No one is going to confuse the game of Danilo Gallinari with that of, say, Tracy McGrady. But pulling a stunt like this, and doing so successfully in a real live NBA contest that counts in the standings is not only bold, but it’s also damn impressive.
With Denver trailing by two and under nine-and-a-half minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Gallinari began his drive from the wing, behind the three-point arc. Marreese Speights does a good job defending, forcing Gallinari to pick up his dribble about 17 feet out, while not leaving his feet once the pivoting and faking begins.
But he couldn’t possibly have expected what came next.
Gallinari goes up and under, before tossing the ball off the backboard, and then sprinting by his defender to catch the perfectly legal pass to himself. He times his jump perfectly, and catches the ball before throwing it down with two hands for the highlight-reel slam.
Just a ridiculous play to pull off in a tight game, and one that coming from Gallinari, was likely completely unexpected.
[via @cjzero]