You would think that one fingertipped bucket brought about the downfall of Western civilization.
The dominant scuttlebutt of the local sports scene for the past week has been the dunk Blake Griffin, Oklahoma City’s hometown hero, laid across Kendrick Perkins, the persistently scowling center of the Oklahoma City Thunder en route to a thrashing at the hands of Griffin and his Los Angeles Clippers.
The only way anyone who follows sports in this town could not have heard about it is if they spent the past week living either under a rock, or on the moon. A YouTube search returns multiple videos of the slam, three of which have over one million views.
Now, I admit the first time I saw the dunk, I was less than impressed, something I expressed on my Twitter. The video I saw was a close up of the dunk in slow motion, and it looked like Griffin just reached over Perkins to roll the ball in off his fingertips.
However, the video is a lot like a Broken Lizard movie: the more I watch it, the more I like it and the more impressed I get.
What makes the dunk impressive really comes out when watching the broadcast version at full speed, in which Griffin levitates over the physically sizeable Perkins and slams the ball down like the fist of an angry god.
Afterwards, Thunder players were generally dismissive of the dunk when questioned by the press. All in all, an average reaction after being on the receiving end of an amazing play.
However, as I often listen to The Sports Animal on my way in to school every morning, I was surprised to hear some people criticizing the Thunder for not admitting that the slam was what it was.
Without naming names, what do you want from the Thunder?
They just got pasted all over Los Angeles, and people expect Kevin Durant to come out gushing like a schoolboy because the latest media darling made the highlight reel at his teammate’s expense?
It shouldn’t matter whether or not Thunder players have some contract clause that prevents them from talking negatively about the team. Griffin just schooled Perkins like a first grader in front of a national audience, and the Thunder did what any team should: they drew together and supported their own.
If doing that means they marginalize an amazing dunk, then so be it.
Let’s face it, I can’t imagine someone as serious and determined as Perkins being content with getting stuffed by essentially a two-year greenhorn – Griffin missed his first year due to injury – just because it looked pretty.
Sometimes, it’s not about the purity of the game or the acknowledgement of achievement. All the promotions say the Thunder is a family, and by dismissing Griffin, they show that they believe it.
