Predicto

Agreed. Shaq was awesome and underappreciated.

Agreed. But Shaq's was a baby hook, and always close in. I really think that the only reason no one else ever did the sky hook was because Kareem is the only guy who ever would have made more than 25% of them. Except maybe Wilt, who could do everything better than anyone.

Perhaps. But you are using both hands, and you are balanced parallel to the basket rather than perpendicular to the basket. It's an adjusted jump shot. Flipping a shot from behind your ear with one hand while balanced on one leg is different than anything else you would ever do with a basketball, and got to be terribly hard to learn. I saw some clips of old guys (even older than me) like Tom Heinsohn and George Mikan shooting hooks, and they usually were pretty close to the basket and even then they shot for a prettly low percentage, like perhaps 40 percent. Kareem shot it from anywhere, with either hand, and shot 56% for his career. Because he was a freak.

I think lots of people have tried, and given up. But it is extraordinarily difficult to line up a one handed behind your head shot correctly, especially at the range Kareem shot it from. Pretty much no one before or after Kareem ever used the hook effectively from further out than ten feet. Close in, you can use the baby hook and jump hook and other moves, and they are much easier to master.

Kareem sky hook by a nose.

Golden State. Can you imagine that offense AND defense? Curry, Thompson, Igoudala, Lebron, Bogut. They would win 77 games. oh god I just had a stroke from over fantasizing

Something weird is going on. Random chance. Weird **** happens sometimes. These people won the lottery twice - in one day. Odds of that happening? 1 in 24 trillion. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Double-lottery-winners-beat-odds-of-1-in-2711733.php

This is how the human brain works. We see patterns, even when they aren't there, and we assume motivations even when they are all just in our heads.

I don't think his religion had anything to do with it. He mostly won games because the front office suddenly acquired a lot of talented players. No way are they hiring George Karl with Igoudala on the team. Hollins maybe. Or Stan Van Gundy. Or Steve Kerr (although I'm not sure why everyone suddenly is sure Steve Kerr knows how to coach) Jackson's players liked him but he didn't get along with anyone BUT the players, especially not assistant coaches. And like I said, his Xs and Os were bad, but he apparently got mad at anyone who questioned his Xs and Os. He also was afraid that his assistants or the front office were going to try and steal all the credit for themselves that should go to Jackson. Jackson apparently refused to even speak to his assistant Brian Scalabrine for over a month because Scalabrine questioned whether Jackson's player rotations were working. Then he fired him at a practice, in front of the team. My favorite basketball writer, Grantland's Zach Lowe, had a good piece on Jackson's dismissal. http://grantland.com/the-triangle/mark-jackson-fired-golden-state-warriors/ The article has some compliments for Jackson too, but I just put in the main negative points.

Mark Jackson is an excellent motivator and team chemistry guy, and a terrible game coach. His "bench mob" substitutions kill the team, he always goes straight to iso postups as soon as things get rough (and what's worse the Warriors don't have any great post up iso players), his plays out of timeouts are lame, and so on. He is high school level at drawing up plays. I can't even imagine how much more a Popovich could have gotten out of Harrison Barnes this year. I can't imagine going 20 plus minutes in a game without ever letting Andrew Bogut touch the ball on offense. Bogut had 8 points per game --- on 65 percent shooting! Yes, the defense has gotten better each year, but how much of that is coaching and how much of that is 1) getting Andrew Bogut, 2) getting Andre Igoudala, and 3) Draymond Green getting David Lee's minutes? Only the third of those involved Jackson. Honestly, I'm not sorry to see him go. I know there is a risk the team could implode, but this team is stacked with talent and should have done more. I think they were topped out at 51 wins and the 6th seed with Jackson as coach.

And many of our good players in the past actually DID end up as Wizards. C-Webb and Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison jump to mind. I feel the same way about Mark Jackson. He's a lousy bench/substitutions coach (even worse, than Whitman) but the team has improved a lot under him, so its a mixed bag.

CONGRATS to the Wiz and their fans. It would be nice if two long downtrodden franchises like Washington and Golden State could enter a nice long time at the top, at the same time. Good luck with the second round! Not without Bogut we aren't.

Yep. Any Wizards fan that wants to play the sleeping giant Pacers rather than the 38-44 Hawks is insane.

As long as you let him watch you take a shower afterwords.

Shouldn't be too hard - Atlanta traditionally has the worst fan support in all of sports.

I think I am madder about the Donald Sterling situation than anyone in America (well, anyone who isn't black, anyway). I have been cultivating my hatred of the Clippers for a long time. Hate that flopping fake Blake Griffin, hate that whiny flopping Chris Paul, hate that dirty Matt Barnes, . I hate their crappy homer announcers and the contrived Lob City nickname. And most of all I hate their crappy bandwagon fans, who never showed up when the team stunk but suddenly everyone in LA is wearing Clipper gear and the celebs are all over the courtside seats. Used to be you would see a Clipper telecast, and the only celeb there would be Frankie Muniz or maybe Billy Crystal. Screw those guys! So now suddenly Sterling's garbage is in the news, and... dammit, I'm feeling bad for the Clippers. I feel bad for Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. I feel bad for their fans. My finely honed edge of hatred is gone. Curse you Donald Sterling!!!

The Cool Kids don't say Barbadian. They say "Bajan". Sincerely, Predicto (who got married in Barbados)

Well, he isn't on Lebron's level. No one is on Lebron's level (although Durant may be getting close). And Lebron is the one who got the last two rings. I doubt anyone in that locker room or any locker room thinks any differently. That's not a sign of weakness, its a sign of respect (and a sign that Paul understands how truly hard you have to work to earn a ring of your own).

Ummm because Lebron's not a champion?

Obviously you meant Pacers, not Hawks. Otherwise I agree.

Bogut. I like Teague, but c'mon now son. Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Steph Curry, Rajon Rondo, Damien Lillard, John Wall, Mike Conley....

I don't know if he Harden can't play defense. He just doesn't seem to bother. There are a lot of players who are not natural defenders but at least make themselves adequate by working hard and moving their feet. Klay Thompson is a perfect example. He doesn't have Lebron/Tony Allen defensive skills, but he just works at it. Harden is just waiting to leak out on the break. That's all he seems to care about.

80 percent of Harden's game is predicated on running straight into people who are trying not to foul and drawing a zillion fouls anyway. When the refs are letting defenses hold their ground (like they do in the playoffs most of the time), that tactic becomes useless.

Going out on a limb there, huh? Durant or Love? You know what, I'd like one of those two guys on my team too. Or maybe that James fellow. I hear he's pretty good.

This Warriors fan is enjoying the hell out of the Wizards right now. Like Charles Barkley said, the whole league is watching a team grow up before their very eyes.