“I was kind of sizing him up, figuring out what I wanted to do,” explained McCollum. "I have a couple of set-up moves and I kind of rocked and I dropped it through the legs. I wasn't even going to shoot it then he kind of sat down, got into a stance and I was like 'I might as well raise up one time.’”And raise up he did, hitting the shot which ensured the highlight would make the rounds on Instagram and Twitter. Getting any defender to stumble is always going to elicit a reaction from the crowd, as was the case Saturday night, even if McCollum contends this particular crossover doesn’t make his greatest hits compilation. And to his credit, Forbes stayed on his feet, which almost surely saved the 6-3 guard out of Michigan State from being inauspiciously immortalized for years to come. “It wasn't even one of my better crossovers honestly, he just kind of reacted,” said McCollum. “When you've got shot credibility and drive credibility, I think it's easier to kind of create stuff. Flinched at him a little bit and he sat on his stance.”
While it was McCollum’s handles that made the highlight a possibility, it was the reaction of Portland’s bench that elevated the crossover. With a front row seat, the likes of Meyers Leonard, Maurice Harkless, Nik Stauskas and Zach Collins lost their minds once Forbes started to stumble, and went into full on hysterics once the shot fell. Collins’ histrionics were especially noteworthy, with the lanky seven-footer loosing momentary control of his motor functions.“He's so shifty, he knows how to finish well inside,” said Collins of McCollum. “Also, his balance when he's going full speed and being able to step back or crossover and still get up the jumpshot, it's crazy. I hate guarding him, glad he's on my team.“He dropped him, I had to do something.”