How Greg Oden Getting Dunked Signals The Grand Opening Of The Greg Oden Era

Posted by on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 6 Comments

Posterized: The Ballad Of Greg Oden – SB Nation.

Oden’s been playing great all season.He really has. Phenomenal defense and the offense is catching up. He was dominant last night. Not good. Dominant. But why is the era open for business?

It means something that he got dunked on. Don’t get me wrong, Rose got him like Joey-Lawrence whoa. And I actually liked Noah’s better because, well, I like the big ladder extension style. But the thing is that both of these dunks are especially notable because they dunked on ODEN. It means something now. It’s not Samuel Dalembert, it’s not Hasheem Thabeet, it’s not DJ Mbenga. It’s Oden. And with the way he’s been a defensive wall, it means something. Getting him is a challenge. He’s the denier.

You have to reach a particular level for it to be relevant that you got dunked on. Never getting dunked on means you’re A. too wussy to challenge or B. not a big enough name to get in except garbage time (which means you’ll only get dunked on by Shannon Brown).

Oden’s rise to atmospheric is indicated by it being notable that Noah worked him. Rose popped him. He’s been posterized, and that doesn’t make immediate sense. A year ago? Another sign he’s not ready. Now? It raises the impressiveness of Noah and Rose’s work. AND THEY GOT POUNDED BY 20.

Them winning the battles makes your legend bigger by the fact that you are worthy of being a name in the story. You’re not just “some guy Rose dunked on,” you’re “Holy crap, Rose dunked on Oden!”

Welcome to the Oden Era.

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About Matt Moore: Matt Moore is a Senior NBA Blogger for CBSSports.com's Eye on Basketball blog, weekend editor of Pro Basketball Talk on NBCSports.com, and co-editor of Voice on the Floor. He lives in Kansas City due to an unbelievably complex set of circumstances and enjoys mid-90's pop rock, long walks on the beach and the novels of Tim Sandlin.

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Jay

I have mad respect for guys like Oden, Yao, and Alonzo Mourning who aren't afraid to get dunked on. They don't care if they end up on a poster, they just want to give it their best effort on every play. Guys like Rasheed Wallace and other prima donnas just watch and walk away.

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kajuayn

To Prem and Jacobi:

Prem you are absolutely right. Think back to when Jefferson dunked on Oden and Oden didn't even try (as he shouldn't because it would have DEFINITELY been a foul, no matter what). The Sports Center announcer was al "LOOK WHAT HE DID TO OOOOODEN". Furthermore, when Lawson dunked on Mbenga...I DIDN"T EVEN KNOW it was Mbenga. It was like...who? In face WHO did the dunking in that clip didn't even matter. It was like when roy dunked on Cheik Samb...it was like WOW Roy crapped on that guy...Oh that was who? Cheik Samb? Well he probably shouldn't be in the league no how...

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Prem

To Jacobi:

Thing is, Oden repeatedly backed down and dunked over, around and through Noah in that game en route to his 24 points, but those dunks didn't get the same attention that Noah's did, because Oden is expected to throw down. When you say whoa, that guy just posterized Oden, you are implicitly stating that dunking on Oden is a big deal. If Oden was a scrub, it wouldn't be a big deal. Fact of the matter is, Oden is a shotblocker, and shotblockers invariably get dunked on once in a while, because they are always contesting.

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Jacobi

Not sure I follow your logic here. So, getting dunked on is somehow a validation of one's existence? Ty Lawson's dunk on Mbenga was replayed over and over. Lawson himself appeared in person on SportsCenter. There are many of videos of this dunk on YouTube.

I agree that Oden has been playing well, but it seems like getting pwned by Joakim Noah is a sign that people don't quite respect him yet. I ask you this: Who do you think gets dunked on more -- Nenad Krstic or Dwight (Duh-wight) Howard? Exactly.

You know who else got dunked on? That 7-foot tall dude from France in the 2000 Olympics. Don't even remember his name.

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Matt Moore

I guess my point is that simply by it being impressive that someone dunked on him says something. Lawson dunked on Mbenga and it was just "Awesome dunk, Mbenga's a chump." this is more "Man, look what they did... to Oden!"

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