Customer Reviews

The NBA's 100 Greatest Plays [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The most important thing to remember when thinking about buying this DVD is that it was released in November of 2001. Many of today's stars were still young rooks: Jason Williams (c'mon, he did have some highlights early on), Vince Carter, etc. Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant and Shawn Marion were still just on the verge of the current run of super-talent superstardom.

It is an extremely ambitious thing to proclaim that you have picked out the Top 100 plays of all time in the NBA (these are broken down into Oops, Blocks, Steals, Dunks, Assists, Buzzer Beaters, Clutch plays, teamwork, hustle plays and moves, all presented in Top 10 format). That said, know that the plays the producers of this DVD have selected aren't based on the Ooh-And-Aah Meter, but rather a combination of Ooh-And-Aah and historical significance. For example, a Jordan buzzer beater to win a game in the playoffs will carry more weight than a flashier Jordan buzzer beater in a nothing game in the middle of the season.

For example, a spinning, over the head dish by Bob Cousy that is simple by today's standards is included in the Top 10 Assists because of Cousy's importance to the development of "necessary showmanship" at the point guard position. But the producers aren't just history buffs; they do know their ball, and there are some flashy plays mixed in with the important ones. The team work, hustle and steal Top 10s are among the weakest on the DVD (how flashy can a steal or hustle play really be? These are the ones that rely heavily on "historical importance.").

Each section has a mini-documentary that delves into what team work, dunking or assists are all about, built on interviews of NBA legends and current stars, with doses of highlights from those categories. They are easy to navigate, although there's no way to skip the mini-documentary other than fast forwarding through it. There's also a best of the latest section full of plays based on pure flash, and little significance. This reminds you of how dated the video is when the "up and comers" are the aforementioned J-Will and Air Canada.

If you haven't tapped into the AND1 universe of basketball highlight films (AND1 being street basketball on max amp level, with rules bended Matrix-style, with more focus on humiliating your opponent) then this video is for you. It's a good dose of historical NBA plays and some rare gems that won't show up on other NBA films. For AND1-tainted fans, the Moves, Assists, and teamwork sections will pale in comparison to the the stuff the street ballers have come up with. However, the Dunk, Blocks, Buzzer Beater and Clutch sections will still be fulfilling for all fans, AND1 or not. A rim-rocking throwdown, or a half-court buzzer beater is timeless, and well-respected on the hardwood and the asphalt.

Gems include a Kobe Bryant ankle-breaking crossover and amazing dunk taking off from nearly the free-throw line; a Jerry West game winner from half court after the other team thinks THEIR buzzer beater has won it; two sick blocks, one that Shawn Kemp sends well into the stands, and LaPhonso Ellis' infamous steal/block where he takes away a dunk and hangs on to the ball with one hand; tiny Kevin Johnson taking off and posterizing center "Hot Rod" Williams; and Magic Johnson pulling a (surprise!) AND1 move, taking the rock behind his back to avoid a defender, going around his torso, dropping a lefty pass to Byron Scott, who finishes with another poster.

It's good buy for all basketball fans; we've been trained by SportsCenter to live off of highlights and Top 10 Plays, so this is a full-out dose of nothing but highlights in Top 10 format.

The title oversells this DVD, which includes 10 top plays in 10 different categories, from dunks, assists, and teamwork to clutch finishes, moves, and steals. Sure, there's no way one could select ten top plays in any of these categories without some controversy, but it's totally unclear what criteria were used to select these 100 plays. Some are selected for historical significance--for example the top steal of all time is Havlicek's. But at other times some completely minor play will be selected. And some of the categories overlap and could probably have been excluded. I would have preferred to see more assists and dunks and fewer steals, which are important plays but fairly unexciting to watch as replays. Lastly, the production values aren't exactly top notch--even some of the modern footage is grainy, and the Dolby 5.1 soundtrack is unexciting.

It does contain some of my favorite plays. The top dunk on this DVD is Jordan spinning baseline against two defenders and then dunking over Ewing. The DVD includes quite a few historic plays shot in grainy footage, which is good if you're interested in hoops history. The DVD also definitely has a Jordan, Magic, Bird, Dr. J bias, which I guess is to be expected but which some might not appreciate. Still, I would have appreciated this much more if the production value were higher, more plays were included, or if the DVD cost ... less. At this price it's a rental.

For all of you basketball fans who love to watch all the highlights and most exciting plays on SportsCenter, this DVD is for you. On this DVD there is a collection of the 100 greatest plays, divided into ten categories. There's some nice music to add to the great highlights. It's really a cool collection, which provided lots of entertainment for me and my brothers. Some of the sections were alley-oops, dunks, assists, clutch plays, buzzer-beaters, hustle, and moves. It was really cool to see some of the amazing plays I've never seen before. Some of my favorites:

-A buzzer beater by Jerry West from past half-court, and that was back in the day
-an amazing sequence of 3-pointers by Reggie Miller to win the game in the playoffs
-the gravity-defining dunks of Michael Jordan and Dr. J.
-Manute Bol with the most blocks in one minute and Hakeem Olajuwon with the coolest block
-an amazing layup by MJ
-an awe-inspiring shot by Larry Bird at the buzzer
-Rex Chapman throwing up a prayer at the buzzer

And much more!

This is a fantastic video for any basketball junkie suffering through those long summer months, or during the slow regular season when most NBA players are merely cashing in their pay checks on the court.

This DVD has always impressed those poor unfortunate souls who I torture by forcing them to watch it. Julius Erving's "Rock the Baby" slam dunk over the Lakers in 1983; Larry Bird's clutch steal against Isiah Thomas in the '87 Eastern Finals; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's magnificent sky-hook; Magic Johnson's no-look passes; and Michael Jordan's entire career.

Plus, you get the legendary calls from the hyperventilating play-by-play guys: Chick Hearn, Brent Musberger, Johnny Most, Marv Albert and (to a lesser extent) Bob Costas.

"The NBA's 100 Greatest Plays" is a little out of date now (it was released in 1999) and if you're a basketball fan from Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago or Boston, you'll undoubtedly enjoy it more than if you're a Grizzlies fan.

Plus, there are a few questionable calls here. I really don't think Bill Walton belongs anywhere on this DVD (unless it's him getting posterized by Dr. J) and the shortage of Allen Iverson footage is criminal.

All in all, if you're a basketball junkie that needs a fix, "The NBA's 100 Greatest Plays" will do in a pinch.

This is an excellent video. Sure, most of it is 2000 or earlier, but they are great plays. My 11 year old son, who plays basketball, and I enjoyed watching it. We both talked about strategy, team play, and other stuff stemming from the video (lots of pausing). Great way to introduce the heroes and history of the sport.

I agree with previous reviews that some ordering might need revises from today's point of view, and sometimes the plays in the "intro" period of each categories look better than the ones getting a rank.
Anyway it is an exciting DVD, containing each exiciting element people watch NBA for. You see great dunks, alley-oops and moves which more specifically for personal showtime, but you can also see hustles, team-works and assists, steals and blocks for the essence of basketball as a team sport and the defensive end.
The video and audio quality is just above average --only 2.X GB for over 40 minutes and DD2.0 for audio--, partially because the materails were from earlier ages. For the next release of such titles, I think at lease a 16:9 wide version should be considered -- or even HD-DVD or WMV-HD.

I am a great fan of the NBA (mainly the 80's)...This DVD was perfect for me to see and enjoy.

Of course it's impossible to agree with all the choices made for the Top plays...I really don't liked the Top 10 dunks...but the Top 10 Blocks are incredible!(Man...I love Manute Bol)

If you like the greatest moments of sports you must buy it...

This was a good dvd , but it almost put me to sleep when it had reel after reel of 1960's material. There was a good deal of 80's stuff, and very few 90's material.

ok, so its not the easiest thing to sort out and calling it 'possibly the nba's 100 greatest plays' wouldnt be a good idea but they could of done a better job. there is with out doubt a few judgemental errors on what is greater (the impossible task) and plenty missing. the stuff on there is good but often its a bit unclear why its the greatest, number 10 sometimes look the best while number 1 may just have been the most important. the blocks are probably the most accurate ranking and the dunks well they might as well of given up.
for i cant for the life of me, figure out why vince cater didnt make a single dunk spot on the recent-clips extra on the dvd let alone get all ten (you seen his reverse one handed 360?).

the comentarys are good, giving little bit more to the dvdand magic johnsons allways good for a giggle when he talks about jordan and so forth

my advice is to buy it but expect to find yourself a little confused as to the rankings.

This is a great movie. Although many of you thought that it was just listing down 100 greatest plays its not. Its 10 categories with the top ten from that catergory such as buzzer beaters, blocks, dunks, alleys, assists, and many more. In this movie they show you stuff since the 70's til aabout 2000. The only bad thing is is that it has no nowaday higlights but the good thing is it has some very good legend highlights heres a sneak peek, it show julius erving's move he did where he sticks his hand out behind the backboard yet still brings it in and scores 2. It has some of the best highlights and intros. You must buy this