This lad's approach seems a fairly similar example of such a technique. Comments?
I would disagree. Ground effect basically starts at half a wingspan above ground, and to take a 777 THAT near the obstacles would be too close for comfort. Besides, you won't get much of a ground effect above trees and buildings, compared to a flat field.
Good observation that there apparently was no tailstrike. This may have saved the fuselage from breaking. As far as I can judge, the PF pulled up to arrest the sink rate and clear the fence, but we don't yet know if the plane came to the point of actual stall or was still steerable in pitch at the final stage. It may have been in a partial stall with high sinkrate, with AoA close or at stall angle, but deck angle small enough to avoid tailstrike. But the FDR data will tell soon.