Atlanta’s Josh Smith certainly has a flair for the dramatic this season.
In a pivotal showdown vs. the Magic Wednesday night, Smith came out of nowhere to slam home a missed jumper by the Hawks’ Joe Johnson as time expired to catapult Atlanta to an 86-84 victory over division rival Orlando. Just how clutch was that winning dunk? For starters, it snapped a 6-game losing streak vs. the Magic dating back to last season, including the last four played at Philips Arena. The win also clinched a third consecutive playoff berth for Atlanta, who still have an outside shot – at 3.5 games back – of catching the Magic in the NBA’s Southeast Division.
Maybe somebody should tell Orlando Forward Rashard Lewis that it’s never a bad idea to box out on defense with a jump shot in the air and the game on the line in the closing seconds. Just a thought.
That’s not the first time this season that Josh Smith emerged a hometown hero with a slam in the dying moments. Just four months ago, back on November 20, 2009, Smith provided the dunking dagger versus visiting Houston.
Smith’s buzzer-beating exploits spoiled a dominating performance by Orlando’s Dwight Howard, who finished the game vs. ATL with 19 Points, 24 Rebounds and 4 Blocked Shots. Superman may have had his heartbroken Wednesday night, but he’s broken a few hearts of his own at the buzzer along the way – none more damaging – and impressively – than this one against San Antonio back in ‘07.
I smell a top 10 list brewing. 10 Greatest Buzzer Beaters Of All Time? Playoffs, regular season or combo?