Great NBA players influence the game in some important way. Wilt’s dominance led to the three-second violation; Steph Curry’s shooting fast-forwarded the 3-point revolution; Magic Johnson’s even play inspired the term triple-double.
And, now, the NBA, thanks to Boban Marjanovic, has a new portal it must address -- the non-over-the-back, over-the-back call.
Here’s Boban, simply plucking a rebound over 6-foot-11 Jarrett Allen before dunking like he’s putting a softball back in the batting practice bucket.
The over-the-back rule simply does not apply to Boban, because Boban does not need leverage.
In all seriousness, Boban was great in his 18 minutes yesterday, filling in for Joel Embiidin a 131-115 Game 3 blowout; he fouled out late in the game -- supernovas don't last forever -- but finished with 14 points on five shots (he made all eight of his free-throws) and added eight rebounds. He finished the game a plus-18.
As Gregg Popovich made clear in 2015, Boban isn’t a sideshow, he’s a 7-foot-3 person. And he isn’t a gimmick, either. In the right match up, like last night, he’s a difference-maker with a soft touch who can clog the lane on defense and clean the glass on offense.
Oh, and Ben Simmons was better than average, scoring 31 Game 3 points while abusing the Nets in the paint. Without Embiid, the 76ers played small ball for much of the game, and it allowed Simmons room to operate inside, creating gorgeous scoring chances like this one.
[READ: The legend of Boban Marjanovic]
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