Zach LaVine was not alowed to dunk in the NBA's HORSE competition, which concluded on ESPN Thursday night.
So, instead, he did everything but — off-the-backboard, between-the-leg, reverse layuping his way to a semifinal victory over Allie Quigley of the Sky in the battle of Chicago stars.
Quigley hung around for a spell, putting a letter on LaVine by way of her (now) patented Pistol Pete sitting banker and drawing level at H-O-R to H-O-R at one point. But LaVine's unique blend of creativity and sheer athleticism proved too much in the end.
"Playing it safe." Yeah.
In the finals, though, Mike Conley Jr. had LaVine's number. Conley, ambidextrous as he is, mixed a lethal combination of crafty bank-shots, off-hand jumpers and even a finger-spin punch-layup to a H-O-R-S-E to H-O victory.
Conley benefitted from playing on an indoor court (one almost the size of a reasonable high school), compared to LaVine, who was clearly inhibited by dreary Seattle conditions as the competition dragged on. By the end, a a sunny day turned to a rainy affair, and LaVine's outfit transitioned from red, dry-fit adidas t-shirt to drawn-up hoodie.
The wifi connectivity was a tad more consistent this round, but the banter remained lackluster. The commentary fell flat. At one point, a real-life NBA referee (Steve Javie) showed up to explain the rules of the game of HORSE. It was at least the third time the rules of HORSE were explained on the broadcast.
So, yeah, this was a disastrous experiment. Someone please check on Skip Bayless, and let's all just sleep until "The Last Dance" debut.
NBA
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