Serge Ibaka: Watch Him Take Flight From the Foul Line

Serge Ibaka flew for what seemed like an eternity, as did the rest of the contestants. Now that is what I call a dunk contest. I hope all of you hoops fans savored every last second of Saturday night's 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, because it will not be that good for quite awhile.

Every contestant thought outside of the box. There were interesting takes on classic dunks. The introduction of dunk coaches went a long way to reviving an event that was in dire need of a reboot. The one thing that makes the dunks matter is the hype.

If you can sell a dunk, it is almost as good as actually dunking the basketball. That may be what hurt one of the best dunks of the night. Serge Ibaka took off from the foul-line and sailed to the rim for a monster stuff.

The dunk received a 45. It is amazing considering that it is a dunk that has been done by Michael Jordan and Dr. J, to much more acclaim and fan-fare. Yet, Ibaka did it better. Yes the Thunder role player actually outdid two of the best in NBA history.

Consider the long frame of Ibaka. Most seven-footers lose a tremendous amount of hops to accommodate their long bodies. We must also note that Ibaka was behind the free throw-line. That would make his dunk longer than both Jordan's and Irving's.

In the end, it lacked the theatrical flare that accompanies Dunk Contest winning slams. Consider that the winning dunk took a car on the floor, accompanied by a point guard throwing a pass through the sun-roof while a choir sang, and you begin to see what constitutes a victory in the dunk contest nowadays.

Ibaka's dunk is a replay masterpiece. It is only in slow-motion that you can begin to appreciate just how wonderful it truly was. I am not about to say that Serge got robbed. It is just that he should get his due respect.

That is a difficult proposition given all the wonderful treats we were given yesterday evening.