8 Most Insane Alley-Oops of 2012 NBA Season

The lockout-compressed NBA season has been short on games, durability and officiating, but not on alley-oops.

They have become a heralded form of art, so much so, that Blake Griffin has built an enormous following and made a career out of finishing other people's passes.

And while there is a certain appreciation for all mid-air accolades, these genre of dunks trump everything else.

Alley-oops are execution and athleticism at their finest, and whenever those two are intertwined in a cohesive fashion, insanity is liable to transpire.

Andray Blatche Meets Lob City

To be fair, Andray Blatche isn't particularly athletic or adept at defending mid-air showcases.

To be even more fair, Chris Paul is an facilitating guru and Blake Griffin is an athletic freak.

This is one of those alley-oops that makes you think twice about the Clippers.

More importantly, this is one of those alley-oops that undoubtedly boosts the sales of moon shoes on the West Coast. 

DeShawn Stevenson to Marshon Brooks to Kris Humphries

Here we have the far less frequent, though equally effective, double alley-oop.

Teamwork and anticipation are added to the mix, and the Nets, for a change, come out on top.

Let's also not neglect to mention that Kris Humphries gives Kim Kardashian a taste of what she's missing, as he makes a case to climb a tier above Reggie Bush in the Kardashian casualty latter.

Manimal Goes Gorilla

Kenneth "The Manimal" Faried may have earned his spot in the Nuggets' lineup thanks to this incredibly ferocious display of athleticism.

Don't think for a second we forgot about you, the ever-underachieving Rudy Fernandez. This is your finest pass as a Nugget, and of your career.

No-look passes are always a welcomed sight, but backward, no-look alley-oop dimes are immortalized. 

John Wall Being John Wall

There has been little, if anything, to cheer about in Washington this season, but that hasn't stopped John Wall from furthering his reputation. 

Anytime a point guard finishes an alley-oop, we're captivated.

Anytime a point guard finishes an alley-oop despite being fouled by a 7'1" center, though, we're out-of-this-world mesmerized. 

Minnesota's Rookies Gettting It Done

The playoffs are out of reach for the Timberwolves, but it's plays like this that give them hope for the future.

Not only is Ricky Rubio's pass perfectly placed, but Derrick Williams manages to reverse-slam it home.

Reverse dunks are always impressive, but as a finish to an alley-oop, they're even more so.

Dear Houston Rockets: Transition Defense Is Crucial—Signed, Gerald Green

Windmills are cool and alley-oops are cool. Combine the two, though, and you have awesome.

It's impossible not to truly appreciate how painstakingly difficult this dunk is. Green not only catches the ball in mid-air, but incorporates a windmill as well.

That takes some serious ball-control, hang time and guts.

And perhaps a dash of recklessness.

Blake Griffin's One-Handed Masterpiece

Deep down, we all knew that Lob City would make more than one appearance.

You can never appreciate a one-handed alley-oop too much, it's just not possible.

The composure it requires to maintain possession of the ball using just one hand while in mid-air is not to be taken lightly.

Fittingly enough, neither is this rim-rocking finish by Blake Griffin.

Simply insane. 

LeBron James over John Lucas

Remember that one time that LeBron James caught an alley-oop pass from Dwyane Wade, clearing the Bulls' John Lucas in the process.

So does Lucas. And the rest of the world.

This assisted jam was monstrously epic. So epic, in fact, that most people tend to forget about "The Decision" for an entire split-second when watching it.

Now that's progress and insanity rolled into one. 

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