All-Time Dimes
Top Ten Passes In Basketball
(TLDR; If you’re running late — like a frazzled parent still needing to bake a dessert for your kid’s holiday gathering — and don’t have time for the backstory, skip ahead to the recipe. Bon Appétit!)
Season’s Greetings!
My brother’s 60th birthday would have been last month. He loved playing and watching all sports, especially college basketball. He got me hooked on basketball in 1979 watching the NCAA Tourney that culminated with Bird vs. Magic, Indiana State vs. Michigan State, arguably the most important basketball game ever.
My brother read Sports Illustrated cover to cover and followed all the teams and players and sports news. He cheered for Indiana and Knight and Isiah Thomas and later Steve Alford. He loved Chris Mullin and Mark Jackson and the 1985 St. John’s Final Four team. He tracked the careers of other NYC playground legends including Tiny Archibald and 10th grader Kenny Anderson at Archbishop Molloy in Queens. When SI ranked the nation’s best young players in 1986, my brother told me about eighth-grader Damon Bailey. Growing up in Oregon, we watched Gary Payton at Oregon State. Later, my brother lived in the California Bay Area and had Jason Kidd at St. Joseph Notre Dame High in Alameda (then Cal) and Steve Nash at Santa Clara University on his radar before most people knew who they were. My brother loved Curry and told me before Curry got drafted that Curry would dominate in the NBA because he would get his shot off easier since he wouldn’t be triple-teamed like at Davidson. He was right. My brother’s favorite players were Larry Bird and Chris Mullin.
The play in basketball my brother enjoyed most was the pass. Sharing the rock. Helping teammates score.
Passing is a way to share fun and joy in basketball. Passing binds teams together and enables less athletic teams to win together. A great pass levels the playing field by neutralizing the athleticism of opposing teams, faking them out, leaving them dipped in concrete, shattering their confidence. A great pass rents space in your opponent’s head making your team unpredictable. A great pass turns the aggressiveness of high-motor, gambling defenders into an embarrassing liability. A great pass says, “We don’t care how tall, long, strong, fast, or skilled your team is…cuz y’all ain’t catching up with us, our team brain is faster than your team brawn!” A great pass gives underdog Saturday morning pickup teams — filled with leftover scrubs who bricked their shoot-for-teams three — the confidence to overachieve against better players. A great pass creates easy buckets that take no athleticism to finish. Layups.
Like my brother, I love basketball and great passes too. I’ve been a gym rat my whole life. In college, I hung out at the gym almost every day for four years, often till closing at 11 pm. When I wasn’t in the gym I was frequently playing 3-on-3 outside on dormitory asphalt courts. Looking back I should have spent more time in the library rather than the court. I jokingly refer to basketball as my “addiction”. Since college, I’ve been to the gym over 10,000 times and shot more than 3 million shots. I enjoy going to the gym twice a day to shoot and dribble while listening to music. My J is limited by poor shot mechanics. I can’t reliably shoot from three or create separation to drain side-step jumpers. Particularly frustrating for somebody who has practiced way more than most NBA players! I’m actually at my gym now shooting Js, listening to Pandora on my headphones, thinking about great passes, and occasionally whipping out my phone to write portions of this article. I can’t run hard anymore. I used to play pickup once a week for decades. What I miss about playing are pocket passes, pick-n-roll dimes, and delivering the rock on time for backdoor cuts. Like my brother, I think a great pass is the most thrilling play in basketball…
In honor of my brother and our shared love of basketball, I’ve distilled the Top 10 Passes In Basketball. My list doesn’t consider passes before the magical year of 1979 and omits today’s pre-college and YouTube sensations. I only consider passes that I’ve witnessed firsthand. So don’t challenge me with black-and-white videos of whatabouts like Bob Cousy or Pistol Pete or recent TikToks of unproven hyped players like Bronny or Bryce or Amari Bailey. Jokic is one of the best passers today, but I have only seen a few highlights of him, mostly in the bubble where Jamal Murray dreamscaped and owned that spotlight. So Joker isn’t on my list though many of his dimes might certainly be worthy. Two dimes were thrown by players I don’t care for because of off-court crime or on-court hate. One dime is from a team I loathe but my brother loved (hint, they wear blue and are in the ACC). I thought about subbing out dimes from players/teams that I don’t like, but ultimately, my brother would favor accuracy. Separating art from artists is a dilemma.
There are two types of dimes on my list.
The first type of pass combines vision, skill, creativity, and moxie. These dimes make fans stand up out of their chairs. When you see this type of pass, you are witnessing a baller. A high-IQ player who is fun to play with and tough to play against. I call these artful dimes. When a young player throws an artful dime, you see a glimpse of future greatness, a career filled with spectacular passing highlights and perhaps NBA jewelry.
The second type of pass is a winning dime. These passes are assists that change the momentum and outcome of games. The bigger the game, the bigger the dime. Winning dimes, most importantly, create basketball history. They become legendary moments that elevate the game, inspire future generations, and attract basketball fans for life. Winning dimes generally rank higher than artful dimes.
Most dimes on my list fit just one type. One fits both.
Finally The Top 10 List…
10. Ja’s Yo-Yo Dribble To Behind-The-Back
Ja’s explosive dunks, 360 spinning layups, and soaring blocks overshadow his playmaking. What is equally amazing about Ja is his vision and passing ability.
Morant was the first NCAA player to average over 20 points and 10 assists per game in a season. Ja combines MJ athleticism, AI heart, Magic vision, and AND1 streetball that make defenses tremble.
The yo-yo dribble setup before the behind-the-back pass is executed deftly in heavy traffic. It momentarily pauses Austin Rivers on defense to open a brief window for Ja’s misdirection behind-the-back pass. To toss dimes with such swag, Ja must have practiced these moves on Tee’s backyard court endless times. When I saw rookie Ja throw this artful dime live on TV, I jumped out of my chair and immediately texted the video highlight to my friends.
Everybody is rooting for Ja to stay healthy. He’s the most exciting player in the League with an unlimited ceiling.
9. Luka’s Overhead Perimeter Pass
Luka has been a pro since he was 13 years old. Now 23, Luka intuitively understands the physics and geometry of the game. Knows how his great size and skill create gravity that attracts multiple defenders leaving teammates open behind him or open crosscourt for a check-down pass that he can throw hot if he’s stuck midair. I’ve seen Luka collapse the D and toss so many dimes that choosing his best pass is challenging. He frequently throws nutmeg passes, behind-the-back passes, and crosscourt jump passes.
For me, Luka’s best pass is over his head from the paint to a shooter on the perimeter. Luka has the height, talent, and vision to execute this pass and is the first player I’ve seen throw this kind of pass.
On this artful pass to Kleber, Luka first does a hesi to freeze the pick and roll D, then sucks up the space Sabonis gives him, then does a fake Rondo behind-the-back pass to paralyze the D again, and then finally–surrounded by four Pacers–whips the ball backward over his head to Kleber on the perimeter for an open three. Prestidigitation with routine ho-hum confidence of a veteran.
Also checkout…
Luka Doncic Top 10 MAGICAL Assists! 😎
8. Mark Price’s Nutmeg
From Enid, Oklahoma, Mark Price was the baller pundits thought Steve Alford would be. Mark Price was the player who started Georgia Tech Point Guard U, the pipeline for the nation’s best high school point guards to GT and then to the L…
Mark Price (1986)
Kenny Anderson (1991)
Travis Best (1995)
Stephon Marbury (1996)
Will Bynum (2005)
Jarrett Jack (2005)
Jose Alvarado (2021)
Mark Price was Steph Curry before Curry was born. Price played against Dell, Steph’s dad. Price was a four-time NBA All-Star, a member of the 50–40–90 club, and back-to-back 3-point champion…
Mark Price — 1994 NBA 3-Point Shootout (Back-to-Back Champion)
NBA Superstars 3: Mark Price
Like Steph today, Price’s ethereal shooting and choir-boy look belied his deadly passing game and basketball acumen. Price was an assassin who enjoyed embarrassing defenders by throwing cold, bold, on-time dimes.
For me, Price’s most artful pass was this nutmeg through Rod Strickland’s legs in 1989. In that game, Price had 18 dimes, 16 points, and 4 rebounds. Price outplayed, outclassed, and outwitted two NYC point guard legends, Rod Strickland and Mark Jackson. Simply toyed with the Knicks the whole game, viz., throwing this dime.
Strange that Mark Price is not in Springfield.
7. JWill’s No Look Behind-The-Back
Like Luka, picking JWill’s best pass is hard. JWill’s rookie season at Sacramento is documented by nightly ESPN Top Ten highlights.
Less reputable Top Assists lists will rank JWill’s elbow pass as number one. Yeah, OK, I watched that pass when it happened in the 2000 All-Star Game. It was spectacular, but the ASG isn’t a competitive game in my opinion. No defense. My technical, bigger issue with the elbow pass is that it’s too risky to break out in a regular game, much less a playoff game. Listen to JWill tell the Professor how he’s only pulled it off successfully twice!
I was at the gym a couple of days ago, and I tried the elbow pass. I did it the first time. Not saying I’m a baller, just saying I got lucky. Because when I tried it again and again, I couldn’t do it. So yeah, proof to me how the elbow pass is ostentatious, too flashy, so not worth the high risk of a turnover. To be an All-Time Dime, the pass must leave the defense and other teams quaking, with the persistent threat of being repeated, anytime, leading to easy buckets.
JWill’s most artful dime, in my opinion, was his no-look behind-the-back assist against the Suns. Listen to JWill explain how he shifted the defense by looking them off–moving the secondary with his eyes just like a savvy NFL QB–and then delivered the rock crisply on time.
JWill threw dimes on the hardwood and gridiron to the greatest wideout of All-Time, Randy Moss. So no wonder JWill honed Peyton Manning instincts to manipulate defenses, opening passing lanes for Hall of Fame teammates.
Any basketball fan loves JWill’s game. With his passing genius, he might be the most fun pickup teammate ever. I hope JWill’s legendary court vision has also widened his off-court worldview…
VOICES FROM THE YOUTH: Jason Williams needs to be held accountable
6. High School Lebron’s “Are You Serious?” Behind-The-Back Bounce Pass In Transition
As a 17-year-old, Lebron was featured on the cover of SI in February 2002. Few had seen The Next Air Jordan play. That changed on December 22, 2002, when Lebron played his first nationally televised game on ESPN. Lebron scored 31 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and dropped 6 dimes for St. Vincent St. Mary vs #1 ranked Oak Hill (Carmelo didn’t play).
Along with millions of others, I watched this high school game. When Lebron threw this behind-the-back bounce pass on the break, I jumped out of my seat. It was so clear at that moment, from that dime, that Lebron was indeed The Chosen One. Hype was real. Everybody watching knew. Dick Vitale instantly knew as he went nuts yelling, “Are you serious? Are you serious? Are you serious? How many college guys or NBA guys can make that pass in transition?!!!!!”* That pass sealed Lebron’s $90M record rookie shoe contract with Nike. (Lebron turned down Reebok offering $115M).
Up until that pass, I had heard twenty years of hype about players who were the next Magic. Big guard with transcendent passing ability. Lebron was the first player since Magic–and the only still–to be worthy of comparison to Magic. My list could arguably be made up entirely of artful dimes thrown by Lebron throughout his career…
Lebron James — The Art of Passing
I tell high school point guards at my gym the story about how Lebron kept Kevin Love engaged in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals against the Warriors (73–9) by feeding Love throughout the game even though he knew Love was struggling. Lebron said passing Love the rock even though he kept chipping paint was maybe what motivated Love to stay connected and to shuffle his feet many times to lock up Curry and force the greatest shooter of all time to brick the three at the end of the game. The profound lesson is that passing isn’t only about offense. It’s about defense too. Boosting your teammate’s confidence by sharing the rock with them, especially when they are struggling offensively. This is next level point god awareness, teamwork, and leadership. A glimpse of why Lebron is so great. BTW I searched for this story but couldn’t find a link. I read this story hardcopy in a magazine after that epic 2016 Finals. I think it was SI or ESPN The Magazine, or maybe The Sporting News. (Update, story is here https://www.si.com/nba/2016/08/02/lebron-james-michael-jordan-ghost-cleveland-cavaliers-championship)
*Answer to Dick Vitale’s question was two NBA players — Magic and 6’ 10” Detlef Schrempf. I saw The Grand Teuton toss two transition behind-the-back bounce passes in college; once live when Washington played my Ducks at Mac Court in 1984/85. He did it in the NBA several times too…
Detlef Schrempf Skill Highlights
Detlef Schrempf: The NBA’s First European All Star
5. Grant Hill’s Hail Mary To Laettner
First, to all you Duke Coach K acolytes out there, I hear your howls of execration for relegating this pass to fifth on my list. Hey Dukies, just be grateful you are included at all! Blue Devil fans might think this is the greatest moment in NCAA history, but it is not even close!!! Sure it was a memorable OT game against a Kentucky team led by Jamal Mashburn, but this 1992 game was only an Elite Eight game, not a Championship game or even a Final Four game. Hill says he practiced this baseball long pass every day…
Hill’s pass was great, but it was technically straightforward because it was uncontested. It was really The Shot that made NCAA history, instantly turning Laettner into an NCAA legend. Laettner was perfect that game, 10 for 10. Duke went on to win a second consecutive National Championship after this pass, so this pass changed basketball history. This pass kept the Duke Kool-Aid flowing, securing their position at the top of the recruiting class till today, enabling them to attract future NBA impact players — Ingram, Tatum, Zion, and particularly Kyrie. If Kyrie did not pick Duke, maybe he would have played more than 11 games and one season in college. Maybe Kyrie would not have been drafted by the Cavs and at Oracle for Game 7 of the 2016 Finals with 53 seconds to go, handling the rock, setting up Curry for the historic, side-step game-winning three, giving Clevland its first championship, bringing the Cavs back from 3–1, and preventing the 73–9 Warriors from being crowned the greatest NBA team ever. If Kyrie wasn’t there to take that three, maybe the Warriors would have won Game 7, Golden State would have Three-peated, Curry would now have five rings, and the media would be calling Steph the GOAT.
Hey Cameron Crazies, Hill-to-Laettner might also rank higher if Grant Hill and Christian Laettner won NBA rings and had pro careers that lived up to the hype preceding them, Coach K, and Duke Basketball. Of your 107 Duke players drafted, only 6 have NBA rings…
Jeff Mullins 1975
Danny Ferry 2003
Shane Battier 2012 and 2013
Kyrie Irving 2016
Dahntay Jones 2016
Mike Dunleavy Jr. 2022, as Assistant Manager for the Warriors
BTW readers of the vaunted, limited-publication Real Tournament Program and Prognostication Guide (RTPPG) have always known the charade about Duke and Coach K’s chicanery. Documented fully by RTPPG, Oregon Duck fans recount ousting Duke 82–68 in the 2016 Sweet Sixteen only to hear sore loser Coach K lecture Dillon Brooks (22 points) about showboating and then K had the audacity to lie about what he said. When K’s conversation with Brooks was caught on mic, K could not physically bring himself to say “I was wrong.” He could only muster the words, “I reacted incorrectly to a reporter’s question about my comment to Dillon”. Lame apology and pathetic behavior from a worshipped basketball icon…
New audio proves Coach K scolded Oregon’s Dillon Brooks
Coach K Lectures Oregon’s Dillon Brooks, Lies About It
When a university aids and abets such leadership Kulture — filled with narcissism, entitlement, and impunity — it’s no wonder it manufactures anti-science, anti-vax, racist, red-pilled, megalomaniacs like Richard Spencer, Stephen Miller, and Kyrie Irving.
Go Ducks!!! Mens agitat molem.
4. Boris Diaw’s No Look Behind-The-Back
After winning the 2012 NBA Championship, Miami famously survived Game 6 of the 2013 Finals on Ray Allen’s miracle jumper at the end of regulation. Chris Bosh chased down Lebron’s missed three and tuned out the roaring crowd and heard Ray Allen call for the rock, “CB!” Swish. Heat won in OT. Heat then won Game 7 and a second consecutive ring, denying the Spurs their fifth championship.
So a year later in 2014, amidst chirping about Three-peat, the Spurs won Game 1. Heat won Game 2. Boris Diaw started Game 3 and conducted symphonic ball movement. The Spurs shot over 75 percent in the first half and won by 19.
In Game 4, with the Spurs up 33–23 early in the 2nd quarter, viewers wondered if the Heat were going to stop the Spurs and cut the 10-point deficit, or if the game was going to get out of reach, giving the Spurs an insurmountable 3–1 lead.
Diaw posts up Wade, draws Bosh on the double because of Diaw’s triple-threat skills, then out of nowhere Boris tosses a no-look behind-the-back dime to Splitter. Game Over. Series Over. Like the ending scene of the opera Aida–where vault doors close in on Aida and her doomed lover–Diaw’s pass slammed the door permanently on any Game 4 comeback or Three-peat dreams. American Airlines arena went silent. Florida sank two inches into the Atlantic.
Diaw’s artful and winning pass changed basketball history. It ended the Heat’s Three-peat hopes and any squawking about a Heat dynasty. If Diaw had not thrown that dime, maybe the Heat would have surged back. Lebron might have five rings today, the same number as Kobe. We’d then be hearing pundits cite a fifth ring and a Three-peat in Lebron’s resume as evidence about why he is the GOAT. (Jordan, of course, had two Three-peats).
Diaw’s pass marked the high point of arguably the NBA’s greatest passing team ever (rivaling the 1986 Celtics). Like Boris, we must thank Elisabeth Riffiod, Diaw’s French Basketball Hall of Fame mother for teaching her son the game. At 6’ 8” with a resting pulse of 35 bpm, Diaw was a calm virtuoso, passing the ball effortlessly and always on time–like an orchestra conductor waving his wand–to create beautiful string music…swishes and easy buckets.
3. Kobe’s Alley-Oop To Shaq
This alley-oop in the 4th quarter of Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals changed NBA history more than any other pass.
The Blazers got down 3–1 to the Lakers in the series. The Blazers fought back and tied the series, forcing Game 7 where the Blazers dominated the first three quarters. The Blazers were cruising at Staples, on their way to a rare series comeback, their fourth NBA Finals, and a ring for Sabonis, Pip, Sheed, Damon, Smitty, Detlef, and crew…
Then triskaidekaphobia struck!
The Blazers started the 4th up by 13 (71–58). But then missed 13 shots in a row (7:30 without scoring). Then scored only 13 points (21% shooting) the whole quarter.
The Lakers, in contrast, shot 60% and scored 31 points in the 4th to complete the largest comeback ever in Game 7 of the WCF.
Kobe’s winning dime came at 79–83 with 43 seconds remaining. Still time for the Blazers to come back. Scottie Pippen, maybe the greatest wing defender ever in the NBA, picked up Kobe at half-court. Kobe’s dad once asked Shammgod to teach Kobe to dribble. Shammgod’s lesson to Kobe was to change levels from high to low on his crossover. Kobe learned this lesson, as he shook Pip with a nasty right-to-left/high-to-low crossover dribble. The dribble move forced Brian Grant to help, leaving Shaq free under the hoop. Kobe then tossed the alley-oop to Shaq for the slam (shown yearly in NBA’s playoff highlight reel). The Lakers won 84–89. The Lakers then went on to win the 2000 NBA Finals.
How did Kobe’s pass change the NBA?
First, it sealed the game and allowed Kobe and Shaq to win their first rings.
Second, it kept Kobe, Shaq, and Phil together. Throughout the 1999–2000 season, the Lakers were squabbling internally. Without this alley-oop dunk, the Blazers might have completed their 3–1 comeback, resulting in one of the greatest chokes ever by the Lakers, tearing apart the Lakers triumvirate. Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Lakers would never have gone on together to Three-peat (2000, 2001, 2002).
Third, this pass elevated Kobe and Shaq into superheroes which granted both of them — along with every cult icon — perpetual immunity from any court of law or public opinion. Ask kids today wearing Kobe jerseys, Dear Basketball fans, or even Obama who publicly praised Kobe and they won’t remember 2003, Eagle, Colorado…
Transcript of Kobe’s accuser — videotaped interview transcribed | VailDaily.com
Like Man In The High Castle or For All Mankind, Kobe-To-Shaq is fodder for historical fiction. What if this pass did not happen? Pippen might have seven rings. One more than Jordan, the last ring earned without MJ. Perhaps we’d be talking about Pip as the 🐐? Rather than MJ’s Last Dance documentary, we’d be watching Pip’s Last Laugh.
Without this pass, maybe Kobe is ringless? Then there would be no cult of Kobe or his self-branded Black Mamba alter-ego solipsism. Instead of cultivating and protecting superstar images, maybe today’s sports apparel, advertising, media, and entertainment industries would be focused on teams, teamwork, citizenship, and fair play.
Maybe the rule of law would still exist today rather than this age of impunity where crimes committed by celebrities, billionaires, insurrectionists, elected officials, Supreme Court justices, Presidents, demagogues, and corporations are ignored, unpunished, and denied. Unequal Justice Above Law.
Maybe the world would be more egalitarian, enlightened, and just, impelled to share, listen, act kindly, and take responsibility for faults and failures rather than blame victims and attack them with tu quoque.
2. Larry’s Behind-The-Head Pass In The Final Four
While still in college, Bird was famously drafted sixth overall by the Celtics in 1978 and played out his senior year at ISU. Bird averaged 30.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game at Indiana State for his career…
Larry Bird College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com
Like Lebron decades later, Bird appeared on the cover of SI (November 28, 1977), long before most people saw him play, College Basketball’s Secret Weapon.
In 1979, when Indiana State entered the Final Four against DePaul, the Sycamores were 32–0, led by The Hick from French Lick. This Final Four game was Bird’s biggest nationally televised game to date. The first time most people (including me) watched Bird play live on TV.
Bird put on a cooking show the whole game, Terre Haute Cuisine. Bird started the game with a deflection pass off the tip for a layin. He banked a fadeaway. Then he up-faked and dropped an interior dime for a layin. He then rebounded his missed shot and scored an easy bucket at the hoop.
With the score 12–12, Bird caught a pass, dribbled once into the lane, jumped as if he was going to shoot, then suddenly whipped the ball behind his head with his off-hand to Alex Gilbert at the hoop. Up until that moment, nobody had ever seen anybody, much less a 6’ 9” forward, throw a pass like that! From that height, with that downward angle, with that misdirection, with his opposite hand???
Bird’s behind-the-head pass instantly became–and remains to this day–the benchmark for all great passers. Bird’s dime carved out basketball history because it displayed, for the first time, the art of passing and how the game could be played in a whole new beautiful way.
In the last 40 years, there are only a handful of NBA players with the size, skill, vision, and moxie to throw this artful pass in a high-stakes game–Luka, Jokic, Detlef, Diaw, Magic, Lebron…?
Indiana State eked out the Final Four game on a winning dime by Carl Nicks to Bob Heaton…
Bird ended the game with a near triple-double–35 points, 16 rebounds, and 9 assists. Bird and Indiana State went on to play Magic and Michigan State in the 1979 NCAA Finals, the most important basketball game ever.
Check out Arne Duncan, 6’ 5”, Obama’s Secretary of Education who played at Harvard channeling Bird on these dimes during NBA Celebrity All-Star Games…
Arne Duncan`s Sweet Pass
Arne Duncan Dominates the All-Star Celebrity Game!
1. Magic’s Coup De Grâce
Not only was the 1979 NCAA Championship the most-watched college basketball game ever…
It was the most important basketball game ever played.
In 1979, the sport of Basketball was struggling. Both college and the NBA. Arena attendance was decreasing. TV attendance was down 26% from the previous year. The average NBA salary in 1979 was $148,000 (today it’s $8M). Pro players had summer jobs. Yet fans still thought players were overpaid. Commissioner Larry O’Brien acknowledged the NBA had an image problem. There was concern “the teams are too black”. ESPN did not start broadcasting till later in the year on September 7, 1979.
THERE’S AN ILL WIND BLOWING FOR THE NBA — Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com
Cosmically, two giant stars aligned on March 26, 1979, to rescue the game: Bird and Magic. These two supernovas collided in Salt Lake City at the Huntsman Center, producing a gravity that attracted millions of lifelong fans to the game’s orbit. What drew new fans to the game was not otherworldly athleticism — that would arrive later with Jordan and then Lebron and today Zion and Ja and tomorrow Victor — it was how Bird and Magic passed the basketball and proved why teamwork is the universal force that wins any game, in basketball, sports, business, and life.
Magic’s winning dime is the greatest pass ever because it sealed victory in the most important basketball game ever.
In the closing minutes, at 58–65, after a timeout, Magic stands back from the baseline a few feet to create air space. Magic then waits to get the ball from the ref for the inbound (and waits for cheerleaders to clear). Bird watches the ref closely, timing his defense, crouching to pounce and steal the ball or deny Magic easy passing lanes. The ref hands Magic the ball. Magic looks momentarily then jumps to throw a pass full-court to Greg Kelser. Bird simultaneously jumps to try to block Magic’s pass, but the pass clears his hands and reaches Kelser for an easy bucket. Dick Enberg on the call, “Long pass to Kelser, the coup de grace!” Game Over. The Spartans are NCAA Finals champs!
THEY CAGED THE BIRD — Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com
Magic’s winning dime might look routine. Like Bird’s artful dime, however, only a few players ever could make this pass. Magic’s size, vision, and boldness made this play happen. Unlike Grant Hill’s free, unguarded pass to Laettner, Magic was dogged by 6’ 9” Bird who was hunting for a steal off the inbound, just as he did later in his career in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against Isiah Thomas and the Pistons.
A shorter player would not have cleared Bird’s outstretched arms as Bird was jumping to deny the inbound pass. A less confident player would have been too afraid a long pass would be intercepted, allowing ISU to come back. A player with less vision would not have seen or anticipated Kelser streaking free. For Magic, this pass probably was routine. Maybe the play was designed in the timeout huddle by Jud. Regardless, Magic still had to make the hot read and then execute a contested pass under championship pressure to close out the biggest game ever.
I imagine Magic would chuckle at me for selecting this pass as his greatest ever.
Magic has thrown so many artful and winning dimes over his legendary career. My list could justifiably be filled with ten Magic dimes. In Michigan State’s Final Four game against Notre Dame, Magic had 19 points and 13 assists. He tossed so many dimes that were carbon copies of later Showtime highlights. The only difference was that Kelser rather than Worthy was catching his passes for dunks. I did not actually watch Magic dominate in the Final Four. If I had, this Showtime debut would be on my list…
Entering the NBA, Rookie Magic quickly proved he was a team-always player, asking Kareem where/when/how he wanted the ball delivered. Magic immediately impressed Michael Cooper when Magic explained how “TEAM stands for Together Everybody Achieves More”.
My favorite artistic dime by Pro Magic is where he threaded three Sonic defenders…
Magic’s winning pass in 1979 tipped the balance between Magic vs Bird to 12–7 all-time…
Larry Bird Vs Magic Johnson Head To Head Record | StatMuse.
If Bird had won this game, their career championship record would be even at 2 to 2 (NCAA Finals and 3 NBA Finals). Would basketball history be much different? I don’t think so. Bird and Magic were so similar as players and people. Same blue-collar upbringing. Both cared only about winning. Both knew teamwork is the essence of the game. And both delivered the rock on time for artistic and winning dimes. They are the two greatest passers of all time. And that’s why they deserve to be at the top of every Top 10 Assists list.
So there you have it. The Top Ten Passes In Basketball. Three winning dimes (Magic, Kobe, Hill), six artistic dimes (Bird, Lebron, JWill, Price, Luka, Ja), and one that is both (Diaw).
I don’t know if my brother would agree that Magic’s dime is the top dime, or that Bird’s artistic dime should rank second. My brother might not like my two categories and criteria for ranking dimes. But that’s ok. We argued about many issues. He was very competitive and had a quick temper, particularly with me. And as his younger brother I naturally had a knack for triggering it…deliberately??? 😀
A question might be, “Given that winning dimes change basketball history, shouldn’t there be more winning dimes versus artistic dimes on my list?” Like what about Chris Bosh’s last-second pass to Ray Allen? Without that pass, there would have been no second consecutive ring for the Heat and Lebron.
Here’s my rationale:
Bosh’s pass — like several other winning assists — was great but his pass was so overshadowed by Ray Allen’s shot. It was Allen’s shot — not Bosh’s pass itself — that made the play historic. Ray Allen’s jumper — tiptoeing backward to clear the three-point line and then draining the shot for the tie — is the highlight people remember…not Bosh’s assist. (Note, in the case of Hill-To-Laettner, Hill’s baseball pass is memorable compared to The Shot because Hill’s pass covered so much distance and was on target, landing uncontested into Laettner’s hands.)
Likewise, Jordan’s winning pass to Kerr for a ring in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals was overshadowed by Kerr’s jumper: Kerr draining the shot is what everybody remembers. Furthermore, if Kerr had missed the shot (the score was tied 86–86 with 28 seconds) we all know Jordan would have won the ring in overtime anyway.
Shot overshadowed the pass also applies to the pass freshman Mike Jordan received with 19 seconds remaining in the 1982 NCAA Finals, two seconds before he swished the championship-winning jumper. MJ said that shot initiated his career. One of the most historic and important basketball moments. But again, Jordan’s sweet jumper is what we all remember, not the pass. Does anybody remember who passed Jordan the ball? It was Carolina’s point guard Jimmy Black…
Regarding criteria for artistic dimes. Artful dimes happen when the passing lane/opportunity is created by the passer — for example with a shot fake (Bird) or dribble (Ja, Luka) or by looking off defenders (JWill, Lebron). If the pass is sweet but really wasn’t set up by the player, then the dime isn’t list-worthy.
A great example is Peja’s full-court no-look behind-the-back pass. Though incredible, the pass does not make my list as an artful dime because it was opportunistic rather than set up by Peja…
Another example of an opportunistic pass that does not make my list was Bird stealing Isiah’s inbound pass and dumping the ball to DJ for the game-winning layin. That pass was triggered reactively upon Bird’s great steal rather than being a methodical pre-meditated play. Additionally, Bird and the Celtics would have won the series anyway, even if they dropped Game 5. Bird’s pass, ultimately, had a limited impact on NBA championship history. Bird’s pass did win Game 5 for Boston, and they went on to win the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, however, the Celtics lost to the Lakers in the NBA Finals, Bird and Magic’s last Finals matchup.
Addiction
At the gym…
Dribbling the rock shooting Js again
Wearing headphones
Grooving to my favorite songs
Bouncing around this ballroom floor
With my beloved dance partner, Evolution
At the top of the key…
Pounding the rock
30 minutes before my first shot
Shammgod, JCrossover, The Professor, Kyrie
Inspired by AI’s tats heart and motor
Pretending to shake the GOAT
With a filthy double crossover
Hold My Own
Especially versus Air Jordan
At the cup…
Baby hooks
And reverse layups
Dream shakes
And up fakes
Tossing alley-oops
Into empty air
Throwing behind-the-back passes
Dimes around-the-ear
Fitting pocket passes into tiny holes
Sliding dimes through closing windows…
Between Shaq’s knees
Beneath Kawhi’s huge hands
Beyond Scottie’s 7-foot wingspan
At the elbow…
Post counters
Reverse pivots
Splitting picks into one-handed floaters
Stepbacks Slippery eels
Windshield wipers
Layins and Euros
At the perimeter…
Jacking up threes
Thinking Bird, Mullin, Price, Abdul-Rauf, Dame, Curry
Laughing at my bricks
Forever trying to fix a lifetime of bad habits
Repair broken mechanics…
Need more arc, balance, rotation, rhythm, timing
Toe pop, turn, sway
Reverse waterfall
Be water like Klay
Playing imaginary twos…
Teamed up with you
Nutmegging arrogant foes
Threading the needle
Piercing inflated egos
Renting space ballin out free
Turning trash-talking heads
Into Airbnbs
Ending the game with a winning dime
“Put your pajamas on! Goodnight!
It’s bedtime!”
Who’s got next?
Doesn’t matter
We’ve already won
Cuz the unbeatable team
Is the one having fun!
Argh! It’s already 9:54…
Need to swish a final three
Before I can leave the floor
Rules of the court!
Clank clank clank
Bricking rushed threes
Need to be more fluid
Flow with physics and geometry
Rhythm follow-through
Pronation and rotation
…Finally!!!
Time to go home
Buenas Noches
See you mañana
More dribbling passing Js
Endlessly chasing Curry
Hope you enjoy my holiday list
Of Top Ten Assists
Look forward to arguing about it with you
As we always do
Maybe by then
I’ll be able to shoot from 23’ 10” :)
Season’s Greetings, bro
Happy Birthday, LTO!!!
