The Great Barrier Thief Strikes Again As Dyson Daniels Pulled Off An Incredible Game Winning Steal To Secure A Stunning Upset Over The Grizzlies

Joe Murphy. Getty Images.

In the game of basketball, everyone loves a game winning shot. Some will debate what's better, to hit a game winner at home and hear the roar of the crowd, or to be on the road and hit one that instantly shuts up 18,000 people. Both have their positives and you can understand why someone might prefer one over the other, but usually when we think of game winners you think of a shot.

But what about a game winning defensive play? Say, a game winning steal on the road? That plays. 

OK, technically Caris LeVert had the "game winner" with that nice eurostep as time expired, but let's not get it twisted, this entire play is about Dyson Daniels, the Great Barrier Thief, coming up with the massive stop in isolation against a player in Desmond Bane who had been fantastic in this game (35/10/10), pulling off one of the coldest high leverage game winning steals you'll ever see. I mean that shit was TEXTBOOK, and for anyone paying attention you know, this is exactly what Dyson Daniels does. I mean the man has 11 games of 5+ steals for crying out loud. The next closest guy is 4. The dude is arguably 2nd or 3rd in the DPOY race, he's ridiculous.

First off, good job by the Hawks to not give up the soft switch at the start of that possession and had Daniels fighting over that terrible high ball screen. Make contact for me one time! Once that happened, it was advantage Daniels, because Bane no longer has any sort of leverage. Daniels is now with him every step of the way. I mean at NO point on Bane's drive was he ever not in position, and seeing as how he's the best in the NBA at creating steals, what a perfectly placed reach. The very definition of cookies. 

Then once he gets the ball he instantly has his eyes up and delivers a perfect outlet pass for the game winner. Great body control by LeVert to finish the play, but the steal is the coldest part of that whole sequence. Imagine pulling off that type of play on the road to secure the win? You could see everyone's reaction in real time. It was pure shock. Nobody could believe what happened or even process how the hell the Hawks pulled that off. 

That's the beauty of NBA basketball, you can tune in on a random Monday night in early March during a Hawks/Grizzlies game and witness an exhilarating finish that you don't exactly see everyday. A game winning steal into a full court sprint/euro step finish as time expires? That rules. 

I'm not kidding about Dyson Daniels either. This dude is a defensive demon. He and the Thompson Twins are another level on that end, and if you aren't familiar and enjoy awesome defense, go ahead and click play