Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin on Monday may have confused the second round of the NBA playoffs with the slam dunk contest.
The Pacers led the Knicks 82-77 with under a minute left in the third quarter of their Game 1 matchup at Madison Square Garden in New York City, N.Y.
Toppin recovered a loose ball and dribbled right past Knicks wing Josh Hart in transition. With nobody in front of him, Toppin stunningly decided to go between his legs on the fastbreak dunk.
OBI TOPPIN BETWEEN THE LEGS 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/70pLQqzwuY
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 7, 2024
Here’s another angle of Toppin unleashing an Eastbay dunk against his former team.
Eastbay dunk in The Garden 💥
Obi Toppin goin' crazy. pic.twitter.com/vm9sWIowAK
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 7, 2024
The showtime play probably drew a momentary wince out of Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. Adding a layer of risk onto an uncontested transition opportunity would usually draw an immediate benching given the circumstances. But Toppin did complete the play and managed to fire up his team in the process. Carlisle kept Toppin in the game even after the quarter break.
Toppin is a former slam dunk champion who was probably the most sure-handed dunker in the building during Monday’s contest.
The Pacers big man might have also had an extra dose of adrenaline flowing through his veins given that he was playing against his former team. The Knicks had traded Toppin to the Pacers in the offseason after a reported falling-out with Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau.
