NOTHING, and i mean NOTHING is more admirable than hustle and heart. which is what separates the legends from the pack. a.k.a Kobe and Lebron.
nice thread and posts by all so far. Mine would be mental/character qualities: Willing your team to win regardless of the situation/obstacles. Competitive fire/love for the game. Athletes who play beyond the money and have to win every time. Displays of total dominance/seeking to destroy your opponent mentally. Ex: Jordan, a football example would be Lombardi's power sweep "They knew what play we were going to run and they couldn't do anything to stop it." Guys (or people in any sport really) who constantly add something new to improve their game each year. Guys who genuinely love giving back to the community (beyond the P.R. stuff) consistently.
Good decision making. I love watching someone like Nash or Lowry patiently pick apart the defense. Also, finishing in traffic and having a mid range game. Derek Rose and Nowitzki come to mind. Also, drawing fouls! Go KMart!
Specifically speaking, my favorite players move would have to be Tim Hardaway's crossover. Leathal! I remember the first time I saw him play. Veron Maxwell got turned around a couple of times.
In terms of skill, I absolutely love players who can control blocks/rebounds. You have these athletic big men who who rather swat the ball 5 rows in the stands which looks flashy but gives the ball back to the opponent. And then you have the smart players like Mutombo, Mourning, and Olajuwon who basically know how to grab the ball and/or tip it back to their teammates.
Those are always sick and ridiculously hard looking passes. But did you miss every Sportscenter between November and February? Because Im pretty sure Baron Davis threw one of those seemingly on a nightly basis. He had a slightly bigger and higher window that he could put those passes in than most point guards, though.
My personal favorite trait is big guys that always find a way to put themself in the right place at the right time defensively. A shotblocker who comes out of nowhere at the last second to knock a shot away is nice and gives you great highlights, but guys like Omer Asik, Joakim Noah, Tyson Chandler, and Anderson Varajeao are always in the right place and their presence at the right place at the right time straight up deters guys from even trying to attack the paint. Being big and being in the way is the easiest way to stop people from scoring.
guys who have a good low post game. that seems to have really disappeared. i also like shot blockers and guys who are pure shooters
The thing I admire is usually the work ethic that some players put in. But at the some time I love watching players who just make the game look easy.
2-guards and SF's that have lazer like precision passing. Tmac/Lebron(who i actually hate) Wade,Kobe,Melo all these guys can pass the rock better than some of most highly regarded pg's from the 70's and 60's. I don't know why, but every time they make an amazing pass I jump out of my seat, Amped Up.
I admire a guy who can play defense, throughout the whole game, with the same intensity you would see in game 7 of the finals. Names that come to mind. Our own Hakeem, all time blocks leader. Ben Wallace, without him Pistons don't win that year. Dennis Rodman, Bulls don't 3 peat, no matter what your argument is. Gary payton, never won the big one, but damn I hated when our guards played against him.
stifling, smothering defense true creation and execution of opportunities on offense (ex. chris paul but not so much kidd) working the post that demands double teams
1) Dead-eye shooters 2) Block parties 3) Witty plays 4) Everything else in between ...I also enjoy a fight once in a while...
What really pulled me towards basketball was exemplary ball handling and flashy passing. Then I progressed to appreciating good footwork a lot more, particularly from watching Dream's videos.
