and Victor Martinez.Brian Dozier gave Minnesota the lead in the fif

How much of a basketball shoes popularity is because of the athletes who wear it and how much is due to the image of the athletes who wear it?That might be the toughest fact and fiction to separate, this delineation between the person and the perception created by advertising agencies. Just know that every time you buy a pair of sneakers it means youre buying into the story that surrounds it.Were here to celebrate those tales and pay tribute to the best of the basketball shoe commercials. These are the ads that captured moments and even movements, ads that excelled in storytelling.They revealed personalities -- or even created entirely new ones. Some of the best ads make minimal reference to either the person or the product but still manage to convey ideas and themes.Thats why these selections tend toward the cultural breakthroughs rather than the product advancements. These are the ads that stuck with us long after the soles of the shoes wore away.10. Converse: Theyre EverywhereThis captures a moment in time, because the music is sooo 80s. So is the fashion ... and thats actually the point. This sneaker commercial was the first to recognize that basketball shoes were becoming fashionable attire. Converse made the staid canvas Chuck Taylors hip by producing them in a variety of bright colors, and sneaker couture was on its way, with Dr. Js, Magic Johnsons and Larry Birds approval.9. Nike: Swimming Pool?The next time you see the outspoken modern version of LeBron James endorse a presidential candidate or clap back at Phil Jackson, think back to his early Nike ads in which he had no speaking lines. What a wasted opportunity. With The LeBrons ad campaign, James put his personality -- or personalities -- on full display. A basketball shoe commercial in which the endorser doesnt wear basketball shoes. Thats the mark of an athlete becoming a brand. This ones the best of the bunch because of Wise LeBrons mocking of the old heads, Business LeBrons smooth dive and the Kool & The Gang Summer Madness soundtrack.8. Nike: FreestyleIf youre going to appropriate, might as well do it right. This ad owes a tremendous debt to the And1 Mixtape campaign that made streetball so cool, with the common-object percussion from Stomp mixed in. Pulling from Nikes stable of NBA stars helped legitimize the movement.7. Nike: BarbershopThis Nike series captured the black barbershop vibe long before the Barbershop movies. We also need to celebrate George Gervin, who never had his own shoe line but kept providing key assists in other shoe campaigns (rather ironically, for a player known more for his scoring than passing). In this ad the Iceman delivers his signature line: One thing I could do was finger roll.6. Nike: Lil Pennys Super Bowl Party Chris Rock was brilliant as Penny Hardaways puppet alter-ego in this series, bringing sizzle to the soft-spoken real Pennys shoe commercials. While theres never been a better closing line than That was Tyra Banks, fool! (in response to Penny ruining Lil Pennys stoplight mack to the supermodel by driving off), the apex of these ads was the star-studded spot that ran during the Super Bowl and was immortalized in a Jay Z lyric.5. Nike: I Am Not A Role ModelNo other shoe commercial launched national debates like this in-your-face manifesto from Charles Barkley. Society freaked out about his proclamation that he was not a role model, conveniently overlooking the part where he said Parents should be role models. To disagree with his premise is to disagree with the notion that parents should play the most important roles in a childs life. Love the starkness of the black-and-white photography and the aggressiveness. Hes throwing elbows at the camera, and thus the viewers. Take that.4. Converse: Choose Your WeaponHow many commercials played a central role in the relationship of two central figures in NBA history? The story goes that after years as rivals, Magic and Bird finally got a chance to spend quality time together while shooting this commercial and realized they made better friends than enemies. But whats the story behind Magic wearing his jersey and the limousine having California plates? Did Magic wake up, put on his uniform and tell the chauffeur to drive from L.A. to Indiana so he could challenge Bird to a game? A final question: how many other sneaker ads inspired a music video set to Loverboys Working for the Weekend?3. Air Jordan: Mars Blackmon PostcardsMy favorite of the Mars Blackmon ads because its the most subversive. At the time NCAA rules prohibited the use of names and images of professional athletes in commercials that ran during the NCAA tournament (wary of acknowledging the fact that its OK for players to have endorsements, I guess). So Nike got around this hater-based regulation by having Mars shout out his man Money -- and everyone knew he was talking about Michael Jordan due to the previous Mike and Mars ad campaigns. This also might be the first documented example of sneakerheadness: look at all of the kicks in the room in the opening shot.2. Converse: Weapon RapIn retrospect it shouldve been called Crossroads. This ad marks both the emergence of hip-hop into mainstream culture (even Minnesota-born Kevin McHale had a nice flow in his ad) and the beginning of the fall of Converse. With Dr. J, Bird and Magic, Converse players won seven of 10 Most Valuable Player awards 1981 to 1990, and most of the leagues top players still wore the shoe when this ad ran in the 1986-87 season. Erving (who regrettably didnt appear here) retired after the season and within a few years Jordan and Nike dominated the NBA.1. Air Jordan: Let Your Game SpeakThis was the culmination of two decades of Michael Jordan and Air Jordan, a testament to their iconic status and to every prior commercial that embedded them in our minds. Jordan dominates the ad even though he only makes a brief appearance at the end. By then the impacts already been made, because at some point you realize that every player in the spot is re-enacting Jordan moves. His motions had become as recognizable as the silhouette. The music crescendos and then tapers off as Jordan smiles his approval at the kid doing The Shrug. The handoff to the next generation is complete. Mission accomplished. Cheap Kenny Lofton Jersey . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. Cheap Eddie Robinson Jersey . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. http://www.cheapindiansjerseys.com/ . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Cheap Indians Jerseys Authentic . LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse. Cheap Omar Vizquel Jersey . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Clay Buchholz pitched into the seventh inning, David Ortiz had a run-scoring single and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 on Tuesday night to remain tied atop the AL East with Toronto.Buchholz (5-9) allowed one run, five hits, two walks and struck out nine in 6 1/3 innings. Craig Kimbrel got the final three outs for his 23rd save.Chris Archer (7-17) gave up two runs, five hits and threw 109 pitches in five innings for the Rays.BLUE JAYS 7, ANGELS 2TORONTO -- Russell Martin had three hits and two RBI and R.A. Dickey pitched 6 2/3 innings for his first home win since July 10.Martin had an RBI single in the first, drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk in the third, singled and scored in the fifth, and doubled over the head of center fielder Mike Trout in the seventh.Michael Saunders hit his 21st home run, a solo shot off A.J. Achter in the eighth, and Edwin Encarnacion and Darwin Barney each reached base three times as the Blue Jays won their fifth straight over the Angels.Dickey (9-13) came in 2-8 with a 5.57 ERA in 13 home starts but held the Angels in check, allowing two runs and six hits.Tyler Skaggs (1-3) allowed four runs and four hits in four-plus innings. His five walks were a season-worst.ROYALS 1, MARLINS 0MIAMI -- Yordano Ventura escaped two threats while pitching six innings, and Kansas City extended its winning streak to nine games.Ventura (9-9) allowed six hits and one walk while striking out six. Three relievers closed out the win and extended the bullpens streak of 32 consecutive shutout innings since Aug. 10. Kelvin Herrera pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save.Andrew Cashner (4-10) had his best outing in five starts for the Marlins but fell to 0-3 since joining them on July 30. He allowed one run in six innings.BREWERS 6, ROCKIES 4MILWAUKEE -- Hernan Perez hit a two-run triple in the seventh inning, lifting Milwaukee over Colorado.Perez hit a 0-2 pitch from Carlos Estevez into the right-field corner. Jonathan Villar scored from second and Ryan Braun from first when Daniel Descalsos cutoff throw to the plate was wide and got past catcher Nick Hundley to give Milwaukee a 5-4 lead.Brent Suter (1-1) pitched a scoreless seventh for his first career victory in his first relief appearance after making his major league debut in a spot start Friday night. Corey Knebel pitched the ninth for his first career save in his 75th game.Boone Logan (2-3) took the loss.PIRATES 7, ASTROS 1PITTSBURGH -- Ivan Nova took a shutout into the ninth inning and finished with a six-hitter while Gregory Polanco hit two home runs.Nova (10-6) struck out six, walked one and threw 69 of his 98 pitches for strikes while improving to 3-0 in four starts since being acquired from the New York Yankees in an Aug. 1 trade.His bid for his third career shutout ended when Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve led off the ninth with consecutive doubles.After the Pirates scored four runs in the first inning, Polanco hit solo shots in the third and fifth off Joe Musgrove (1-2) and Tony Sipp to extend the lead to 6-0 and raise his season total to a team-high 19 homers.ddddddddddddREDS 3, RANGERS 0CINCINNATI -- Dan Straily extended his surge since the All-Star break by pitching six innings and Joey Votto drove in a pair of runs.Straily (10-6) hasnt allowed more than two runs in any of his eight starts since the break, going 6-0. He gave up three singles and two walks.Tony Cingrani gave two walks in the ninth before retiring Ryan Rua on a grounder to complete his 16th save in 21 chances.Votto singled home a run in the sixth off left-hander Derek Holland (5-6), who had been on the disabled list since June 22 with an inflamed pitching shoulder. Holland gave up four hits and a walk in six innings. He also got his first major league hit, a single off the plate that bounced over Vottos head at first base.METS 7, CARDINALS 4ST. LOUIS -- Wilmer Flores and Justin Ruggiano homered, Jose Reyes reached four base times and scored three runs, and Asdrubal Cabrera had three hits, drove in a run and scored once.The offense helped Robert Gsellman (1-0) get the decision in his major league debut. Gsellman, pressed into action after starter Jonathon Niese left with an injury in the first inning, pitched 3 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run.Jeurys Familia earned his 42nd save, one shy of the Mets season record set by Familia last year and Armando Benitez in 2001.Cardinals lefty Jaime Garcia (10-9) gave up a season-high six runs at home, in just four innings.TIGERS 8, TWINS 3MINNEAPOLIS -- Cameron Maybin drove in three runs, including a go-ahead two-run single in the sixth inning.Anibal Sanchez (7-12) pitched seven innings to win a start on the road for the first time since the first week of the season, and the Tigers broke the game open in the seventh with soaring home runs by Erick Aybar and Victor Martinez.Brian Dozier gave Minnesota the lead in the fifth with his 29th homer, a new career high, but Kyle Gibson (5-8) couldnt hold it. He threw two of the teams three wild pitches in the decisive sixth.ORIOLES 8, NATIONALS 1BALTIMORE -- Kevin Gausman scattered six hits over six shutout innings, Adam Jones went 4 for 5 and Chris Davis hit his 30th home run for Baltimore.Gausman (5-10) walked two, struck out two and permitted only one runner past second base.The 25-year-old outpitched Nationals rookie Reynaldo Lopez, a 22-year-old making his fifth major league start. Lopez (2-2) yielded six runs, four earned, and seven hits in 2 2/3 rocky innings.WHITE SOX 9, PHILLIES 1CHICAGO -- Jose Abreu homered for a third straight game and Carlos Rodon threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings.Abreu hit a two-run home run and Justin Morneau followed with a solo shot in the fifth off Jake Thompson (1-3), who gave up seven runs and eight hits in five innings.Rodon (4-8) allowed three hits and has a 1.46 ERA in his past four starts after missing most of July with a sprained left wrist. ' ' '