Emeka Okafor hit a rather miraculous shot to allow the New Orleans Hornets to tie the Utah Jazz at the close of regulation on Thursday; the Hornets went on to win in overtime. This is that shot; what follows are power rankings of the actors involved.
Emeka Okafor Miracle Shot Power Rankings
1. Emeka Okafor. There is so much that is so improbable about the ball reception, the shot and the make. For starters, Okafor had only taken 21 shots from beyond 16 feet all season. That's roughly one every three games. You would assume most of these would be wide-open set shots -- a pick-and-pop or draw-and-kick opportunity. Not a sidewinding, quarter-hook, quick-release fling. If Okafor had a wide open set shot from 20, no one would expect him to hit it. That shot? That shot? Unreal.
2. Aaron Gray. More like Aaron Rodgers, am I right? Just a beautiful pass that hit (a jostled) Chris Paul right in the hands, followed by a great celebratory jaunt with Emeka. Watch again, paying special attention to Gray's celebration.
He’s jumping like a wolverine’s CD collection!
3. Chris Paul. CP3 often goes above and beyond the call of duty as a point guard. Selfless to a fault, Paul sacrifices life and limb to get buckets for his team. That didn’t change in this episode; most basketball players don’t expect to be asked to lay out over the middle, but that’s basically what CP3 did. He took a blow to bat the ball to Okafor, hitting the ground hard.
4. Earl Watson. Watson defended Okafor's shot pretty well, which is saying something, considering how unlikely the carom to Okafor was in the first place. Watson converged on CP3; when the ball squeaked out, Watson followed it and, had Okafor been six inches shorter, could have blocked it.
5. Ty Corbin. No coach in the NBA today is more stoic in the face of some real bulls--t than Tyrone Corbin. I’d to hear his internal monologue during one of these stares of disbelief. “Emeka Okafor, you son of a ...”
6. Jarrett Jack. Zach Lowe pointed this out on Twitter: Jack celebrates the make, starting to run down to Okafor and Gray ... until he realizes Paul is still on the ground, at which point he reverses course immediately to check on his friend. (Meanwhile, Aaron Gray remains hopping.)
7. Al Jefferson. Jefferson essentially gets away with throwing CP3 to the ground, but he's in this spot for his reaction to the make. Watch his head tilt, as if he's saying to himself, "Dag!"
8. Devin Harris. In a sweater behind the Utah bench, Harris smiles and shakes his head after watching replay on the video screen. Game recognize game.
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