still with Orlando in this video, this is either from Shaq's first or second year in the NBA. Just a year or two later these two teams would meet in the Finals, with the Rockets sweeping Orlando for their second title in a row.

The Magic run a great play here to get Shaq the dunk. Scott Skiles cuts to the basket and gets a nice a bounce pass from Jeff Turner. Because Skiles beats his man Scott Brooks on the cut, Hakeem is forced to help on defense. Skiles notices that Olajuwon left Shaq open and immediately dishes it to him. Brooks makes a half-assed attempt to steal the ball from Shaq, and Olajuwon does his best to contest Shaq's dunk, but the Diesel is just too powerful. It's a great posterization by Shaq, who hangs on the rim with one hand to rub it in.

One thing worth noting is that both point guards in this video are candidates for this season's Coach of the Year Award. Both Scott Skiles and Scott Brooks have led young teams to unexpectedly successful seasons, with the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder, respectively.

Heckling 101 / JJ Redick's Hair Styling Secrets

Last night I was lucky enough to get free courtside seats for the Pacers Magic game at Conseco Fieldhouse, and as always my friend Ryan went above and beyond his duty as a Pacers fan to heckle the visiting team.

At one point in the game, Ryan was trying to remember if J.J. Redick had won a national championship while playing at Duke, which prompted the guy next to us to look it up on his smart phone. Turns out he didn't win a championship, but that's besides the point. While the guy was looking this up, he came across a Q&A on Redick's website in which he describes how he styles his hair. Here's his secret:

Question: Sort of a random question here, but what the heck. What kind of hair product do you use to keep your hair in place all game?

Answer: Very funny question. And it’s a question that people ask me all the time. The truth is I use very little product but instead rely on a simple, yet effective procedure. I take a little bit of stick wax and rub it on my palms and fingers. I run my hands thru my a few times then take a towel (this is the key) and rub the towel over my hair for two or three seconds. The towel leaves my hair in a messy “fro” but it gives me something to work with. Then I style my hair accordingly. All in all the process takes 30 seconds to a minute.

Of course, Ryan immediately worked this into his heckling arsenal. The next time Redick was near us on the court Ryan shouted, "Hey JJ! Is that some stick wax you got in your hair?!?"

The play had yet to start so Redick turned towards us and shouted, "Yeah! But it isn't on a stick, it comes in a can! It lasts about two days!" That's most definitely paraphrased, by the way.

Unfortunately, it wasn't until today that I discovered that Redick is an aspiring rapper. That would've been some pure gold for last night's heckling.

Josh Smith's Buzzer Beating Putback Dunk

Just a week ago, Josh Smith was on the "NOT List" of Dank Games's HOT or NOT Column (I know this doesn't exist, but it could?) for his busy hands rubbing all over Mike Bibby. This week, he put his busy hands to good use with a buzzer beating putback dunk to defeat the Magic. It's hard for me to say this play should vault Josh Smith from the NOT List to the HOT List, but it is an amazing play.

Playoff Picture: Top of the East

Cleveland became the first team to clinch a playoff berth, and it looks like they'll be able to maintain their #1 spot in the East. With 5 games separating them from the Magic and a relatively light schedule, the Cavs are in good position. Nine of their remaining sixteen games are at home, and their toughest competition will be a game against the Magic and two against the Hawks in April. They do have two more against Boston (one of which is on ABC tomorrow at 3:30) but the Celtics have been so out of sorts lately that it's hard to consider them a threat to the Cavs right now. I can't completely write off Boston though, especially with Cleveland missing Shaq. They also play the Spurs at the end of March, but San Antonio seems to be fading away similarly to Boston. I'll go ahead and assume the Cavs can handle them.

Although the Cavs will likely finish the season strong, there are concerns heading into the playoffs. The primary concern is how Mike Brown will utilize Cleveland's frontline. Antawn Jamison (who has missed some time with knee stiffness) has had minimal time to play alongside Shaq since his thumb injury and the return of Big Z could complicate matters even further. Power forward Leon Powe recently returned from knee surgery three weeks ago, so that's another piece to work in. Powe has started in Jamison's absence but might not see much playoff action. Cleveland will have a very deep frontline, but only so many minutes to go around. A lot of these players haven't even been on the court together, so chemistry is a concern.

Projected Record: 64 - 18

Opponent if Playoffs Started Today: Toronto Raptors

The Magic are the hottest team in the East right now with seven straight wins. They'll likely maintain the 2nd seed in the East, as Boston and Atlanta are both four games behind. Their toughest competition in March includes games against the Spurs and Nuggets, although they do play Miami, who has beaten them twice this season. I expect Orlando to put them in their place this time around, though. In April, they'll face Dallas (the hottest team in the league), San Antonio again, and Cleveland. I think they can beat Cleveland if Shaq is still out, while the game against the Mavericks will be one to watch. Mark your calendars for April Fool's Day.

Orlando seems to be hitting their stride at the right time. Vince Carter is bringing it together after a questionable start to the season and Matt Barnes is providing a nastiness they sorely missed in the playoffs last season. I am personally hoping to see more of Brandon Bass, who was signed from Dallas in the offseason. He has been seeing more playing time lately after having been out of the rotation through much of the year. He's a monstrous power forward with the ability to hit the mid-range jumper. Unlike Cleveland, Orlando will be able to evaluate their rotations down the stretch of the season, as everyone seems to be pretty healthy right now.

Project Record: 59 - 23

Opponent if Playoffs Started Today: Miami Heat

As mentioned earlier, Boston has been pretty awful lately. They recently lost to possibly the worst team ever in the Nets, got destroyed by the Grizzlies, and were two Ray Allen three-pointers away from losing to the Wizards. If they keep this up, there's a good chance Atlanta could slip past for the third seed. They are coming off a blow out win against the Pacers, but that's to be expected. They have some tough competition in March with the Cavs, Mavericks, Jazz, Nuggets, Spurs, and Thunder. Despite another game against Cleveland, April looks pretty manageable for them. They play the Bucks twice though, who have been hot and beat them just the other night.

It seems everyone is beginning to completely write off Boston, but I'm hesitant to do so just yet. I am close to joining that camp though, as the trade for Nate Robinson seems to be a stupid move. Eddie House fit in nicely and often hit big threes in the playoffs. It surprised me to see on Basketball-Refence that they have the best defensive rating in the league, because I was under the impression that they had been slipping on that end. The Celtics success in the playoffs will hinge on their aging superstars' health and ability to get back on the same page. Rondo will have to take it to another level like he did in last year's playoffs, too.

Projected Record: 51 - 31

Opponent if Playoffs Started Today: Charlotte Bobcats

The Hawks have been very inconsistent lately, with no "statement wins" and plenty of losses to teams they should beat. They recently lost to Miami (second time in two months! Go Heat!) and New York. They also lost to the Warriors back in February, which just shouldn't happen. The rest of March looks pretty light for them other than games against the Spurs, Magic, and Lakers. April also doesn't look too bad besides playing Cleveland twice. With that said, they have the Bucks and Raptors twice more this season, which are hardly guaranteed wins for this relatively shaky Hawks squad.

Atlanta is one of the more interesting teams in the NBA, because they are one of few teams that have improved mainly from internal growth. The addition of Jamal Crawford certainly has bolstered their roster, but they have improved season after season largely with the same team. This year's playoffs come with very high stakes for Atlanta, because anything short of reaching the Conference Finals will be considered a failure. Playoff success is especially crucial with Joe Johnson's impending free agency. If the Hawks are bounced in the first or second round, it could very well be the end of this core's run.

Projected Record: 52 - 30

Opponent if Playoffs Started Today: Milwaukee Bucks

Things I Learned Watching Basketball on Sunday

The Superman "feud" is stupid, but the match-up is great

I'm totally sick of the talk about whether Shaq or Dwight Howard is the real Superman, but I have to admit that it makes the match-up between the two that much more entertaining on the court. It's such a fun battle to watch: a declining legendary big man against a young monster who's just beginning to realize his potential. They both looked like they had something to prove, so I've got to give some credit to Shaq's jackassery for thickening the plot. Dwight ultimately won the battle showing great confidence in the post, but Shaq kept it interesting by going 9-10 for 20 points despite foul trouble.

Orlando is deep

It's taken them a while to put it together, but the Magic seem to be figuring things out at the right time of the season. Orlando just has so many weapons on offense. After relying on Dwight in the post in the first half, the Magic were able to hold the Cavs off in the end thanks to Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter's offense. Mickael Pietrus AKA Air France also stepped up with his play on both sides of the court. I've enjoyed watching him since his days in Golden State. He's a talented athlete, with three-point range, and great perimeter D.

LeBron James can shoot the Cavs out of games

LeBron can make his presence known on the court unlike anyone else, but he has a tendency to take bad shots that hurt Cleveland. Take away his five missed three-pointers, and he would have been shooting well above 50%. The Cavs might have won the game, too. With that said, I've seen plenty of games where LeBron will sink a few threes in a row that initially seemed like bad shots.

I really, really love me some two-handed blocks

The Nuggets are for real

Denver made it to the Western Conference Finals last season pushing the Lakers to six games, and they're capable of making even more noise this year. The Nuggs have been impressive throughout most of this season, even when Melo's been out. Billups' emergence as a true leader has instilled a culture of winning that just wasn't there during the Allen Iverson years. In addition to this, Melo has expanded his game and stepped up his his once suspect defense. Denver's frontline is still one of my favorites in the NBA, with Birdman's energy and K-Mart and Nene's consistency. When J.R. Smith gets his head in the game, which he did in the 4th quarter against the Celtics on Sunday, the Nuggets are a very scary team. Rookie Ty Lawson also gives them an added dimension in the backcourt that they lacked last season when the aging Anthony Carter was the primary back-up at point guard.

Stephen Curry is really good

Not but a week ago, I was arguing with one of my friends that there was no chance that Stephen Curry could win the Rookie of the Year award over Sacramento's Tyreke Evans. While I still think Evans will win it, Curry's performance against the Hawks on Sunday has shaken my confidence a bit. After the Hawks had been leading by 18 in the 3rd quarter, Curry got Golden State back in it and took the game over. Although he had 4 assists to 5 turnovers against Atlanta, Curry has shown an ability to run the point as of late. His assists included a couple of perfectly placed cross-court passes that got the Oracle Arena crowd into it and really changed the game. I just love to watch Golden State pull off upset wins.