My top 10 “Take it personal” moments. Somewhat in order.

[Kblaze8855]

More in order towards the top than the bottom….

Simple concept. Plays I believe at least one party and perhaps both were taking things personal. I won’t reference Gangstarr to you 23 year olds and instead assume you get it just off the Jordan meme….


Number 10:



Lebron and Jason Terry.



https://thumbs.gfycat.com/FlamboyantInconsequentialBison-size_restricted.gif





Fresh off being Deeboed* in the finals and no doubt still being salty for the next several years he gets a shot at largely irrelevant revenge and took it. Complete with the tech for the stare down. Impressive to do to someone with no hope of contesting? Maybe not. But I assure you….Lebron took it personal.













*https://thumbs.gfycat.com/LiquidSphericalAmericanblackvulture-size_restricted.gif

[Kblaze8855]

#9 Jordan on Mutombo


You know you backstory. Mutombo talking at the all star game. Says Mike never got him. So season resumes…..



https://thumbs.gfycat.com/FaintIdealHyena-size_restricted.gif





I couldn’t leave this one out from Mr. “And I took that personally” himself

[Kblaze8855]

#8. Andrew Bynum and Shaq trade dunks.


Bynum shows us what he could do if he always played as mad at Shaq made him with his usual Shaq like disrespect:



https://thumbs.gfycat.com/TartHeftyDrongo-size_restricted.gif





That and the resulting game stoppage for the ego bruising briefly shut down ISH in what was already one of the biggest games in recent years. The first few Shaq/Kobe matchups were major and Bynum stole the spotlight for a moment there.

[Kblaze8855]

7. The Lister Blister:


https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DistortedNippyGrayfox-size_restricted.gif




To this day the only dunk I can think of with a name other than the insane ones Darryl Dawkins gave many of his. The point is of course how it went from just a dunk…to being personal.

[Shogon]

Game 6 @ Boston is what stands out the most to me, in my adult viewing lifetime.

[Kblaze8855]

#6. Randolph Childress drops Jeff McInnis(you wanna put a G in there but there isn’t one).


It may not look like much to you but the subtle “Get up” wave here is the first time most of us realized you could treat a fallen opponent with such disrespect:



https://thumbs.gfycat.com/FantasticScarceHeron-size_restricted.gif






Almost immediately after society not only accepted…but expected you to respond with a principal skinner meme like “Pathetic” look of disdain before finishing your play. It swept the nation:






https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DownrightCleverAndeancat-size_restricted.gif






https://thumbs.gfycat.com/ScratchyBackCarp-size_restricted.gif








And I’m sure Jeff took it personal. I could do a whole breakdown on him showing how his future hatred of being shook led to a street ball matchup with Hot Sauce where he ripped sauce 3 straight times and handed him the ball back two of them just to get his point across….but that’s for another day. I’ll leave it at this….every Harden/Trae move that leaves a defender on a heap being stared down at owes its existence to Childress and Jeff. And I know for a fact Jeff took it personally.

[Shogon]

Also... Rockets vs Spurs 1995 Playoffs (but I was a kid)

[Kblaze8855]

#5. Iverson steps over Lue


An evolution of the above in even more disrespectful fashion:


https://thumbs.gfycat.com/AptMarriedCony-size_restricted.gif





Even better vs a pesky physical defender, vs a juggernaut team, as you hand them their only L, and send the sports world and ISH into a frenzy. That particular move can result in fights in real life so don’t do it if you don’t want someone to…..take it personally.

[1987_Lakers]

That Bynum and Shaq sequence was one of the most sureal things I ever saw. Funny af. Also happened on MLK day, before the game we saw Shaq and Kobe embrace each other for like the first time since they split up to honor MLK, then during the game that whole sequence happened with Bynum and Shaq elbowed him. All of a sudden it was "forget MLK day". :lol

[Kblaze8855]

#4.

Shaq vs David Robinson.

I was tempted to just make it Shaq vs humans but his(largely fabricated) beef with David takes the top spot for me. I’m not gonna show you the usual crazy move dunk and leg shrug off and instead point you to this all star game play:



https://youtu.be/ztvmf228wvQ


Video and not a gif because the sound is what makes it.

He definitely wanted it taken personally.

[Kblaze8855]

#3.

Pippen on Ewing. Speaks for itself:



https://thumbs.gfycat.com/SelfreliantGleamingGartersnake-size_restricted.gif









….and yet…I’m gonna speak for it anyway. The dunk…the shove….standing over nuts over the head….and taunt your super fan court side?

Yea…that’s a fight in the streets. Ewing was definitely meant to take it personally.

[Kblaze8855]

#2. Hard to choose between the top 2 but….


Pierce over Al Harrington. They might get a double tech in 2022 before the shot is even taken but this is pure competitiveness:





https://thumbs.gfycat.com/SneakyFeistyFeline-size_restricted.gif









The only play I remember taking so long to unfold dramatically I had time to post about it before the shot was taken. That is to me the peak of Pierces career even though he won a title. That’s back when series and games were physical and teams actually didn’t like each other. I was talking about that shot with people for some time later even though it meant absolutely nothing. Harrington would have given his game check for that stop and Paul put it on his forehead. Had to be top 2 at least.

[WhiteKyrie]

LeBron dunking on a small combo guard? Really? That should be expected. There was no challenge.

[Kblaze8855]

#1. I was torn but….

Grant Hill and Zo:


If someone gives you the Rock Bottom:


https://thumbs.gfycat.com/InexperiencedDesertedArcticwolf-size_restricted.gif





Then asks you what you’re gonna do about it….shakes up your teammate then dunks on you?






https://thumbs.gfycat.com/PastelConfusedBoubou-size_restricted.gif



https://thumbs.gfycat.com/ClearPoliticalAtlanticspadefish-size_restricted.gif




You have no choice but to take that personal. Perhaps too personally. We may be entering “If you were smart you’d be shook of me. Cause I’ll get tired of looking for you spray your momma crib and let your ass look for me” territory.



I think it’s gotta be number one but I’ll hear any submissions you all may have for something I left out.

[ShawkFactory]

LeBron dunking on a small combo guard? Really? That should be expected. There was no challenge.

The thread title isn't "Most impressive dunks".

Relax

[WhiteKyrie]

Good guy straight laced Dukie Grant Hill … did more gangsta bad ass shit than LeBron right there. Crossing someone up bad, then dunking on a massive jacked bullying rim protector. That’s how you do it folks. Not front run and dunk on small guards not known for shot blocking it even any athleticism.

[Kblaze8855]

The thread title isn't "Most impressive dunks".

Relax


I had a whole topic on the subject of being humbled years ago that was based on Shaq. Being humbled doesn’t require a fair matchup. It’s more…you realizing your pride got you into an unfair situation with a superior specimen. It all stems from a 40 year old Iron Shiek wrestling promo really. You break his back. Make him humble. You being tougher to begin with doesn’t make it less humbling. Forcing them to realize just how outclassed they were all along is the entire point.

Being humbled doesn’t require a fair matchup. Usually…the unfairness is the source of the realization made by the humbled. It’s tricky for some to grasp.

[tpols]

Zo wouldn't talk to Vince carter for apparently 7 years after that one monster poster. Also the beef between Ben Wallace and Ron artest in the Malice in the Palace looked personal.

[Kblaze8855]

I’m really not sure it was. Jermaine O’Neal went on a promo tour for his Malice documentary and talked a lot about Ron. He was legit crazy and working on it. He had a traveling therapist who would work with him on control and coping. He went to lay down on the table as part of one of his cool down exercises and the fan throwing the beer just sent him over the edge.

[tontoz]

The grant Hill dunk reminded me of this, freshman year at Duke in the NCAA finals. I was like :bowdown:





https://youtu.be/Efpg49NUgYQ

[j3lademaster]

https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7qDFg6xkLxOVdZTi/giphy-downsized-large.gif

Could AI have made things personal here? He did get backdoor swept after this. If Tyron Lue was a line for the Lakers, did AI step over it and cross it?

[dankok8]

Pippen over Ewing is just filthy! I never get tired watching that play.

Great thread OP! :cheers:

[Kblaze8855]

This being the offseason and us having nothing new to discuss in using this to remind me to continue later. I know I’ll forget if I don’t.

[TheMan]

Several 90s players would've been absolute monsters had injuries not slowed them down, most notably Grant Hill and Penny Hardaway.

[FKAri]

Several 90s players would've been absolute monsters had injuries not slowed them down, most notably Grant Hill and Penny Hardaway.

Several 80s players would've been absolute monsters had drugs not slowed them down.