With the Lakers looking lethargic in Game 5, they needed a spark to excite the Staples Center crowd. After Shannon Brown forced a turnover, Gasol led the 2 on 1 fast break and dished to Shannon on the right wing, who stuffed it home over The Birdman.
The building erupted.
With Staples now buzzing, the Lakers snatched the momentum and took the control of the game. That play infused the Lakers crowd with the energy, allowing them to turn the tables on the hated Nuggets.
Side Note: Is there a team more borderline crazy than the Denver Nuggets? I mean, can you honestly tell me that every dude on that team wouldn’t be absolutely stoked to learn that the NBA had just adopted “Prison Rules” basketball? Come on, you’ve seen JR Smith. I’m not saying that dude has stomped a man to death with his Timberlands, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see that story on the news one night.
But I digress.
After dismantling Denver and winning their 15th Championship in team history, the Lakers rewarded Shannon’s efforts with a 2 year $4.2 million contract and his high fly act has picked up steam this season. Since landing in Los Angeles, he’s garnered some well deserved national attention (playing in Los Angeles will do that for you). Let’s credit John Black and the Lakers PR Department for thrusting Shannon’s exploits into the mainstream with the innovative “Let Shannon Dunk” campaign (www.letshannondunk.com).
The campaign worked, and that pub earned Shannon a well deserved spot in Saturday night’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He will be competing against Nate Robinson, Gerald Wallace and a either DeMar DeRozan or Eric Gordon. I don’t know about you, but I got my money on Shannon Brown.
I would advise everyone to tune in Saturday night because I have a hunch that Shannon will put on a show. He has even asked teammate Kobe Bryant to participate in the Dunk Contest with him. Apparently Kobe will be in charge of passing him the ball (insert joke here), so watching those two out there will surely be entertaining. I’m hoping Kobe refuses to pass Shannon the ball and instead monster dunks it himself. Can’t you just see him doing that, then finding LeBron James in the crowd and challenging him to a dunk off like Mr. T in Rocky III? Either way, set your DVR’s because it’s going to be entertaining.
“It’s going to be something to watch,” Brown said of the contest. “I’m [going] to the drawing board now. I’ve got a couple ideas in my mind. I’m not going to give them away, but it’s going to be a great time.”
So what’s all the fuss about? Maybe I should wait until after Saturday night’s contest to drop this bit of knowledge, but in the immortal words of the Notorious BIG: “If ya don’t know, now ya know…”
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