Nate Robinson filling the gap

Nate Robinson / Flickr - Shinya

Nate Robinson was picked up on February 4, 2013 from the Golden State Warriors as a backup for the Chicago Bulls  superstar Derrick Rose. Robinson has provided the Bulls the surge they have needed to contend with the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

Robinson saw as few as 16 minutes in the first three games in their playoff series against the Nets, leaving most of the work to Kirk Hinrich.An opportunity for Robinson to play occurred when Hinrich injured his calf in Game 3.

In Game 4, Robinson led the team with 34 points in just 28 minutes, 23 of them coming in the 4th quarter. “Just let the ball find me.” Robinson told Coach Tom Thibodeau in a NY Times article. His critical scoring in the fourth quarter helped secure a triple OT win.

Due to Hinrich’s calf injury, Robinson saw 35+ minutes a game in the playoffs, giving him more of an opportunity to shine. His scoring in the last few games leading up to their victory over the Nets wasn't as spectacular as his performance in Game 4. His consistent scoring was much needed at the guard spot to fill the hole left by the absence of Rose and Hinrich.

Robinson will have to show more of his tenacity in their next series, producing opportunities for his teammates if the Bulls hope to defeat the seemingly unstoppable number one seeded Miami Heat.

Little Man in a Big Man's Game

Spud Webb against Manute Bol / Vedia - Flickr

Spud Webb, former Atlanta Hawks' player, was the most unexpected NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner in the history of the NBA. With a 42 inch leap, he managed to beat his team mate Dominique Wilkins in the 1986 contest in Dallas Texas with two perfect 50-point scores in the final round. "I brought back dunks I haven't used since high school," said Webb in a Dallas News interview. His arsenal of dunks included elevator two-handed double pump dunk, the one-handed off the backboard one-handed jam, a 360-degree helicopter one-handed dunk, a 180-degree reverse double-pump slam, and finally, the 180-degree reverse two-handed strawberry jam with a bounce off of the floor. Webb's small hands and inability to palm the ball did not hinder his performance. It just made him work harder, adding alley-oops or a bounce to each dunk. Winning the Slam Dunk contest was the crowning achievement of his 12 year career.

Webb is currently the third shortest person to ever compete in the NBA, behind Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues and Earl Boykins, and the shortest to ever play in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He later trained New York Knicks 5'9" point guard, Nate Robinson, who eventually won three Slam Dunk Contests. Webb also was a judge for the 2010 Dunk contest in Dallas. It was the first time the event has been in Dallas since his win in 1986. Webb enjoyed his stardom of being and coaching a small man in a big man's game.

Nate Robinson poisons the competition in the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest

Nate Robinson / Keith Allison

Nate Robinson, also known as “Nate the Great”, was the victor in the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, which took place in Phoenix, Arizona. The reason he is called “Nate the Great” is because of his ability to wow the crowd. Standing at merely 5’9” and weighing 180 pounds, Nate impresses with his 43.5" vertical leap. The Seattle, Washington native has won multiple Slam Dunk Contests, but his most memorable one is by far this one because he dunked over Dwight Howard, who stands at a towering 6’11” and weighing in at 265 pounds.

Robinson was able to beat J. R. Smith and Rudy Fernández, in addition to the aforementioned Dwight Howard.

The interesting thing about this contest is that Robinson arrived prepared in the final round of the contest. As soon as Dwight Howard changed into the Superman gimmick by dunking on a 12 foot hoop, Nate went out and changed into the New York Knicks’ green uniform used on Saint Patrick’s Day, in addition to a lime-green pro-shooter arm sleeve and neon-green Nike Foamposite Lite basketball shoes. The significance of all the green is that he was symbolizing Kryptonite, or in his case, “Kryptonate." Kryptonite is Superman’s only known weakness, implying that Nate was going to weaken Dwight Howard.

Robinson’s signature dunk was the one-handed slam in which he leaped over Howard and cleared him. Howard got the opportunity to follow up with the last dunk. His final dunk was one where he did a Michael Jordan move and jumped from the free-throw line. As impressive as that was for a man of Howard’s build, it was Robinson’s creativity and originality that helped him secure the victory over Howard.