Play Of The Day
  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    Starting this thread up again (not sure if it was Greg or Ben who originally incepted it) as it proved a fertile breeding ground for some awesome sporting moments. I'm sure this has already been played to death in North America, but there's a reason why it's been the biggest talking point of the NBA season so far. 

    The reaction this evoked from me was a guttural roar. I used vocal chords that I didn't even know I had.


    Uma Thurman summed up my response - sans narcotics of course

  • tonypuccitonypucci
    Posts: 48
    Blake Griffin in a MAN.  He's been dominant like that since he debuted last year after missing most of his rookie season due to a knee injury, and he was very talked about coming out of Oklahoma University.  He's one of those guys that is pretty much "must see" TV.

    My dad had season tickets to the Minnesota Vikings for years.  I can still remember the roar of that crowd when Randy Moss would catch on of those amazing 50+ yard touchdowns!
  • GABGAB
    Posts: 118
    Well, I don't hate him. And that says a lot, since he was a Sooner.

    All credit for the original thread of this sort goes to Bucho, I believe ... who got me watching more rugby than ever before with a thread like this.
  • BuchoBucho
    Posts: 68
    The dunk don't get much more fabulous than that. "It's a physical gaaaaaaaaaame!" I love the sound it makes as it rams through too.

    And I don't remember starting the original, I thought it was one of you guys. Or Jakob. That guy's always looking for an excuse to post about sports.


  • GABGAB
    Posts: 118
    Well, with all Mandi's encouragement in that direction ... the increase in Jakob's interest in sport was just inevitable ...
    :))
  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    Another recent beauty from the NBA. In the fairy-tale, Jack killed the Giant., But in real life...

  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    Stay with this clip. It's not just a replay of some humdrum football action. It seems that the television director wasn't focusing on what was happening on the pitch. Neither it seemed, was the goalkeeper.

  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    We go from Portugal to Italy for this from Genoa's Rodrigo Palacio. You won't notice how the goal went in at first. Watch the replays carefully.

  • onewildonewild
    Posts: 37
    Ryan Hall's try was something speical last night. Havn't heard the ground that loud for a while as he races away for one of the finest sights in sport, a 100m interception try.




  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    So Valencia went to the Camp Nou and had the temerity to take the lead against Barcelona. The following is a compelling an argument for why you should never do such a thing. And on 4:00, we see more magical Messi devastation:

  • onewildonewild
    Posts: 37
    Catalans came back from 26-8 down to beat St Helens 34-32, managing to score 3 tries in 8 mins to haul themselves back into the game.
    With no time left on the clock, this happened. Oh my



    And this is what is great about Rugby League, there are very few sports where the game can come down to one passage of play, knowing that just one tackle, one mistake or as in this case try, can end the game but the passage of play can carry on for that amount of time. Sure you have the clock in union but tackles don't stop the play meaning there is no end to that type of play, instead you can just set yourself up in the middle of park, until something happens. Then there is American Football, which does come down to do and die but rarely carries on for so long, just haul that thing into the end zone.
    Oh and then Dureau stepped up and hit the game winning conversion from the side lines.
  • BuchoBucho
    Posts: 68
    Great call JBW, there's a drama to the final moments of a league game that other sports just can't match because of the game dynamics and the rules of each code.

    With the flow of Union there is something close to the dramatic build and build of tension towards the climax, but only for the attacking side, because the defence can't win the stoppage in the same way as they can in League. American Football can be a lot of fun and build up to great finishes too, like we saw with the most recent Superbowl for example, but ultimately it's too arythmic to be able to build the same dramatic tension as League. The charm of Football (Soccer) is that a goal can come from nothing, so there's a surprise factor built into a guy suddenly letting one fly from 32 yards out and hitting the top corner, but that same out-of-nothing factor means that while the release is often brilliant, there's not the same foreplay of the build up.

    League's not just the toughest ball game on the planet, it's sexy as fuck.
  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    One of the most tiresome things currently in football is the debate around Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Rather than arguing who is the better player, it would make more sense to revel in their talent and count ourselves lucky that we currently have two players in the same era who can do things like this:


    And this:


    Not only are they brilliant goals, but both were game-winners.
  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    So last night Leo Messi did this:


    Not letting the little marvel hog all the headlines, Brazil's latest wunderkind, Neymar, did this:


    Anyone else think the 2014 World Cup in Brazil could be quite good?
  • BuchoBucho
    Posts: 68
    Neymar certainly has some blessed boots and his loyalty to Santos is remarkable and laudable but I can't help wondering if it lets him shine more than he would in the toughest leagues in Europe.
  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    Bucho said:

    Neymar certainly has some blessed boots and his loyalty to Santos is remarkable and laudable but I can't help wondering if it lets him shine more than he would in the toughest leagues in Europe.



    He's (reportedly) signed a pre-contract agreement with Barcelona. It's not in Barcelona's interest, or Neymar's, for him to leave Brazil yet, Lest we forget, he's still only 20. He'll probably have one season in Europe to prepare him for the 2014 World Cup (in Brazil), which is probably the priority. He's got a whole country expecting him to win it for them.
  • onewildonewild
    Posts: 37
    Ok not really the try of the day but back on the old forums I put a link up to the BBC highlights of one of Ryan Hall's tries in the 4 nations. Well someone has put it up on youtube so I can share it with the world. Oh and the flag counted in play last year (it doesn't now) No wonder the rhinos twitter feed refers to him as WBW (world's best winger)




  • BuchoBucho
    Posts: 68
    Yeah, that was very nice top notch work, Ryan Hall is very sharp indeed. Reminds me some of the flying-through-the-air tries of our very own WBW, The Beast himself, Manu Vatuvai.

    Although, hilariously, there seems to be only one example in the videos I could find.




  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    In conjunction with the latest blog post, here's Fernando Llorente's sumptuous volley that helped knock Manchester United out of the Europa League:



    And despite the finish, I couldn't leave this out from Andoni Iraola. Not bad for a defender:



    And to think, there's a strong chance that neither of these men will make the Spain XI for Euro 2012.
  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    Not often we feature the Turkish league on here, but last night was the top of the table clash between rivals Fenerbahce & Galatasaray. And there wasn't one outstanding goal from the game, but two.

    Moussa Sow (how did he end up going to Turkey in January rather than England) gave Fenerbahce the lead:



    Later in the first-half Sow's teammate Alex, did this:


  • onewildonewild
    Posts: 37
    This is not as flashy or as pretty to look at as anythin else on here but it is the kick that saw Kevin Sinfield become Leeds all time top points scorer.



    It was a honour to be able to witness this moment.
    Here is his response

    "I thought it would be tough and did not think I would get close
    tonight, but I am delighted to do it. I was a bit worried I may not
    score a try all season.



    "I did not know how many points Lewis Jones had got
    when I started kicking, but it is more pleasing the way we played than
    beating the record.



    "I have played in some amazing teams and have been lucky that most of the tries have been under the posts."

    Sir Kevin Sinfield!

  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    Jamaal Tinsley demonstrates an inventive way to get past an opponent in the NBA. I can only surmise he's been watching Leo Messi:


  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    There's no way we could leave this off here. A goal that elicited something more than a Gallic shrug from the French commentators on Canal+. Je suis desole, City fans, but this was incroyable:


  • GABGAB
    Posts: 118
    I'll repeat the thoughts I shared with Amy in Twitter today.
    Two years straight, the goal of the year in EPL has been scored against City.  I'm proud of that. It's taken tremendous quality from Rooney and now Crouch to beat us lately.

    Pride in battle, indeed.
    And hats off to Crouch.  He's got my vote, pending the last two months of results.
  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    As the college basketball season comes to an end, the NCAA had their annual slam dunk contest. Here's the winner:



    I love at the end of the video they end the contest early and award Justice the belt, as it was clear that no-one was beating that. And bear this in mind, James Justice is only 5'9". Who says basketball is only for tall guys?
  • onewildonewild
    Posts: 37
    Here is another one I meant to put up a while ago. An incrediable piece of fielding from a New Zealand 20/20 match


  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    This is some beautiful stuff from Chris Paul. He looks as if he's about to pull a Magic and pulls a Kobe instead. You can see why so many teams were rabid for his signature before the season started:


  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    It's easy to fall into the trap of lionising Barcelona and Leo Messi, especially on this thread. But we should never overlook just how good Real Madrid currently are. Six points clear at the top of La Liga, they're still on for a Spanish title and Champions League double. In last night's tricky away game at Osasuna, they demolished the Pamplona outfit 5-1, taking the lead with this from Karim Benzema. England are going to have fun trying to deal with him at Euro 2012 this summer:



    And then there's a Portugese gent who never likes to be upstaged. Minutes after Benzema's goal, Cristiano Ronaldo did this. And for those of you who can't abide CR7, this celebration isn't likely to change that:

  • GABGAB
    Posts: 118
    Hard to argue with the assist on the other goal as well.
    If I was starting a team today with unlimited cash, nothing in his behavior would stop me from calling his agent.
  • BuchoBucho
    Posts: 68
    That extraordinary son of a bitch. God he's beautiful.
  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87

  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87

  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    If anyone is going to feature on this thread more than Leo Messi, it might be this guy. Blake Griffin is a force of nature around the basket, and in the LA derby between the Clippers and the Lakers, Griffin did to Pau Gasol what I've never seen anyone do before. The replay at the end captures it best:


  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    I present to you Stefano Mauri for Lazio against Napoli. Insert ironic joke about Italian football being boring:


  • GABGAB
    Posts: 118

    I don't usually watch Italian football; but when I do, I watch Napoli.


    Saw a bit too much of them this year, in fact.

    :((
  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    So everyone - including this thread - proclaimed Peter Crouch vs Man City as goal of the PL season. Erm... maybe not:



    I'd say who scored, but I think the commentator might have mentioned his name once or twice.
  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    Amazing how an NBA player can make a name for himself by doing things like this:



    And this:



    Gerald Green's a name I won't be forgetting any time soon.
  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    Here's the first in what I imagine will be an ongoing segment - Yes, we know that Leo Messi is the greatest of his generation, but that Cristiano Ronaldo's pretty special too:



    For all the CR7 haters, that celebration comes out again:



    These were goals 50 & 51 of what is proving to be a remarkable season. And they may be the goals that sends the La Liga title to Madrid instead of Catalunya.
  • BuchoBucho
    Posts: 68
    Good stuff, but I can't help wondering how long it'll be until they outlaw using telekinesis to temporarily fix the goalkeeper's boots to the ground.

    tokenbg said:

    Here's the first in what I imagine will be an ongoing segment - Yes, we know that Leo Messi is the greatest of his generation, but that Cristiano Ronaldo's pretty special too:



  • onewildonewild
    Posts: 37


    How do you even managed to do that? Kick the ball while having a player hanging off your back and staying in touch by a blade of grass.
  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    While Messi and Ronaldo are the current titans of football, there's a young kid in Brazil who may make this something of a 3-way in the next few years. You can see why Brazil are pinning their 2014 World Cup hopes on Neymar. To think that the next World Cup will likely have him, Messi & CR7 at the same tournament:

  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    An objectionable human being or a fantastic player? Funny how often those things aren't mutually exclusive:


  • BuchoBucho
    Posts: 68
    onewild said:

    How do you even managed to do that? Kick the ball while having a player hanging off your back and staying in touch by a blade of grass.



    Yeah, The Wolfman and The Beast have developed a very fun rivalry as two of the elite wingers in the NRL over the last three or four years and this was an outstanding win for the young Aussie.

    And yeah, it's tough to like Suarez but that cheeky lob is difficult not to smile at (unless you're a Canaries fan).
  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    Some weekend in Italy. Juventus are champions - and still haven't lost a match. While AC Milan fell 4-2 to Inter in the Milanese derby where Maicon did this: *insert joke about Italian football being dull*


  • GABGAB
    Posts: 118
    For me the "play of the day" the past two weeks has been Manchester City leaving Mario Balotelli off the bench. I don't mind giving him another try, depending on the off-season, but not in what's left of this title race.
  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    GAB said:

    For me the "play of the day" the past two weeks has been Manchester City leaving Mario Balotelli off the bench.



    If this was a made for TV movie, Balotelli would come off the bench against QPR on Sunday, and score in the 93rd minute, winning City the title.
  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    Another edition in our new segment: "That Brazilian kid Neymar has a trick or two, doesn't he?"



    The commentator John Bradley made a salient point about this, when he opined that someone may end up trying to break Neymar's legs if he continues to do this kind of thing during matches.

  • tokenbgtokenbg
    Posts: 87
    Well... there's only one play that mattered this weekend. Never forget this goal, this will be replayed for time immemorial. The most dramatic goal in the entire span of English football:  
  • GABGAB
    Posts: 118
    tokenbg said:

    GAB said:

    For me the "play of the day" the past two weeks has been Manchester City leaving Mario Balotelli off the bench.



    If this was a made for TV movie, Balotelli would come off the bench against QPR on Sunday, and score in the 93rd minute, winning City the title.


    OK ... it is pretty eerie that Balotelli came off the bench at all.  It wouldn't have happend if things weren't so out of sorts.  But for him to make the crucial pass -- equivalent of a tip, really -- in roughly the 93rd minute?

    Wow!  So many elements of your last sentence came to pass, Shane.
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