Five by Five (almost)

Have you ever heard of it?

No, it is not some reference to the latest installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise.
A five by five is when a basketball player records a total of at least 5 in 5 statistical categories.
Yeah, I had no idea what it was called either.

Maybe the reason it's not such a household name is because since the 1984-85 NBA season, it is a feat that has been accomplished by only 7 players.

Why do I bring up this interesting fact? Because it almost occurred last night.
Check out Josh Smith's stat line in leading the Hawks to a win over the Bulls:
25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 6 blocks.
Has a 4 (or a 6) ever looked so out of place to you?

Even though Smith missed out on achieving basketball immortality by 1 measly steal, it was still an awesome display of basketball versatility - that deserves a shot out.

I must say I have always tended to be hard on Josh Smith. He seems to have all the tools to be a great player but not necessarily the intangibles. Still he can certainly be an impact player in many facets of the game when he wants to be. Perhaps because of this, I once heard Jamal Crawford rave about how he should be an All-star year in and year out.

I like to use Josh Smith as a measuring stick for what type of players there are in the NBA.
In the NBA you have tons of 6'5" - 6'9" wings players and shooters. Many are role players (think Bill Walker - 6'6"- of the Knicks), some are really good at one thing (for shooting think Kyle Kover - 6'7", for defense think Shane Battier - 6'8"). Then you have those, like Josh Smith - 6'9" - who are not quite stars but are talented and can do many things on both sides on the floor. Then of course, you have LeBron James - 6'8" - who is All-World.

It always makes me think, if guys like Smith and LeBron have essentially the same physical attributes and athleticism, what makes them different players? Just food for thought.

But I digress.....
You have to be impressed with Smith's game last night, and the Hawks in general early on.
They are the only team to beat Miami and one of only two teams to beat Chicago.