Tuesday night featured two jaw-dropping crossovers from Chris Paul and Lance Stephenson. In the Rockets' bout against the Bucks in a showdown between MVP frontrunners, Paul pulled a ridiculous stepback that kept D.J. Wilson running until he was off the court, while Stephenson had Jeff Green falling backward.
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Ankle-breakers in the NBA usually come from a subtle shove or a step on the foot, and Stephenson's was no exception. He pulls the ball back on a string after putting his right foot on Green's left, and hits the midrange jumper.
However, even better than the crossover itself is the reaction, particularly from Stephenson himself with... Whatever this dance is.
Just look at how happy that Lakers bench is! Rajon Rondo sprints onto the floor with a towel wave, JaVale McGee's ankles give out on him as well, and the entire bench just spills onto the baseline. It's a Renaissance painting of the best order.
"It was great," LeBron James said after the game. "I told Lance 'Make 'em Dance Lance' and he did that tonight. If there's one guy that could care less about that happening to him it's Jeff (Green). I know Jeff ... I guess Lance is the only one that could make a play like that on our team ... and obviously, you guys saw the bench reaction to it."
Green was in good spirits about it, but he did confirm what we already knew: His foot was stepped on.
"I can confirm that he did step on my foot, but run with it," Green told reporters. "I don't care. He 'crossed me,' if that makes everybody happy."
Green isn't out to ruin anyone's fun, and you have to respect that.
Then there was Chris Paul. The Lakers needed this in what's been a really tough season, but the Rockets are doing alright at doing alright. They're fourth in the West and they have a strong MVP candidate in James Harden. So Paul's crossover on poor D.J. Wilson was just business.
Wilson doesn't even try to get back in the play, he just runs off the court knowing he's beat. It's the best cross-up the Rockets have seen since James Harden ended Wesley Matthews last year.
With all of that being said, who wore it best? Well, to determine that, we have to go to the tape.
Execution
Stephenson: B-
It's not that Stephenson's execution is bad, it's just that even though Green downplays it a bit his foot was stepped on. That's less of a broken ankle than it is a good physical play. Stephenson likely did it on accident, but nevertheless, a broken ankle should be on the merits of the move itself.
Paul: A
Paul just gets Wilson leaning and going the wrong way, and he gets the man to run straight off the court. Besides, three points over two points.
Style
Stephenson: A
You can't top Stephenson when it comes to gloating. His reaction after the shot is absolutely hilarious, as he breaks into whatever that weird dance is. Normally this would be an air guitar moment, but he had to do something different. It's very on brand for Stephenson to play this off, and you have to respect it.
Paul: A-
Paul is more of a terminator style player. He can cross you up and just glare at you on the way back. For Paul, it's not a sliding scale. They're just points.
HYPE
Stephenson/Lakers: A+
The Lakers have had a tough season, there's no denying that. So getting this unbelievably amped up for their teammate is good to see, especially with all of the talk of "chemistry" around LeBron-led teams. The bench spills out for Stephenson, to the point that even he looks a little sheepish heading over to the bench after the buzzer.
Paul/Rockets: C
Again, this has nothing to do with the Rockets not caring or anything like that, but they just weren't that excited. They did the perfunctory "hold them back" on the bench and a point, but they just weren't all that excited.
Overall
Stephenson: A-
Paul: B+
Even though Paul had the better crossover technically, sometimes perception trumps reality. The excitement of the Lakers and the relative mundanity of the Rockets was the difference in this one. The Lakers were absolutely hilarious, and Green was a good sport about it, so bonus points. Sometimes, there's just nothing you can do. This was one of those times.
