Anthony Davis pulled out his deceptive brilliance to fox the Phoenix Suns. Tonight, the LA Lakers big man proved that he wasn’t just a tall dude who dominates the paint but also a witty baller. Well, on this occasion, we can say that he has borrowed this unique move from the New Orleans Pelicans star, Jose Alvarado. During the much-anticipated Bron vs KD matchup, AD left the Suns’ announcers stunned with his stealthy steal in the first half.
During the late end of the first half, Jusuf Nurkić sent Davis into the stands when he stole the inbound pass from LeBron James. The push was so hard that Davis went into the fans’ space. The announcer even jokingly said, “He’s all the way back there, almost in the locker room.”
However, the superstar used it to his advantage. When the Suns rushed into the fastbreak after the steal, they failed to notice Anthony Davis. And, after Bradley Beal dropped a layup in the fastbreak, Bron inbounded the ball again, this time to Rui Hachimura. The small forward, looking at Anthony Davis slowly crawling back into the game, passed the ball and assisted a hammer dunk, leaving the Suns’ players, especially Nurkic, stunned.
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Calling the particular play, the announcers hilariously said, “Suns had no idea that Anthony Davis had gone into the stands and was actually behind the Lakers bench he emerged once that fast break started… quietly walks back on the court and they’re like, ‘Wait a minute where did you come from’.” This hammer dunk not only gave the Lakers two points but also nullified the fastbreak point that Beal scored, keeping the Lakers’ one-point intact. Moreover, this isn’t Anthony Davis’ unique move, but Jose Alvarado’s signature stealing technique.
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Insight on Anthony Davis’ Jose Alvarado-inspired move
Jose Alvarado has a similar sneaky move added to his game. We have seen players make steals on the frontcourt, ripping off the ball from opponents’ hands or deflecting the ball. But, Alvarado has the insane ability to make steals on the backcourt, especially on the inbound. The star guard can camouflage on the side of the court, and sneakily steal the ball from the back of the in-bounder.
While many found it unsportsmanlike, Alvarado never really took it seriously. Moreover, he had been warned plenty of times in the past. Speaking of it, the star once said, “I mean it just happened actually when I was around like seventh grade, eighth grade, but I got in trouble for it for a while. You know, people tell me you would not make any team going. That my college plus was like if you do that, I’m subbing you out.”
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However, coming into the league, Alvarado didn’t really have issues. He continued, “In the NBA, coach Willie Green never really said nothing to me. I think he didn’t know I was doing that first. I think he was lost, too.” Nevertheless, will this be part of Anthony Davis’ game as well? Will JJ Redick allow it? Let us know in the comments below.
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