As it relates to sports, dominance is the idea that when you are in the game you are in control. Whether or not you are in possession of the ball or defending the ball, if you are in the game people watch you. Perhaps your defense is so suffocating that you take your man out of the game. Maybe your offensive prowess is such that you consistently require teams to reconfigure their defensive schemes in order to contain you. You strike fear in opposing players and coaches alike. You, at all times, seem to have your touch on the game. At any given moment you are able to turn "it" on. This ability will obviously lead to a career full of majestic and awe-inspiring moments. These moments collectively will produce one of the more captivating pieces of media an athlete can have, a highlight reel. Likewise, what song strikes more fear in people than "Lux Aterna", composed for the film Requiem for a Dream but used and re-used tirelessly, if not ad nauseum (if not yet, maybe after this...) for a multitude of other films, ad spots, TV shows, etc. So here you are, my top ten highlight reels, compiled by many various youtube.com aficionados, with the theme for Requiem for a Dream setting the mood...
Rajon Rondo might not meet all the criteria mentioned above, but in all honesty, I love watching him play. He's creative, explosive, intense and a complete maniac. He might not posses all the skills the rest of the people on the list do but he's still young and shows a lot of promise, no matter how inconsistent he may be right now. He's often times volatile, fiery, stubborn and enigmatic but doesn't that make the existence of this video that much more interesting?
Melo has quickly become one of my favorite players to watch. He's worked hard to round out his game and is in a better team situation now that allows his strengths to flourish more naturally and his weaknesses begin to fade to the background. Arguably he is the best offensive player in the game right now. He shows absolutely no fear and no hesitation, there is nothing more insane to watch than a Melo hot streak. Regularly working his man on the low post or pulling up at 20 ft with a shut-down defender on him, hands in his face, and rifle up a jumper that you know is going in.
Kobe has progressed from a ball stopping showboat to the most intensely dedicated person to ever play the game. This video showcases the later and spends a good bit of time highlighting the things about Kobe's game that don't get as much appreciation as they maybe should; defense, court awareness, and determination. Kobe is in his 17th season and statistically he shows absolutely no signs of letting up, no matter how questionable the team around him is.
One of the most humble and gifted players in the league. Derrick Rose plays at a break neck speed that very few can match, and none can match with such efficiency. This video shows us his longing to be the best and to be able to progress. Rose seems to me the type of player that will never be satisfied if he's not progressing his game and improving those around him. That mentality is what makes his injury last year so sad. He was (or should have been) at the top of the everyone's list for best point guard in the league by the age of 23, rookie of the year, MVP, and there didn't seem to be an end to what he could pull out of his bag. I'm really hoping for a full recovery AP style on this one, because the league is better with his brand of playing all out, balls to the wall, insane basketball.
Dwayne Wade is alright. He can be pretty fun to watch, but this is pretty much here to keep Lebron off the list.
KD!!! As much as I detest Stephen A. and Skip, everything they say is truth. This video is chilling. Durant is cold as ice, an emotionless killer. Long gone are the days where defenses were able to rattle him. I really believe he is completely in control whenever he steps on to the court, and if Westbrook was a better facilitator (as much as I do love him) the Thunder would be a lock every time. I've listened to the audio of this video on repeat during commutes because it is that good and I'm like that. I drink the kool-aid.
I love it. This was probably my favorite find. When you search for someone, you kind of have an idea of what you'd like to see/expect to see in terms of clips and/or motifs and this video hits it right on the head. It encapsulates everything that comes to mind when I think of AI. He is the ultimate warrior, void of fear and sometimes reason. He works without hesitation or fault. That's not to say he was perfect, but he did what he did and what we expected him to do perfectly, with or without practice. He is a warrior, sacrificing his body with an absence of fear that borders along reckless, for the sake of offense. I love that they include the cut from the Stephen A. interview where he's watching Larry Brown comment on him, GREAT moment. He is one of my favorite players of all time and I think it's a travesty his career ended the way it did. Only complaints on this video are that the Jordan crossover is not included and that they cut away from the clip where he casually strides over Tyronn Lue as if he were a giant banana peel someone had discarded on the sidewalk after crossing him over and sinking the jumper over Lue's outstretched arm, that's like telling a joke and leaving out the punchline.
Obvious no brainer. Yes, he is the best point guard of all time, also probably the most electrifying player to ever play. A true maestro flawlessly orchestrating his offense with the utmost perfection. He defined and continues to be the ideal for point guards, coaches and GMs. Half of one of the greatest rivalries in sports history. He shattered the ceiling for what we can expect out of a position player. There is no doubt in my mind there could be ten of these videos, without recycling clips, just of his highlights. He is showtime. He is controlled chaos. He is jaw dropping. He is Magic.
Jordan defines the feared athlete. A completely destructive force to both offenses and defenses alike, there was no limit to his game. Teammates of Jordan lived in fear of him, in fear of falling short of his expectations and demands of them. Refs coward at the idea of falling out of favor with him. Opposing coaches refused to let their players fraternize with him off court in an attempt to weaken his grasp over the league. Those facing him on court walked on eggshells as not to agitate him and give him reason to hang 60 on them. He was a black curtain over the league, an era unto himself. Even when he came back to play with the Wizards, which we collectively like to look past, the press conference when you see him and his team file out to the dais, I really remember having this "oh shit" moment. That moment is not much to think about now, in hindsight, but both of his comebacks really were, at the time, like watching a cloud settle in front of the sun.
The GOAT gets two. So many of these clips I remember watching live, in awe-trying to figure out what had just happened, waiting for a replay, and later tirelessly trying to recreate such feats alone in my drive way, undefended, nowhere near as fatigued and still falling short. He is unmatched in every aspect of the game, and it's really insane to think of what it would be like for someone to usurp his throne. There was never a moment in any game that you did not feel like Michael was capable of just completely taking over and destroying any momentum or lead his opposition may have held over his Bulls. Michael Jordan surpassed basketball and became a symbol of greatness, drive, determination, power, and dominance for all of humanity in everyday life. Jumpman for ever.
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