#ThrowdownThursday: Davon Finishes Alley Oop

Walk-off homers, kick off returns for touchdowns, overtime goals—some of the most exciting plays in sports. Other than the occasional buzzer beater, in basketball alley oops create organic excitement. That moment when the ball leaves the point guard’s hand and begins its trajectory toward the hoop, there is a collective gasp from the crowd anticipating what’s going to happen next. On the edge of their seats, fans patiently await the ball’s final path as it’s caught and dunked. Every man, woman and child in the arena stands up in unison, with no regard for their food and beverage.

After forcing a NC State turnover, Angel Rodriguez picked up the pace and dribbled the ball down court. Like a slot reciever looking for the seam, Davon Reed ran a post pattern to get behind the Wolfpack defense. Davon and Angel make eye contact and execute the pass-and-slam flawlessly, as if it was just the two of them practicing it at the Field House. Reed begins timing his jump a few steps after he crosses the free throw line, exploding toward the rim and plucks Rodriguez’s lob. This play is great becuase it’s pretty. It all fits together like a puzzle, it’s not flashy. It’s fluid; a natural basketball play that occured because of circumstance.

It also helps that Angel is a magician with the basketball, putting the NC State defender on ice skates. You can almost hear Chris Berman yelling “WOOP!” when he dribbles the ball around his back.

AND THE LORD SAID YOU GOT TO RISE UP:

From behind the basket, we see Reed using his athleticism to adjust to the pass and still finish the dunk. Everything is better in slow motion:

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