Oklahoma City Thunder second-round rookie Hamidou Diallo almost threw down a nasty windmill in the closing seconds of their win over the Knicks on Thursday. Actually, “almost” isn’t accurate. Diallo wasn’t even close. The thought was nice. The execution wasn’t there.
Thunder guard Hamidou Diallo is proof that even the best dunkers can have hilarious bloopers
Diallo has windmilled so many times. The fourth quarter against the Knicks was not one of them.
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Diallo is a high-flyer. He throws down windmills in his sleep. If you Google “Hamidou Diallo windmill,” you’ll find at least three from his time at Kentucky. They’re all vicious. The man can dunk.
Yet for some reason, he lost control of the ball on the way to the rim on Wednesday night. Instead of throwing it down, he threw it off the backboard. It was a lot like the time JaVale McGee attempted a foul line dunk mid-game while on the Kings, then threw it off the backboard because, well, the foul line is very far from the rim.
This isn’t to say players shouldn’t attempt highlight-reel dunks mid-game. It’s actually the exact opposite. Diallo should always attempt a windmill, whenever possible: in traffic, from the foul line, in transition, off alley-oops, on the layup line, and off offensive rebounds. The windmill should be his signature dunk from this day forward. Hamidou Diallo, a walking windmill.
That dunk would have brought the house down; a house that was basically empty because all the Thunder fans left after OKC took and held a 27-point third-quarter lead. It would have put the punctuation mark on a game that had already been decided.
Diallo will have his shot at another highlight-reel dunk this season. When that shot comes, he won’t miss it.
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