Around this time of year, Hardwood Paroxysm usually does a theme week. This year, as the pool of players who began their careers in the 1990s dwindles, we thought it would be fun to celebrate the entire decade. In typical HP fashion, we will be covering ten years of basketball like a cat chasing a laser pointer. There is nothing comprehensive about our plans, around the HP Network we’re simply digging into the players, teams, and stories from that decade which interest us most. Welcome to #90sWeek.
Before all of the injuries that sapped him of the athleticism that helped make him such a special player, Grant Hill was the next big thing in the NBA. With his high basketball IQ, incredible skills and elite athleticism, Hill was able to do seemingly whatever he wanted which led to him being one of the league’s elite scorers. What tends to be forgotten about Hill because of his later days though, is that he had a bit of a mean streak, something Alonzo Mourning found out in March of 1998.
Things started innocently enough, as Mourning and his Miami Heat were hosting Hill and his Detroit Pistons. In the second half of the contest, Mourning came to set a screen on Hill who didn’t take kindly to it and tackled Mourning to the ground. After some trash talking, play resumed and eventually Hill ended up bringing the ball down the floor and beating his man off the dribble, setting up a meeting at the rim with Mourning.
And Hill won.
Honestly, I’m not entirely sure what Hill was mad at Mourning for, but I don’t care. It led to a spectacular dunk and that is what we care about here at The Friendly Bounce. It was a shame Hill wasn’t able to completely fulfill his potential due to injuries because plays like this don’t come around that often. Especially not on shot blockers the caliber of Alonzo Mourning.
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