Slamadamonth, SLAM #6: Robert Pack


Originally published in SLAM 6

Last season the Denver Nuggets were the comeback masters in the Playoffs—shockin’ the Sonics in the first round after being down 0-2 and taking the Jazz to seven games after being down 0-3. So it wasn’t a surprise when kids donned Nuggets gear coast-to-coast over the summer.

Enter the ’94-95 season, preseason props in hand. Mount Mutombo and all those young cats were ready for the climb. They were THE fun bunch ‘til…

Midseason rolled around and the Nuggets were reeling, playing sub-.500 ball.

In came the Sixers to McNichols Arena. The Sixers had their own headaches. They had no Spoon, no Malone and other than Dana Barros, no real quality NBA players to speak of.

Yet for one brief moment, the two teams took a break from their misery to give us a dunk that shook the Rocky Mountains.

The Nuggets were crushing the Sixers 87-64 midway through the fourth. Robert Pack, the 6-2 Nugget point guard with explosive ups—he came in second in last year’s Slam Dunk contest—and a mad handle, brought the ball up court against Greg Graham. Pack chilled between the circles dribbling in rhythm: left hand, right hand, left, right, lulling his defender. Leaving Graham dozing with a left to right crossover that woulda made Timmy proud, Pack headed down the lane. At the dotted line Tim Perry took a weak swipe as the Packman breezed by, and Jeff Grayer stepped out of his way. In from the left came the franchise; the shot blocker; the intimidator. Shawn Bradley stepped into the lane and stuck his right arm up for a meeting at the rim. Pack took off with the orange in his right hand and his arm cocked behind his shoulder. Bradley, looking like a guy without a mission, went for the swat and came up with nothing but air as New Orleans native Pack sent one down Cajun-style, with plenty of flavor.

Pack took his buffalo stance under the rim, while Bradley staggered to a dance that only he knows the steps to. The house straight bugged.

“Robert Pack had an incredible dunk, but had I reacted better, he wouldn’t have had it,” Bradley said after the dis.

We doubt that.