Something extraordinary happened at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland recently…and it may or may not have required throwing a basketball in a hoop from a “world-record” 239 feet (rounded estimate) in the air.
There are doubts as to whether this is actually true (the record or the authenticity of shot itself). Exercise your own gavel. How many times did this take to convert? No matter. Kyle Singler. You’ve been one-upped. Your move.
The NBA took its act across domestic waters into London earlier, with the New York Knicks squaring off against the Detroit Pistons. Iman Shumpert made his return. The Knicks won.
Before the game took place, however, Kyle Singler decided to show us why we should never, ever, ever challenge him to a game of H-O-R-S-E: a
No surprise, then, that the Pistons score another “win” in our standings with this great video featuring rookie Andre Drummond and team mascot, Hooper, to promote their upcoming Star Wars night at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
At the end of a thrilling double OT affair against the Detroit Pistons, Joe Johnson took matters in his own hands and sent the Brooklyn faithful home with elation. The game-winner was nailed with right foot on the 3-point line and was set up by Kyle Singler’s lay-up to tie the game at 105 with 5.8 seconds left. Johnson (28 points) also sent the game into a second overtime with a tough floater in the lane. Suffice it to say, it was just his day.
For those that are new around these parts, the Horry scale examines a game-winning buzzer-beater (GWBB) in the categories of difficulty, game situation (was the team tied or behind at the time?), importance (playoff game or garden-variety Kings-Pistons game?), and celebration, and gives it an overall grade on a scale of 1-5 Robert Horrys, the patron saint of last-second daggers.
How does Johnson’s shot Friday night stack up? Let’s take a look.
Difficulty
This shot looked destined for the bottom of the net as soon as it left Johnson’s hands. He inbounded the ball to Deron Williams, who immediately gave Johnson back the ball. Johnson was well-defended on this one…initially. Tayshaun Prince offered some long-armed resistance, but was lost seemingly easy on a nifty stepback. But this is where Johnson earns his keep — he isn’t called ‘Iso Joe’ for nothing. If there is one thing he excels at, it’s getting enough space to knock down a jumper. It’s the type of shot he makes when in a groove. Give him credit for making the long jumper look easy, considering he played almost 52 minutes.
Game Situation
Game knotted at 105 in double overtime. A miss extends game past the 60-minute marker and into another extra period.
Importance
The Nets had lost five of six games heading into Friday night’s game. A loss to the Pistons before hitting road to face Chicago Saturday night would have invited minor panic in Brooklyn. With the Knicks in Madison Square Garden looming next Wednesday, the Nets needed this win badly. Williams wasn’t at his sharpest (17 points, 7-of-17 shooting, five turnovers). So it was Joe who was needed to step up.
It was Johnson’s first such shot in a Brooklyn uniform. What better way to ingratiate yourself with the home crowd than to nail a smooth buzzer-beater on a Friday night?
Celebration
This is Joe Johnson, so don’t expect him to channel Ronny Turiaf. After launching the shot, Johnson already started his victory trot toward his bench. A hop, a run and bump with a teammate and an understated mob later…and we have our celebration. He isn’t owed $89 million over the next four years for his excitability.
Grade
3 1/2 Horrys. As far as game-winners go, this had all the style you wanted. Pretty move. Pretty shot. Great game. Great game where the guy nailing the game-winner carried the offense late. If Brooklyn was down prior to this bucket, we’re looking at 4 Horrys easy.
It’s been a while since we updated our “Hey man nice shot” category here in All Ball-land, but we think this one makes it worth it. Rookie Kyle Singler of the Pistons has become a solid contributor for Detroit, starting in his last six games and is averaging 11.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg and shooting 38.5 percent from 3-point range in that role. That 3-point percentage is nothing to sneeze at as it puts him ahead of other well-known outside shooters such as Jason Terry, Mike Miller, Kobe Bryant and Jamal Crawford this season.
But just think how high his 3-point shooting could be if he were allowed to … oh, I don’t know … drop-kick the ball and bank it off the glass for a 3-pointer? OK, maybe that wouldn’t help his shooting percentage, but it would sure be cool to watch. Check out this great video from the fine folks over at Pistons.com as Mr. Singler takes to Detroit to punt, kick and bounce in some of the most creative shots we’ve ever seen.
Catch up on every single game-winning buzzer beater during the season and see how it rates on the Horry Scale.
