Grant Hill

[NM Duke Fan]

This is worth a read!

"It's rare to find an NBA player who can reinvent himself midstream, who can go from superstar to role player during what are supposed to be the prime years. Even beyond that, Hill's story is amazing for both the timing of his comeback and the time he's invested to play at such a high level at his age."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2010/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=granthill-100428

[CoBlueDevil]

Nice article about Grant Hill on espn. He's 37 and still trucking, playing great ball. It's too bad he had all those injuries, but nothing to dwell on.

[Class of '94]

But it really wasn't mulitiple injuries that caused Grant to miss a lot of games. It was just one injury (his ankle) that was never fixed correctly that caused those subsequent operations. The ironic thing was that he went to the premiere specialist in orthapedics to fix his ankle mutiple times and it kept breaking; after several tries with this expert, he went Duke Hospital's own, Dr. Nunley, for treatment and the doctor was the one that finally got his anke right. It makes you wonder what might have happened if he went to Duke in the first place or simply "shut it down" for the playoffs to give his ankle a chance to heal.

Either way, Grant's still a great player, and IMO, Grant's the best player (from a talent and athleticsm perspective) to ever play for Duke. I went to school and graduated with Grant; and it was awesome watching him play. Many people remember his dunk in the Kansas game his freshman year; but he had a nasty dunk my sophmore year against Georgia Tech that, IMO, was better than the Kansas dunk. It was at Tech; Hurley threw a pass that was so high that the ball looked like it was going into the rafters and out of bounds; but Grant went up, grabbed the ball with one hand, and dunked it as he was falling backwards. Prior to that dunk, the crowd was loud and roudy; but when Grant made that dunk, the whole building went quiet for several minutes. It was an incredible play; and the best dunk I ever saw in college. I've been unsucessful in trying to find a video copy of that dunk. If anyone has a video link or copy of that dunk, let me know.

Another incredible play happened my senior year when we played Carolina. Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace were on the Carolina team as freshmen. It was a 3 on 1 play; and Grant was the lone defender against Stachhouse and 2 other players. Grant guessed right and was able to slap the ball away from Stackhouse; he took the ball up the court and passed the ball to Cherokee Parks for a slam dunk. Grant had us all screaming and yelling on that play.

At the time of his injury, Grant was the best perimeter player in the NBA....better than Kobe and Vince Carter. There are people who do not think Grant will be a Hall of Fame player now due to his injuries. I disagree. He had Hall of Fame talent before the injuries; and the fact that he fought through the injuries to come back to play at such a high level now should give HOF consideration. He might not get in on the first nomination; but he should eventually get in.

[gotoguy]

I too had the good fortune of seeing Grant's dunk at Tech, which without question was the best I've ever seen. And yes, the crowd was stunned into silence though it probably lasted only 15 or 20 seconds. Maybe it's on youtube somewhere...

[MChambers]

I too had the good fortune of seeing Grant's dunk at Tech, which without question was the best I've ever seen. And yes, the crowd was stunned into silence though it probably lasted only 15 or 20 seconds. Maybe it's on youtube somewhere...

Didn't Hurley miss the game at Tech? I thought it was Brian Davis who threw the pass. It was an amazing dunk, either way.

[VaDukie]

Someone please find or upload that dunk. I'm dying with anticipation.

[Dev11]

Someone please find or upload that dunk. I'm dying with anticipation.

http://www.dukeblueplanet.com/bptv.asp

The video is called "Champions," the third choice under "Culture and Tradition" (default section). I believe the highlight you are looking for is the last clip. Blue Planet has really become a great site in the past year.

PS Who is that announcer? After watching that clip I now occasionally shout "YO YO YO!" when I see really cool things happen.

[CoBlueDevil]

Oh my!!!! Jay Williams against Virginia. Holy crap that was sick. Hopefully we can get some of that with Ky.

[davekay1971]

Gawd, I remember that dunk!!!

Thanks for linking the DBP video - awesome. And, off topic, but do you find yourself watching JWill and thinking, "If Kyrie really can come in here and be THAT good...".

I've said before that IMHO Grant is the best to ever wear the Duke uniform. Doesn't hurt at all that he's also an alumnus that we can always be proud to call our own.

[LSanders]

I've said before that IMHO Grant is the best to ever wear the Duke uniform. Doesn't hurt at all that he's also an alumnus that we can always be proud to call our own.


A few years ago, I went to a woeful Clippers game ... Only because they were like Trinity West at that time (Brand, Maggette, and Ewing, plus almost-Devil Shaun Livingston and coached by honorary-Dukie Dunleavy).

They were playing the Suns. As you can imagine, Grant was the smartest player on the floor ... Always in the right place ... Still capable of blowing by defenders or making a stop.

But, one of the little things I remember is that every single time one of the waterboys brought him a towel or a drink, he'd smile, make eye contact and say thanks. I'm not sure if any other player on either team even looked at the kids. He's such a class act in so many, many ways!

-----------------------

P.S. - I agree about JWill ... Every time you see clips like this to remind you of his incredible speed and quickness ... WOW!! Let's HOPE KI's the second coming!

[Class of '94]

Thanks for putting that link up. It brings back so many memories. Again, the crazy thing about that dunk was that it was in a half-court set as opposed to running full court and dunking the ball like Grant did in the Kansas game.

And on a side note, if KI is truly a combination of J-Will and Chris Duhon, we, as Duke fans, are going to be in for a real treat next year and hopefully the year after that.

[Class of '94]

Didn't Hurley miss the game at Tech? I thought it was Brian Davis who threw the pass. It was an amazing dunk, either way.

Sorry to get my facts wrong about who threw the pass :) I was just fixated on how great a dunk that was by Grant at Ga Tech.

[yancem]

That video was sick. It has been so long since I have watched videos of the past greats that I forgot just how amazing some of those guys were. It's been so long since Hill was in Detroit that it easy to forget that he was once one of the most dominate players in the league. I second the notion that Hill was the most gifted and talented player to wear a Duke jersey under K (my recollection players prior to the 80's is fuzzy and I never saw Heyman or the other greats from the 50's and 60's).

As much as it pains me to wonder what if when it comes to Hills career, it is just as painful to think about Williams and Hurley's what if's. I'm not sure how good Hurley would have ended up being. He certainly would have had a long and successful career but I don't know if he would have definitely been an all star. Williams on the other hand I think would have been dominate. If Hill is the most gifted and talented Duke player, Williams was probably a close second.

[theAlaskanBear]

That video was sick. It has been so long since I have watched videos of the past greats that I forgot just how amazing some of those guys were. It's been so long since Hill was in Detroit that it easy to forget that he was once one of the most dominate players in the league. I second the notion that Hill was the most gifted and talented player to wear a Duke jersey under K (my recollection players prior to the 80's is fuzzy and I never saw Heyman or the other greats from the 50's and 60's).

As much as it pains me to wonder what if when it comes to Hills career, it is just as painful to think about Williams and Hurley's what if's. I'm not sure how good Hurley would have ended up being. He certainly would have had a long and successful career but I don't know if he would have definitely been an all star. Williams on the other hand I think would have been dominate. If Hill is the most gifted and talented Duke player, Williams was probably a close second.

I will always remember watching Jay hit that triple double against the nets with 26 14 and 13. He was truly transcendent.

[moonpie23]

grant just had a sick block in the game.....it makes me sad to wonder what if with bobby and jay, but at least i get to see grant playing this great ball...

[striker219]

http://www.dukeblueplanet.com/bptv.asp

The video is called "Champions," the third choice under "Culture and Tradition" (default section). I believe the highlight you are looking for is the last clip. Blue Planet has really become a great site in the past year.

PS Who is that announcer? After watching that clip I now occasionally shout "YO YO YO!" when I see really cool things happen.

That instantly became one of the best things I've ever seen, start to finish.

Too awesome for words.

[yancem]

I will always remember watching Jay hit that triple double against the nets with 26 14 and 13. He was truly transcendent.

Yeah, I really thought that was going to be a statement game that led to a string of all star appearances. Unfortunately, now we can only day dream about what might have been.

[gumbomoop]

For someone who scored so little, Grant was arguably the most important contributor to the Suns' win tonight. Incredible defense, 12 rebounds, key assists, smart play every moment. Doug Collins noticed.

As one who doesn't follow NBA much, I did not know that tonight was the first time Grant won a playoff series.

[WillJ]

Congrats to Grant for winning it for a third time. I think he should celebrate the award by elbowing Hansbrough in the nose next year.

[moonpie23]

Congrats to Grant for winning it for a third time. I think he should celebrate the award by elbowing Hansbrough in the nose next year.

look i don't know if this is sarcasm or not....but i'm tired of all the Hansbrough nose references.....it was a clean block, all ball and hansblah hit his nose on the floor......go back and look at the tape....
:rolleyes:




oh, and yeah, what you said about congrats to grant......he was awesome..

[WillJ]

I sincerely think that Grant should elbow Hansbrough in the nose next year.

[David]

But, one of the little things I remember is that every single time one of the waterboys brought him a towel or a drink, he'd smile, make eye contact and say thanks. I'm not sure if any other player on either team even looked at the kids. He's such a class act in so many, many ways!



Agreed - you can tell a lot about someone by how they treat the support personnel. Grant is the man!

Here is an odd counterexample from a current superstar that is making its way around the interwebs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjXQCT47EAc&feature=youtu.be

[DevilHorns]

I sincerely think that Grant should elbow Hansbrough in the nose next year.

Though you state "no sarcasm" I still think you are being sarcastic.

The thing is, IMO, the Gerald Henderson elbow incident is one of the most unfortunate things that has happened to Duke basketball. Any real basketball fan who watches the clip can tell he was going for the ball and thats that. Anybody with any true knowledge of the situation knows that Henderson and Ellington are best friends, and that Henderson got Hans' phone number and called him to personally apologize for the hit and tell him (as Hans' already knew) that it was accidental and completely unfortunate, and in the end COMPLETELY UNINTENTIONAL.

If anything this stupid incident has caused Duke Haters to gain traction. I hate that incident.

[roywhite]

Congratulations to Grant and the Suns for their series win. Grant's perseverance has been remarkable.

Don't have a serious rooting interest in any NBA team, so I'd be quite happy to see the Suns take it all the way. That would be a great thing for Grant.

[Acymetric]

Agreed - you can tell a lot about someone by how they treat the support personnel. Grant is the man!

Here is an odd counterexample from a current superstar that is making its way around the interwebs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjXQCT47EAc&feature=youtu.be

Fortunately for me this video didn't lower my opinion of Lebron at all, because I've always thought he was a self absorbed [I can't think of anything that has a prayer of passing the filter].

Hopefully this video lowers someone else's opinion of him at least...guy is a great player but this notion that he is a class act is more or less entirely fabricated. Too much money involved to let it be known that he's a total dick to pretty much anyone.

Most importantly:

Congratulations Grant! I read in an article a couple days ago that he hadn't made it past he first round ever and I was shocked. Glad he finally passed that milestone...even though I only have hazy memories of his Duke days he's always been my favorite player. Even got his autograph at a Duke football game...on a Duke football...

Hey, sometimes you have to improvise! :D

[dukemsu]

Congrats to the prototypcial Blue Devil.

Grant remains The Man.

dukemsu

[Duke79UNLV77]

For a Blue Devil to win the award?

[David]

Is this 5 times for a Blue Devil to win the award?

Yes, and this makes it 5 out of the last 6. Very impressive!

2004-5 Grant
2005-6 Elton
2006-7 Luol
2007-8 Grant
2008-9 Chauncey Billups (obviously, he should have gone to Duke!)
2009-10 Grant

[JasonEvans]

Here is Grant's ridiculously sick block last night--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA9AjSnXK24 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA9AjSnXK24)

--Jason "love the post-block interview too" Evans

[Reisen]

This is going to sound crazy, but...

Last night was my first time watching an NBA game since that game where Reggie Miller hit something like 8 points in 8 seconds against the Knicks. That had to be mid 90's?

I will occasionally sit through highlights on SportsCenter, and enjoy watching Duke highlights, but I've never watched more than a few seconds of an NBA broadcast.

I was up with my two-week old daughter, and needed something more exciting than Golf to help keep me from falling asleep.

Anyway, it was really fun watching Grant play, including that block, and watching the Suns win. I would agree that Grant is tied for the most talented Duke player with J Will. I'm sure arguments could be made for guys like Dawkins, Laettner, Gminski, etc.

Too bad we never got to see J's talent peak.

[Orange&BlackSheep]

There is no way on God's green Earth that JayWill gets to be put on the same level as Grant. That is a full step down for me. I personally rate Johnny Dawkins ahead of JayWill too (by taking into account that JD grew up in the pre-three pt shot era where you had no incentive to make yourself amazing from 22 ft). JayWill's strength was a HUGE asset to him vis-a-vis other driving guards but he was never going to dunk over David Robinson (not that that means anything beyond the athleticism required to do it).

I also would rather have JD shooting free throws with the game on the line.

[Troublemaker]

Here is Grant's ridiculously sick block last night--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA9AjSnXK24 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA9AjSnXK24)

--Jason "love the post-block interview too" Evans

Grant was awesome last night, arguably the best player on the floor without even scoring all that much. His on-ball and help defense were superb and he rebounded like a maniac. After Phoenix's Game 1 loss, Grant turned the series around for the Suns by taking on the defensive assignment of Andre Miller and shutting him down the rest of the way.

This is a pretty talented Suns team with excellent chemistry, btw. If Nash's hip strain heals okay and Robin Lopez can return from his bulging disc injury, this is probably the 2nd or 3rd best team in the league and can definitely make some noise.

[David]

ESPN.com has a poll up asking "Which veteran player would you most like to see win at least one title?"

With over 68K votes recorded, Grant is in 2nd with 21% of the vote. Steve Nash (his teammate) is leading the vote with 42%. Others: Vince Carter is at 15%, Jason Kidd at 13%, and Dirk Nowitzki is in last at 9%.

Vote here: http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/polls (it is poll 3 of 11).

[BattierD12]

There was a pretty funny interview with Grant after the game where he joked about Bayless not having respect for his elders. He also said he gave him a few words about it later, citing that he's already won the Sportsmanship award and they can't take that from him now.

[cspan37421]

Games/min played is getting a lot of currency as a measure of how old a player's legs are. I wonder if Grant's injuries, in his prime, is helping him playing younger than his chronological years.

I'm not sure if I buy it. I suppose in tennis you're REALLY old by age 30, so perhaps there's something to it even in basketball. But I started noticing this when the Lakers were having trouble and people were saying that Kobe is past peak, due to his "mileage." Barkley recently commented that the evidence that Kobe has slowed down is seen in how frequently he pump fakes.

He obviously scored a lot tonight, and not all his points came off push-offs! Hey, he probably learned that from the best!

[NM Duke Fan]

After last night's victory the coach had some very nice things to say about Grant:

"Grant Hill never ceases to amaze me," Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said. "There's a 37-year-old -- he hates when I say that. Here's a guy who plays on our team that's been in the league for a long, long time. He just does a good job. Everything we ask him to do, never complains. He's always on the best perimeter player. He never complains. He just plays. He'll forever be my favorite player. He really will."

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gamecenter/recap/NBA_20100505_SA@PHO/suns-drop-spurs-to-take-commanding-20-series-lead?tag=coverlist_active;coverlist_footer

[theAlaskanBear]

After last night's victory the coach had some very nice things to say about Grant:

"Grant Hill never ceases to amaze me," Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said. "There's a 37-year-old -- he hates when I say that. Here's a guy who plays on our team that's been in the league for a long, long time. He just does a good job. Everything we ask him to do, never complains. He's always on the best perimeter player. He never complains. He just plays. He'll forever be my favorite player. He really will."

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gamecenter/recap/NBA_20100505_SA@PHO/suns-drop-spurs-to-take-commanding-20-series-lead?tag=coverlist_active;coverlist_footer

Yeah, Grant had a great game last night, and has been playing well throughout the playoffs! He is just so versatile, he impacts the game in many ways. He finished with 18 pts and 6 rebs. The team made some great iso plays for him, switching around until they got Duncan gaurding grants in the perimeter, which led to 2 or 3 eaaasy breakdowns and jumpshots.

[hedevil]

For me, Phoenix is a love/hate relationship.


Love: Grant Hill:D

Flip side:

Jared Dudley::mad:

[NM Duke Fan]

I really enjoy watching Phoenix play overall, not just Grant but also Nash and Amare. Wouldn't at all mind seeing an Orlando-Phoenix finals, and though it is not likely, it has been an unusual season with injuries to various stars on leading contenders. In any case, it would be great for both JJ and Grant to make the finals!

[roywhite]

How about those Suns!

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=300507024

Grant had 18 points and played more minutes than any other Sun. Played excellent defense.

The kid Dragic was just insane, 26 points in 17 minutes!

[gumbomoop]

How about those Suns!

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=300507024

Grant had 18 points and played more minutes than any other Sun. Played excellent defense.

The kid Dragic was just insane, 26 points in 17 minutes!

Don't follow NBA much at all, am clueless re salary cap, free agency, and don't find the actual games nearly as interesting as college ball. But do follow Duke guys a bit, and Grant Hill is P's glue guy. Good 3d-4th option on O, still rebounds, runs the court, passes, and is their key guy on D.

Would certainly be an intriguing story should P somehow beat Lakers, and face Magic, who look pretty damn good. Hope JJ gets some time in next round.

[jipops]

Watching Grant's defense in this series has been a thing of beauty. He is all over the passing lanes on kick outs. Hmm, wonder where he picked up that skill?

[Mcluhan]

Killer block on Jerryd Bayless from last round, followed by Grant joking about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA9AjSnXK24

I think Grant's transitioned into this role so well because it's a role that's always come natural to him, almost to a fault. He's come full circle to his first two years at Duke: Despite being one of the most athletic players on the court, Grant's main focus is defense, facilitating team offense, and keeping mistakes to a minimum.

And yes, at age 37, he's still one of the most athletic players on the court!

[MrBisonDevil]

My son's name is Grant Cameron. I have much respect.

[Mcluhan]

And Grant just iced the game-- and the series-- with two free throws with 16 seconds to go.

I'm loving this team.

[BattierD12]

What a game. Spurs really went crazy in those last couple of minutes. Glad the Suns finally got a series win over them.

This was the first year Grant got into the second round of the finals, and now he's in the conference finals. Suns-Lakers is gonna be a fun one.

[diveonthefloor]

Grant has become Mr Intangible.

Fantastic defense on Ginobili.

Wonder if he'll be assigned Kobe in next round?

[Mcluhan]

Grant has become Mr Intangible.

Fantastic defense on Ginobili.

Wonder if he'll be assigned Kobe in next round?

I guess they might sick Grant on Kobe, and put JRich on Artest.

They could really use Robin Lopez in that series, too.

[DukieInBrasil]

If Grant gets assigned to Kobe (assuming LA wins) I would love to see him just shut him down. And for the Suns to win the series of course.
Does anybody with better tech skills than me know of Grant's career "match-up" with Kobe? I'm not really sure what this would mean other than stats from their team's match-ups. Has Grant historically guarded Kobe? They seem to be ideally suited to guard each other.

[NM Duke Fan]

Once again the coach gave praise to Grant for his defense on ginobilli, held him to 2-11 shooting.

I would imagine that Grant saw the great job that Shane did on Kobe in the past, and learned a thing or two. And if they haven't talked already, Shane might have a few tips to share! Not that Grant needs a lot of D advice. . .

It will be a great series, and Phoenix is playing well in all aspects of the game--they have a real chance this time of making the finals. Defense wins championships.

[roywhite]

Once again the coach gave praise to Grant for his defense on ginobilli, held him to 2-11 shooting.

I would imagine that Grant saw the great job that Shane did on Kobe in the past, and learned a thing or two. And if they haven't talked already, Shane might have a few tips to share! Not that Grant needs a lot of D advice. . .

It will be a great series, and Phoenix is playing well in all aspects of the game--they have a real chance this time of making the finals. Defense wins championships.

Will certainly root for Grant and the Suns, but the Lakers are a tough match up for them with so much size. Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Artest, Odom---a lot of talented big bodies that can be put on the court. The Suns' have Stoudemaire but not much size overall, so they will probably have to try to out-score the Lakers. The half-court game seems to favor LA.

Not much of an NBA fan during the season, but the playoffs are interesting and now we've got a good Duke factor with JJ and Grant.

[NM Duke Fan]

Yes, the size of LA will present a challenge. The hope in Phoenix is that Lopez will finally be ready to contribute as he has been resting his back these first two series. At the least he would provide some useful depth and fouls. What I like about the Suns is that their second unit plays so well together and really can score. In that department I give the Suns a firm edge, and Grant is often out there with that second unit providing great D and leadership. Depth and effectivie second unit play could decide this series.

[theAlaskanBear]

Will certainly root for Grant and the Suns, but the Lakers are a tough match up for them with so much size. Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Artest, Odom---a lot of talented big bodies that can be put on the court. The Suns' have Stoudemaire but not much size overall, so they will probably have to try to out-score the Lakers. The half-court game seems to favor LA.

Not much of an NBA fan during the season, but the playoffs are interesting and now we've got a good Duke factor with JJ and Grant.

Yeah, the Lakers have a size advantage over pretty much the entire league. But Phoenix potentially has some match-up advantages too. They can play faster (2 pgs at the same time) than LA, and they are more dangerous from 3. The Suns have a waaaay better bench than LA.

Utah is pretty much a halfcourt team like LA, and they cant speed up the game too much. That is why they cannot win. (and a few no-calls when Boozer gets fouled at the end of games ;) the last one was really blatant)

[Big Pappa]

Yeah, the Lakers have a size advantage over pretty much the entire league. But Phoenix potentially has some match-up advantages too. They can play faster (2 pgs at the same time) than LA, and they are more dangerous from 3. The Suns have a waaaay better bench than LA.

Utah is pretty much a halfcourt team like LA, and they cant speed up the game too much. That is why they cannot win. (and a few no-calls when Boozer gets fouled at the end of games ;) the last one was really blatant)

I agree that Boozer got hammered by Fish under the basket at the end.

I also agree that the Suns have a chance because of their ability to run. Amare is also significantly bigger and more athletic than anyone the Jazz have. Rich is really the key to the Suns. In 52 wins for the Sun this year he has averaged 17.75ppg and in 27 losses he averaged 11.70.

[Orange&BlackSheep]

I agree that Boozer got hammered by Fish under the basket at the end.

Imagine that ... Boozer gets hammered at the end of a game and no call gets made ...

Did Matt Christensen happen to be at the Laker game? Any reaction from him?

[ElSid]

grant on kobe or artest?
nash on fisher
richardson on kobe or artest?
Stoudemire on gasol / bynum
Frye/Collins/Amundson on Odum / Bynum

looks scary. certainly better chance than utah had, though.

grant definitely gets the kobe assignment to start.

rooting hard for a suns vs. magic finals, but david stern is rooting hard for the opposite, so i'm not placing any bets just yet.

[NM Duke Fan]

We discussed the size differential in this thread, and here is one pretty-lopsided opinion that the Suns have no chance due to that factor:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke-lakers-20100511,0,4122008,full.column

[theAlaskanBear]

We discussed the size differential in this thread, and here is one pretty-lopsided opinion that the Suns have no chance due to that factor:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke-lakers-20100511,0,4122008,full.column

I wouldnt put too much stock in this. Plashke is a good sports writer, but basketball is not exactly his expertise.

The Lakers have to be considered the favorite, but it will not be that easy. The Suns win at least two games.

Phoenix can spread the floor so much better than Utah due to the presence of Channing Frye, which pulls one of those big men out to the perimeter. In the Spurs series, the Suns managed to pull a lot of switches to allow guards like Hill to break down and score on Tim Duncan. We saw against Utah how Millsap pulled Gasol out from the basket to about 8 feet and then just drove right by him. Who is Artest going to guard? J Rich is the only matchup that makes sense, but there will be times when Alvin Gentry sits Rich and plays an extra PG (two of Nash, Barbossa, and Dragic).

If Amare plays smart and doesnt try to force too much in the halfcourt, and if Grant can do a great job guarding Kobe (hold him to 30% shooting) then the Suns can win this series. They need bench points, and they need to shoot the 3 effectively.

The weakness of the Suns is that when Nash is not on the floor, they can sometimes lose their ball movement and play one-on-one offensively. This leads to a lot of bad shots by Amare and JRich, neither of whom have seen a shot they dont like.

[Troublemaker]

Grant will guard Kobe and he'll do a great job. I think this series will be fascinating and long (7 games) and a nice contrast in styles. Keeping the Lakers from completely going crazy on the offensive boards will be key. If the Suns can grab defensive rebounds they can run and score in transition, which is both a Phoenix strength and how OKC caused so much trouble for L.A. But if the Lakers play volleyball and the Suns have to take the ball out of bounds to start possessions, it'll be tough. I don't think either team will be able to impose their will and pace consistently. Some games L.A. will win the tradeoff and some games Phoenix will.

[NM Duke Fan]

"Nobody stops Kobe (ask C.J. Miles), especially with a week's rest for his finger and other assorted injuries and the maturity with which he's been picking his spots to dominate. But his half-court offense increasingly has been about wiles and footwork -- much like Miller's and Ginobili's -- and Hill has the length, experience and court IQ to disrupt his physical and mental rhythms."

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/britt_robson/05/13/final.lakers.suns/index.html?eref=sihp#ixzz0o0VaKyde

[Cockabeau]

http://www.dukeblueplanet.com/bptv.asp

The video is called "Champions," the third choice under "Culture and Tradition" (default section). I believe the highlight you are looking for is the last clip. Blue Planet has really become a great site in the past year.

PS Who is that announcer? After watching that clip I now occasionally shout "YO YO YO!" when I see really cool things happen.

That Hill dunk against Ga. Tech was sick. I forgot about that one... Also sick was the Duhon teardrop gamewinner against Wake. What is so funny is that you could almost see his smile before he even released that shot and he ran to celebrate before the ball was even in the net. That was cold blooded. Also, the Wake players reaction was priceless...

[LSanders]

From the USA Today article:

http://http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/suns/2010-05-18-grant-hill-cover-story_N.htm?csp=obinsite



"He's one of my favorite people I've ever been around, athlete or non-athlete," says Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who coached Hill in Orlando. "I just had so much respect for him. People were killing him (for not playing). There was no way he could play. He showed up at every practice. He went on every trip.

"He swam. We called him 'Mark Spitz' because he was in the pool for hours a day trying to rehab, knowing there was probably no chance he was going to play. But he just wanted an opportunity."

And ...


"He didn't want to take money and go. That's just not who he is," says Krzyzewski, who regularly speaks with Hill and considers him a friend even as his three daughters see Hill as a big brother. "He owed it to himself and the people he made agreements with to do his best. He doesn't have to be 'the show.'

"He knows what it means to say 'please' and 'thank you' and wait in line. There's nobody like him."


There are so many candidates in the favorite player category ... But, I'd be hard-pressed to think of a classier, more admirable player than Grant.

[NM Duke Fan]

This is a must read article regarding Grant and his journey back to health:


After enduring years of ankle problems, Hill's time is now


Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/lee_jenkins/05/21/grant.hill/index.html?eref=sihp#ixzz0ombfMLWK

[Masticatee]

I read that article, too. Fantastic. Now we just need a Hill-Battier or Battier-Hill presidential ticket in 2016 or 2020--hope they both play for as long as they can. ;)

[throatybeard]

Many people remember his dunk in the Kansas game his freshman year; but he had a nasty dunk my sophmore year against Georgia Tech that, IMO, was better than the Kansas dunk. It was at Tech; Hurley threw a pass that was so high that the ball looked like it was going into the rafters and out of bounds; but Grant went up, grabbed the ball with one hand, and dunked it as he was falling backwards.

Finally. Finally. Someone other than me said it.