Quite frankly

[nomar]

But Russell could do it..........

Bill Russell chased a man down and caught the ball in his teeth!!! And he was 76 years old!!!

 

[Waquoit]

Quite frankly, I'm sick of hearing Bill Russell used in criticism of current players. When I do, my first thought goes to, "What else you got, geezer?" For one, he hasn't played in 50 years. Can't one find a contemporary example of the concept? Besides, Russell blocked plenty of shots OOB. They just don't show those tapes.

 

[uconndogs]

Sometimes less is more..........and I'm speaking to this thread not Bouk's block...........

 

[CL82]

What you're saying completely depends, and I think this was his point, on having a teammate to "pass" to. In this sequence, (a) there was one Charlotte player behind James, (b) who was blocked off from James by two opposing players, and (c) James was running in a full sprint, rather than going up vertically either man-on-man or from the weakside.

The notion that James should have run full court, chased down a player, and deftly directed the ball, while jumping horizontally, to a teammate over/through the arms of two opponents, is absurd. The smart thing, if you can't control exactly where the ball is going to go, is to swat the heck out of it. And if you're going to swat it, knock it as far as possible, because the worst thing that happens is that you knock it with 70% effort, and an opponent drifting up the court winds up with a wide-open 3 they can step into.

Largely agree. I think Nick Richards was open and well positioned for a break at the top of the key. That said, that block was an enormously athletic play and making it was hard enough without making a split second determination of who to tap it to. Still, that is what Emeka used to do and used to do consistently.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

Largely agree. I think Nick Richards was open and well positioned for a break at the top of the key. That said, that block was an enormously athletic play and making it was hard enough without making a split second determination of who to tap it to. Still, that is what Emeka used to do and used to do consistently.

ya, but he used to do it while setup with defensive position in the paint, not running full sprint on a chase down block with 0 team mates in position to do anything with it if he somehow managed to make this "next level type play:

 

[CL82]

Always a debate in my head over whether you're the best thing or the worst thing about this site

Probably neither one.

 

[BuffaloHusky]

Reading this conversation makes me think about how when I was younger, I got really good at chase downs and specifically blocking the ball off the backboard. At the time, I thought it was coolest thing you could do on the basketball court. The problem was at least half the time, I blocked it back to someone trailing on the break and they ended up scoring a layup. In hindsight, blocking the ball out of bounds and setting up the defense may not have been such a bad option.

 

[husky99]

Reading this conversation makes me think about how when I was younger, I got really good at chase downs and specifically blocking the ball off the backboard. At the time, I thought it was coolest thing you could do on the basketball court. The problem was at least half the time, I blocked it back to someone trailing on the break and they ended up scoring a layup. In hindsight, blocking the ball out of bounds and setting up the defense may not have been such a bad option.

Not what bill russell did...tell him @Chief00

 

[Northbound]

Quite frankly - I need a drink.

I read the Chief started threads for their extraordinarily high unintentional comedy score.

James your a guard, never mind the shooting practice son, let's get some quality repetitions on blocking the ball and keeping it in play because you've not demonstrated that skill set in summer league.

Actually, one drink won't be enough.

 

[MDHuskFan]

Reading this conversation makes me think about how when I was younger, I got really good at chase downs and specifically blocking the ball off the backboard. At the time, I thought it was coolest thing you could do on the basketball court. The problem was at least half the time, I blocked it back to someone trailing on the break and they ended up scoring a layup. In hindsight, blocking the ball out of bounds and setting up the defense may not have been such a bad option.

Sick brag LeBron

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Bill Russell chased a man down and caught the ball in his teeth!!! And he was 76 years old!!!

Maybe this sharpens distinctions between "next level," "elite," and, dare I suggest, "otherworldly."

 

[nomar]

Maybe this sharpens distinctions between "next level," "elite," and, dare I suggest, "otherworldly."

You were supposed to say something about George Mikan or Dolph Schayes

 

[August_West]

I remember Packer complementing him on that exact thing as a high basketball IQ play.

Fudgie didnt know basketball. He was a bigger buffoon than Vitale. At least Vitale's schtick was good for the game. Fudgie was a self-important blowhard who in the 90's and aughts was still calling a game like it was 1958 four corners excercise.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

You were supposed to say something about George Mikan or Dolph Schayes

Probably you didn't have, "It's George Mikan" in mind.

But because you also mentioned Dolph Schayes, I'll offer the tale of another early white giant, Bill Spivey, who, in his late 30s, played Center for the Scranton Miners.

As a teenager, I saw him play against the Hartford Capitols (SIC), probably in the Bloomfield High School gym. The sharpshooting Scranton backcourt was Stan Pawlak (a Penn grad) and Syracuse multi-legend Jim Boeheim. Spivey was the most earthbound player I've ever seen, perhaps the anti-Connie Hawkins...

Bill Spivey - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[JakeTheDog]

Bill Russell also never missed a three-pointer. C’mon James!

 

[Kemba Time]

It seems even Emeka Okafor played to the casual fan instead of using his basketball IQ on occasion. Too bad he never had anyone like Chief to 'xplain it to him. Or maybbeee, players know that it's better to tip the ball to a teammate than out of bounds/back to a defender -- but it's much harder to do 100% of the time in full-speed game action than it is to post about a time it didn't happen on a message board.



Block of the Night: Emeka Okafor

Emeka Okafor Wicked Block on Ronny Turiaf

 

[pj]

I'm curious where you want him to tip it to a teammate. Two following the play are out of bounds under the hoop and the third has three players from the other team around him.

Wasn't there a great star, maybe MJ or Bird, who said that in such situations he would put the ball where his teammates should have been, and then tell them after the play that it was their fault they weren't at the ball?

The two Charlotte players who didn't make it downcourt were pretty lazy.

 

[Chief00]

It's amazing how many times Emeka Okafor played to the casual fan instead of using his basketball IQ. Too bad he never had anyone like Chief to 'xplain it to him.



Block of the Night: Emeka Okafor

Emeka Okafor Wicked Block on Ronny Turiaf

LOL - very selective and the example Chief used was Russell. But, Mel did it too.
If you think giving your opponent the ball back is a good thing - there’s a seat reserved for you at First Night.

 

[BlueMAB]

LOL - very selective and the example Chief used was Russell. But, Mel did it too.
If you think giving your opponent the ball back is a good thing - there’s a seat reserved for you at First Night.

Nobody thinks giving the ball back to the opponent is a good thing, unless it's after a made basket. Mek does it twice here though.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Wasn't there a great star, maybe MJ or Bird, who said that in such situations he would put the ball where his teammates should have been, and then tell them after the play that it was their fault they weren't at the ball?

The two Charlotte players who didn't make it downcourt were pretty lazy.

Casual players.
Not beloved.

 

[Kemba Time]

LOL - very selective and the example Chief used was Russell. But, Mel did it too.
If you think giving your opponent the ball back is a good thing - there’s a seat reserved for you at First Night.

Thanks for making my point for me. It is a very selective sample, kind of like pulling out one Bouknight block shot in a summer league game so you can make your strawman argument and act like you are going to have a talk with James and the next time he's in a chase-down block situation, he's going to stop midair and think "Quite frankly, Chief was right, tipping the ball to my teammates is the right move here. Why was I so young and foolish?" Then you, of course, go to your usual casual fan shtick when you are called out.

We ALL know that tipping the ball to a teammate is better than blocking it out of bounds. Emeka Okafor knew it, James Bouknight knows it. Even those lame casual fans who show up to support their team from the first event of the season on at First Night instead of, umm, waiting to some later date to jump on board, know it.

But you would have to have never played a game of basketball to fail to realize that the situation dictates what you can do, and to get to a teammate, this block would have had to ricochet off the shooter's temple, strike him between the third and fourth rib. Then change directions, pause - in mid air, mind you - while Bouk's teammate makes a left turn back in bounds to gather it and somehow starts a fast break even though we clearly see 4 Hornets and 3 Blazers on this end of the court. That is one magic blocked shot.

 

[husky99]

LOL - very selective and the example Chief used was Russell. But, Mel did it too.
If you think giving your opponent the ball back is a good thing - there’s a seat reserved for you at First Night.

Obviously you are a Casual fan because you picked 2 different players as examples that play different positions and have extremely different body types. Both nba all stars vs a g league example... basic

 

[CTMike]

Seeing cries for attention like this thread makes me wonder if the local CVS ran out of Russel Stover chocolates for Chief’s gf?

 

[Chief00]

Obviously you are a Casual fan because you picked 2 different players as examples that play different positions and have extremely different body types. Both nba all stars vs a g league example... basic

Thanks for making my point for me. It is a very selective sample, kind of like pulling out one Bouknight block shot in a summer league game so you can make your strawman argument and act like you are going to have a talk with James and the next time he's in a chase-down block situation, he's going to stop midair and think "Quite frankly, Chief was right, tipping the ball to my teammates is the right move here. Why was I so young and foolish?" Then you, of course, go to your usual casual fan shtick when you are called out.

We ALL know that tipping the ball to a teammate is better than blocking it out of bounds. Emeka Okafor knew it, James Bouknight knows it. Even those lame casual fans who show up to support their team from the first event of the season on at First Night instead of, umm, waiting to some later date to jump on board, know it.

But you would have to have never played a game of basketball to fail to realize that the situation dictates what you can do, and to get to a teammate, this block would have had to ricochet off the shooter's temple, strike him between the third and fourth rib. Then change directions, pause - in mid air, mind you - while Bouk's teammate makes a left turn back in bounds to gather it and somehow starts a fast break even though we clearly see 4 Hornets and 3 Blazers on this end of the court. That is one magic blocked shot.

That’s precisely the expectation that players understand the intricacies of the game, so when the fast pace action occurs, guys will react “instinctively” and make the right plays. What the well meaning Casual Fan sometimes doesn’t properly calculate is that what may appear instinctive for the great players is a result of practice, understanding the game and focus. The great ones know where their teammates are and if they are not there let them hear about it LOL.

 

[Chief00]

Wasn't there a great star, maybe MJ or Bird, who said that in such situations he would put the ball where his teammates should have been, and then tell them after the play that it was their fault they weren't at the ball?

The two Charlotte players who didn't make it downcourt were pretty lazy.

I know Bird use to do that. Bob Cousy for that matter would too. It’s all part of building a running mentality. If guys think they will get the ball they will fill the lanes on the break.