Dr. J's Rock-The-Cradle dunk (in the 1:21 min mark of the video below) against the Lakers in the 1980 Finals was perhaps one of the most esthetically pleasing act of athleticism ever seen on an NBA floor. A lot of players have dunked harder, a lot of players have jumped higher but no one, to my mind, has ever brought that grace, that effortless quality of an artist creating his version of the Mona Lisa, while in the air. And it wasn't just his dunks. Check out his physics defying layups that seem to stop time amidst the chaos among the giants patrolling the paint (see this jaw-dropping move at the 1:01 min mark of the video below).
I sometimes wonder what would have happened if Dr. J played in today's day and age of constant media sharing. His dunks, his balletic moves to the basket, the drama, the suspense would probably have made him into a much much bigger star than he was in the dark ages of the NBA (the 70s). But either way, what an athlete. Enjoy Dr. J taking off in this quick compilation:
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