“Yes, we were very insulted,”

[DrReality]

Smoove is not Lebron

[hawkman]

Smoove is not Lebron

You're right. Smoove actually participated in AND won a Slam Dunk contest.

[HawkNJersey]

As my college coach used to say, "Winners, are rarely insulted."

[GameTime]

If LeBron tried that dunk he would of won the Nobel Peace Prize.

[capstone21]

I don't care if it was an insult or not. Its just the stupidity of Josh Smith that bothers me. This is the playoffs...that was inappropriate...I love Fratello's response. If Fratello comes to coach here there will be a new Josh Smith....either that or Smith will be out of here.

Grow up Smith

[JackB1]

I don't care if it was an insult or not. Its just the stupidity of Josh Smith that bothers me. This is the playoffs...that was inappropriate...I love Fratello's response. If Fratello comes to coach here there will be a new Josh Smith....either that or Smith will be out of here.

Grow up Smith

What was Fratello's response? I was at the game, so I didn't hear.

My impression is that Smoove was doing it more for the fans than to "embarass the Heat". He wasn't thinking, but then again, when does Josh ever think about what he does? Bottom line is, we were up by 20 with about 4 mins left and it was a meaningless play. Josh got caught up in the moment and hopefully he will learn from this. But when you thing about it, isn't a "dunk" in itself, sort of the same thing? If you are all alone going to the hoop, why not just lay it in? To dunk the ball emphatically could be considered "showboating" to some extent.

[AHF]

The 3pt shooting irks me. If Smoove had done this in a close game it would upset me. However, if Josh Smith is going to play hard and smart while the game is on then I don't mind if he occasionally tries a spectacular dunk when we are blowing someone out. When Lebron pulls off the windmill it isn't a big deal. Same thing with Smoove.

I am more concerned with what Josh Smith does when the game is on the line than what he does when we are blowing someone out and frankly this isn't a situation where Josh dunked on their PG and then pointed at him and laughed or did any kind of taunting like that.

Much ado about nothing.

[00Blink]

showboating, yes, but i don't see it as being so disrespectful as others do. i guess it could be considered disrespectful in that you wouldn't try that if you weren't already up by 20, but so what? you're up by 20, that is all it's pointing out. is it disrespectful to be up by that much in a game? i don't think so. outragous celebrating after the fact, like the antoine shimmy, is more disrespectful imo, because you're celebrating what you just did and rubbing it in their faces.

if you can't do a windmill, through the legs, 180, 360, or any other dunk other than run of the mill 1 or 2 handed dunks when you're up by 20, when can you do them? never? you don't ever want to see those things in a game ever? i do, and luckily for me it was my guy on my team (trying to) do it. if wade did it, yeah i'd be po'ed a little, but that's the game. i want to see that stuff in games when possible, and when you're up by 20 at the end of the game is the only really acceptable time to do it (there are always exceptions to every rule, though).

FTW Thank you LeBron did a spectacular dunk on Detroit, IN Detroit where he came from b/w the FT line and key and did a windmill...no crying or whining about that play...I'm quite sure ESPECIALLY not from Cleveland fans like the Hawks "fans"

[00Blink]

It took me 5 minutes to go on NBA.com and find another "insulting" dunk in the this years playoffs. Lebron James in game 3, while up 20, late in the 3rd quarter against the Pistons, attempted and completed a 2-handed, windmill jam on fast break, all by himself. Where was the insulted or disrespectful talk then?

I have referenced this about 20 times...yet no one seems to discredit this fact and no one is crying and whining about it neither...someone else stated that Josh Smith is not Lebron...so Josh can't make a fascinating dunk because he ain't Lebron...gtfoh...get real. I hear no one screaming of Lebron's immaturity for that play...go to a Cleveland forum and see if their fans are complaining...it is a shame that this play is what Hawks fans are debating

Edited April 30, 2009 by SmooveHawksFan

[00Blink]

every news cycle are questioning the decision---but not questioning Lebron's two handed windmill from the key in Game 3..."whole the world against the Hawks" or "they just mad cuz they lost" excuse---we all been knew this, what's new...the LeBron vs Wade matchup is slipping away so yeah they are just mad cuz they lost..a veteran on our own team expressed disatisfaction---if he did, he make just as many if not more poor decisions with his shot selections, with 3 people on him or pulling up on a fast break...heck if you heard the crowd during the broadcast even they groaned a little and it wasn't just because he missed---uhhh, yeah, I don't know what you heard, but I heard...OHHHHH because they were excited and wanted to see him make it. These are proffesional athletes, they will come out and do their job regardless ---so what's all the gripe aboutbut you don't want to give them "bulletin board material" or any extra motivation. does anyone think Josh can handle that amount of added pressure Dude, the kid has been dealing with pressure since he entered the league about people doubting him and to be honest, he's the main one and consistent one to really show up in big games...he thrives on itAnyway just hoping Josh comes out like gangbusters and doesn't shoot an airball like Wade did, like Joe did..........go Hawks! GO HAWKS!!

[plskeepbibby]

Listen Up Drama Wade and Little Spoelstra,

You know what insults me?? The fact that the hawks were kicking your head in and all of a sudden you guys wanna start playing street ball. You couldnt hang with a far superior team, so you started taking cheap shots at everyone and anyone that was wearing white last night. It is funny to me how Josh Smith's missed dunk last night was an insult, yet everytime Jamaal "waste of space" Magloire touches the floor, its like he is a head hunter and is always trying to start something with one of our guys. Magloire should not be on an NBA roster let alone getting any type of minutes in an NBA playoff game. He is the biggest waste of space, and is nothing more than a cheap shot artist. What insults me is the way Wade lays on the court for 15 minutes only to come out and score 25. It insults me that Spoelstra sends his head hunter into a game when his team is being out performed. Spoelstra use at as bulletin board material please..... if you need bulletin board material you have already lost.

[crimedog]

Smoove is not Lebron

That means something in a lot of circumstances, I'm not sure why you are pointing that out now.

In the other thread someone asked whether Bird, Magic, or MJ would do something like this. Do people forget, those guys LIVED to embarass opponents. They talked trash when they were up 30 and all 3 were big into theatrics. Now, what I'd say to Josh is, if you are going to do it, do a dunk you know you'll land.

To those that are complaining though, what should he have done? A layup? No, excite the crowd and thank them for coming to the game.

Josh takes stupid shots, complain about that.

[00Blink]

You're right. Smoove actually participated in AND won a Slam Dunk contest.

Thank you sir, may i have another?!

[bronnt]

I can certainly understand why people would criticize Smith, but I'm still on the other side of this one. Smith knows the mood of the crowd, and when he got the wide open break away opportunity, you heard everyone in the arena audibly inhale. They were just itching for him to throw something down. They'd have been disappointed if he'd just gently dropped it in. There was a collective groan as he went overcomplicated on his dunk, but if he had made that, he'd have blown the roof off of Phillips. If you were at the arena and didn't want to see a spectacular dunk at that point, you must have been in the bathroom.

I really really wanted him to make this just to see if we could make a dent in all the D-Wade highlights. I'm tired of the extremely 1-sided coverage of this series that will show every one of Wade's 9 made shots on a night he goes 9-26, but skims over Zaza manhandling the paint.

Regardless, if you're Miami and you have a problem with this-don't give up WIDE open opportunities. All of both team's starters were still on the floor, and then, 30 seconds after Josh misses this, they give up another breakaway dunk by Joe Johnson. They apparently weren't embarrassed enough because they let it happen.

[00Blink]

I don't care if it was an insult or not. Its just the stupidity of Josh Smith that bothers me. This is the playoffs...that was inappropriate...I love Fratello's response. If Fratello comes to coach here there will be a new Josh Smith....either that or Smith will be out of here.

Grow up Smith

There's a reason he's not here and a reason why he's not coaching...again reference Lebon game 3 against Detroit in THIS YEAR'S playoff series less than A WEEK ago...no b******g about that huh?

[00Blink]

What was Fratello's response? I was at the game, so I didn't hear.

My impression is that Smoove was doing it more for the fans than to "embarass the Heat". He wasn't thinking, but then again, when does Josh ever think about what he does? Bottom line is, we were up by 20 with about 4 mins left and it was a meaningless play. Josh got caught up in the moment and hopefully he will learn from this. But when you thing about it, isn't a "dunk" in itself, sort of the same thing? If you are all alone going to the hoop, why not just lay it in? To dunk the ball emphatically could be considered "showboating" to some extent.

WOW!! This was my very argument in about 4-5 different posts. I can't believe this is what the debate is about. But everyone wants to jump down the man's throat because he "showboated" on a dunk attempt, because he "disrespected" the heat on a dunk attempt...gtfoh

[MaceCase]

So just a question, which one is a flashier dunk a windmill or a between the legs windmill? Better yet I think Josh should have thrown the ball off the backboard led into a between the legs windmill and break into a stanky leg dance after, Dominique would of held up a sign with a 10 on it Cheryl Miller would of interviewed him and David Stern present him with his trophy. Oh what's that you say? The Hawks are in a playoff series not a dunk contest? What? They've yet to win the playoff series yet alone the championship they seem to be celebrating? oh well that just sounds terrible then.

[crimedog]

So just a question, which one is a flashier dunk a windmill or a between the legs windmill? Better yet I think Josh should have thrown the ball off the backboard led into a between the legs windmill and break into a stanky leg dance after, Dominique would of held up a sign with a 10 on it Cheryl Miller would of interviewed him and David Stern present him with his trophy. Oh what's that you say? The Hawks are in a playoff series not a dunk contest? What? They've yet to win the playoff series yet alone the championship they seem to be celebrating? oh well that just sounds terrible then.

So there shouldn't be dunks on breakaways? Just layups. We should all just be content watching the number on our side going higher than the number on their side?

[00Blink]

So just a question, which one is a flashier dunk a windmill or a between the legs windmill? Better yet I think Josh should have thrown the ball off the backboard led into a between the legs windmill and break into a stanky leg dance after, Dominique would of held up a sign with a 10 on it Cheryl Miller would of interviewed him and David Stern present him with his trophy. Oh what's that you say? The Hawks are in a playoff series not a dunk contest? What? They've yet to win the playoff series yet alone the championship they seem to be celebrating? oh well that just sounds terrible then.

To answer your hypothetical question...I will say that a 360 windmill is flashier than both. Now, flashy is flashy, just depends on who you are asking some people will give one a 9 and the other a 10 and vice versa. And oh please, playoff series or not, if the game is over, the game is over. I guess you never played basketball and at the end of the game, try shots that you normally would not take, a big man taking a three pointer. And in the days of Bird, Magic, and Nique (someone else asked what would they have done), the "flahsy" dunks were the double pumps and the windmill (one and two handed), and 360. They did them, in runaway games and not even blowouts, as long as they had open court. If you are up by 30 why continue to run fast breaks and shoot threes (just to add on to the lead, and humiliate the opponents). Next hypthetical question?

P.S. How is that celebrating? I call it putting the "nail in the coffin stimulation play", the exclamation point

Edited April 30, 2009 by SmooveHawksFan

[CBAreject]

So just a question, which one is a flashier dunk a windmill or a between the legs windmill? Better yet I think Josh should have thrown the ball off the backboard led into a between the legs windmill and break into a stanky leg dance after, Dominique would of held up a sign with a 10 on it Cheryl Miller would of interviewed him and David Stern present him with his trophy. Oh what's that you say? The Hawks are in a playoff series not a dunk contest? What? They've yet to win the playoff series yet alone the championship they seem to be celebrating? oh well that just sounds terrible then.

LOL @ stanky leg dance. What is that anyway?