72 reasons to be excited about the Atlanta Hawks: #33 Zaza Pachulia Alley Layup

A few confessions. 1) I tried to hold off some of the better reasons for the end and have had a top 10 from the very beginning, but the order is less than impeccable. Zaza's alley lay up may not be two spots more exciting than an actual alley-oop but you are just going to have to deal with it/ I am sorry. 2) You may see a couple double dip days because I apparently cannot add days correctly/enjoy watching college football too much on the weekends. 3) We are almost full, but still have  a few spots left in the countdown if you have been holding out with a reason.

Enough business. We have the Zaza Pachulia Alley Layup to get to. It is an event that occurs out of a unique mixture of habit and totally abnormal. You see Zaza is a hustle guy, and normally that involves throwing elbows that borderline legal and sneaky hip checks and other awesomeness that cause players of great ability to lower their level of game to the point where they are not only outworked by Pachulia but they are outplayed. It is glorious of course, but quite methodical, like the birth of a calf.

So this style does not lend to Zaza getting out and running all that of often. But it happens and by some miraculous set of event, that trademark hustle is transformed into beating his man down the floor. Like so many times before, Mike Bibby sees a streaking front court player and lofts the ball up, but this is like no other player mostly because this player has trouble jumping as much as he has trouble not being awesome. And this weird combination of consistency and irregular results in the rare, great Zaza Alley Layup. If you see it, feel lucky. If it goes in, feel blessed.

Here it is, in all its missed glory (because a made one of these is not fit for camera). Wait until the 50 second mark. (Huge HT to Coachkcastellon for the idea and video.)