The Golden State Warriors, TripleDoubleSports.org, IMPRM Clothing & WEKSOS present the 3rd edition of “BALL SO HARD” @ Oracle Arena.
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You know a dunk is special when days later the entire NBA is still talking about it. Harrison Barnes was already improving over his last handful of games, stepping up his play when fellow SF Brandon Rush went down for the season. His offensive skill-set was becoming evident on a nightly basis, his defense was admirable and he was picking up the slack left by the likes of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
There wasn’t a “Welcome to the NBA” moment yet for the former Tar Heel, but he didn’t need one. While most rookies have these moments early on in their respective seasons, Barnes decided to flip the establishment and instead decided to have a “Hey NBA, Welcome Me” moment.
With the Black Falcon’s posterization of Nikolas Pekovic in mind, I thought it’d be fun to countdown the top five dunks in the history of Oracle Arena. Some might disagree with the dunks listed, others will disagree with the order, but none can disagree that these moments had us jumping out of our seat in collective awe.
5) Curry’s Heave to Dorell
Dorell Wright’s career with the Warriors was short lived. After his surprising first season — which included a trip to the NBA Three Point Contest — Wright leveled off in his second season and was shipped out in a deal that eventually brought the Warriors Jarrett Jack. With that said, Wright had his moments, and his alley-oop slam from beyond half-court from backcourt mate Stephen Curry was definitely one of them.
What made this dunk special was not only the pass, catch and slam aspect of it, but who was doing the passing and the catching. Curry isn’t known to be a great passer and Wright isn’t known to be a giant leaper. In addition, the pass was thrown from the other free throw line. For this one improvised, “What in the hell is he doing!?” play, it worked, making it the only alley-oop to make the countdown. Let’s just hope Curry saved some of these heaves for Harrison Barnes.
4) Monta Punks Barbosa
If Anthony Roberson gets up to celebrate a play, you know it’s a good one. Mr. Ellis has been long discussed and debated, many believing he should still be on the team now. Disregarding that disturbing hypothetical, Ellis had numerous moments that had us simply saying “Wow,” neither of those moments being on defense.
Ellis is a renown slasher. His ability to adjust and make shots at or near the basket is almost unparalleled, making him an exciting player to watch on the offensive end. On this particular play, you can tell right when Ellis gets the ball that he wasn’t going to pass (shocker there) and he was going to get his. He gets it just before halfcourt in full stride, burning by Suns defenders with just one left: Leandro Barbosa. Barbosa is quick himself, but idiotically tried to take the charge with the Mississippi Bullet (I couldn’t help myself) in full flight. Bad move.
3) Vintage Stat Over Tolliver
You remember Amare Stoudemire right? He used to play for the Suns with Steve Nash and Shawn Marion, heck even Shaq decided to join the party. He used to jump high, dunk the basketball and actually use fire extinguishers for extinguishing fires. While the corpse of Stat currently lies on the bench of the New York Knicks, the previously known version of Stat left himself in Phoenix, Arizona.
When Anthony Tolliver isn’t mocking “The Decision” he’s coming off the bench for the Atlanta Hawks. Another Don Nelson D-League find, Tolliver was a nice complementary player who provided some decent minutes coming off the bench. But for this night, at a time when Amare was really Amare, Tolliver found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Poor Tolliver, he never stood a chance.
2) The Black Falcon Soars
Am I the only one who, after seeing Andrew Bogut jump from the bench in excitement, yelled “Don’t hurt yourself Bogut!” That’s besides the point, but the reactions to the Barnes’ dunk were great. The collective joy from the Warriors bench was fun to see, even if their key player was wearing a suit while doing so. That’s what made this dunk just that much more fun, the fact it was at home. As I saw this dunk from section 124, from the collective jumping in the air to the hoards of “OHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” — this was moment to behold.
This dunk will stick with Harrison Barnes forever. While Warriors fans hope that Barnes’ career isn’t symbolized by just one dunk, it’s also tough to overlook just how awesome this slam was. Pekovic is a known bruiser, a defensive pest and someone who you generally don’t want to mess with in the post. For this moment, it was probably best that Barnes was a rookie. He didn’t care for any of that. After receiving a nice dish from David Lee, it was Barnes vs. Pekovic. We had seen Barnes slam it down in college, in pre-season and even early on during the regular season, but this was a different level of slam, a different level of hops and not just your typical dunk. Hard to see another dunk in the NBA being better than Barnes’ slam this season.
1) Baron over AK47
It’s hard to put the magnitude of this dunk in words. After dismantling the #1 seed Dallas Mavericks in the first round, a second round matchup with the Utah Jazz lied between the Warriors and the Western Conference Finals. That whole second half of the season was surreal, and the penultimate moment of the entire season came in Game 3 against the Jazz.
The “We Believe” movement was solidified by this one moment. Baron Davis drove by Deron Williams, went baseline, soared over Andrei Kirilenko and throws down one of the hardest dunks in NBA history. Considering the moment, who he slammed it over and how Oracle reacted afterwards, this is hands down the best dunk in the history of Oracle Arena. I was lucky enough to be in the building for this moment, and it’s a moment I’ll never forget.
Bonus: 2000 Slam Dunk Contest
While Warriors fans don’t want to remember anything about their own team during the 2000 NBA season, the All-Star festivities held at the Arena in Oakland that season were absolutely phenomenal. The dunk contest has dissolved of late, but there were numerous years when the dunk contest was the moment of All-Star weekend. In 2000, with the likes of Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis competing, the contest reached its all time high.
Vince Carter gets all the shine from this dunk contest, and deservedly so. Every single dunk he threw down during the contest — with exception of his final, mailed in two handed slam from inside the FT line — was memorable. The icing on the cake being his assisted between the legs slam from Tracy McGrady, a dunk that’s still incredible to see. The efforts of Steve Francis and Tracy McGrady shouldn’t be overlooked either. Even though they’re both out of the league now, in 2000 they were two of the highest flyers in the league next to VC. This list would’ve been void without any mention of this contest, so sit back and enjoy the only dunk contest held at the Arena in Oakland.
The Warriors’ fan base is known throughout the league as one of the best in terms of devotion to their team. I mean, what else can explain fans filling Oracle Arena for the past decade-plus despite one winning season in the past 15 years? I’ve been to games on a random Wednesday evening against bottom-feeding teams with that place filled and the fans just as passionate as a primetime game against the Lakers.
But if you think you’re Golden State’s biggest fan, I’m sorry to inform you, but you’re probably coming in second place to this guy, Septer from Vallejo, CA.
ESPN is currently holding a Hall of Fans contest to determine who is the most hardcore fan of their respective team. Septer is currently one of the ten finalists and rightfully so. This guy has Warriors memorabilia for days, a Warriors tattoo and he even got married at Oracle Arena.
Read that again. Married at Oracle Arena. Oh, and of course his wedding colors were blue and yellow.
I showed this picture and subsequent video to my girlfriend and she immediately replied with, “No.” Maybe you’ll have better luck.
I encourage any and all Warrior fans to go and vote for this guy and help him get enshrined into the Hall of Fans because frankly, he deserves it.
Click here to vote and watch the video of Septer making his case:
http://thehalloffans.com/finalists/cfc1b152-4281-4a86-96ea-b48b94013b10
Do it quick. There’s only a few hours left.
According to @GSWFastBreak, the Warriors have finalized plans to move from Oakland to San Francisco in 2017. The move would provide the Warriors with a brand new, modern, multi-use arena on Pier 30/32 that would be utilized not only for basketball but other various events. The privately funded arena — assuming all goes smoothly — would cut the tape before the 2017-2018 season.
The move to San Francisco shouldn’t be a surprise as owner Joe Lacob has made it clear of his plans for a move since his ownership began. Oracle Arena is currently the oldest arena in the NBA — it first opened in 1966 — and while renovations took place before the 1996-1997 season, the rust was clearly showing.
While many Warriors fans have fond memories of the arena, the move to San Francisco should be met with open arms. The move not only provides fans with a new arena, but gives potential free agents, players and coaches added incentive to come to the organization. Whether admitted or not, San Francisco is simply a sexier destination than Oakland.
Time and time again the Warriors have lost out on free agents, and while Oakland might not be the sole reason of players hesitance towards committing to sign, it surely didn’t help the cause.
The Warriors will now have a new home in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, awarding fans for their constant loyalty that has been apparent throughout their stay in Oakland.
An official announcement is expected next week.
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David Lee, PF 39 MIN | 9-23 FG | 5-5 FT | 14 REB | 2 AST | 23 PTS | +15
Lee continues to impress with his rebounding ability. On a team dearly lacking for size, Lee has continued to step up and be aggressive on both ends of the floor. Defensively, Lee bothered Millsap throughout the game, forcing many quick shots. The shooting percentage is worrisome, but with the backcourt playing so well Lee was given a pass for the night. |
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Andris Biedrins, C 28 MIN | 0-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 9 REB | 1 AST | 0 PTS | +5
Gasp! Two consecutive great games from Andris! Whew, I was beginning to wonder if Andris should be looking to apply for the Latvian Professional Women’s Basketball League. He didn’t score, but at this point that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Andris rebounded like an NBA center should, forced extra possessions and finally looked mentally right out on the court. Maybe it was Tony Robbins in the arena giving off healthy juju, perhaps it was a new barber or maybe his girlfriend finally cooked a good homemade meal. Either way, Andris is starting to look the part. |
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Monta Ellis, SG 40 MIN | 13-21 FG | 4-5 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 33 PTS | +19
After three consecutive off games Monta decided to have one of “his” games. He took advantage of the Gordon Hayward mismatch and beat him in every aspect of the offensive game. Whether it was coming off the dribble, pulling up, jumpers or from deep, Monta had an all-around impressive game. The Warriors backcourt only accounted for six turnovers tonight. Less turnovers, more wins. Who would have known? |
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Stephen Curry, PG 38 MIN | 10-14 FG | 7-8 FT | 5 REB | 12 AST | 29 PTS | +18
Following his worst performance of the season Curry stepped up and played his best. Facing a woefully aging Jamaal Tinsley and a depleted Utah backcourt, Curry shot the ball well and distributed the ball very effectively. Curry looked hesitant in the first half, not wanting to finish on the inside. In the second half Steph drove, was aggressive off the dribble, finished beautifully around the rim and deferred the rock when necessary. |
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Dorell Wright, SF 28 MIN | 5-12 FG | 1-1 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 13 PTS | +4
Not an overly impressive game for Dorell but definitely an effective one. Josh Howard got the better of the matchup tonight but thankfully the Warriors backcourt came to play. Dorell continues to shoot from three with reckless abandon, which is fine if they drop, not OK when they don’t. Still, the Dorell Wright of the first month of the season is far away in the rear view mirror. |
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