The NBA’s 100 Greatest Plays
Greatness.
In sports, it’s a term that, in one sense, can only be measured over time.
A player becomes a Hall of Famer, and a team becomes a dynasty, //only after years of performing at a high level.
But at any given moment in the NBA, //the mission of any given player is simpler.
Played out in the here and now, //put the ball in the basket, or turn that ball the other way.
Sometimes, it takes five men to get the job done. // (Look at that pass work! Beautiful! //That's pass work. That's teamwork.)
Sometimes, one man has to rise above on his own.
It can be a question of raw talent or of pure desire.
And it can happen in the seventh game of the NBA finals.
(And there they go. They've won it again.)
Or in the opening seconds of an early season game.
In this sense, greatness can present itself in an instant. //(It’s over! It’s all over.)
A single play can become a defining image of how high a player can reach.
And the greatest plays //can represent the inspiration for the next generation of NBA stars and fans.
The elements of greatness, like skill, timing, or the importance of situation, //work together in different ways to make every great moment unique.
Blocked shots, great hustle, teamwork, //and buzzer beaters all can take their place as historic plays // based on the different skills they require.
A hundred great plays could be complied a hundred ways.
One would be ten plays in 10 different categories.
And that is what follows.