Top 10 dunks from 2015-16
POSTED: Mar 24, 2016 10:01 AM ET
Scroll through the above video gallery for the Top 10 jams in the Dunk HQ Countdown.
How
do you like your dunks? Up high? Powerful? With flair? Posters? Maybe
you like the tag-team hookup of the alley-oop. Whatever you fancy, the Dunk HQ Countdown will be your home to the top jams all season long. (March 24) -- Don't call it a comeback. For LeBron James, a spot on the Dunk HQ Countdown always seems to be on reserve for The King.
Not that those spots have been given out without merit. Take his latest entry for instance, an acrobatic reverse slam that completely rocks Cleveland.
He may not have social media completely down pat, but LeBron certainly knows what to do when he gets up in the air.
(March 9) -- Correct me if I'm wrong, but All-Star 2016 has long been a wrap, right?
Try telling that to Verizon Slam Dunk finalists Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon, who haven't pulled the plug on their aerial show just yet.
After two-time champion LaVine twirled his way into the Dunk HQ Countdown with a 360-degree gem, his skywalking counterpart follows suit a day later with a windmill smash fit for Hollywood.
We're not one to immediately jump to any far-fetched conclusions, but after what we witnessed in the final round, the LaVine-Gordon battle may go down as one of the best ever, even trumping the Jordan-Dominique classic from 1988.
It's a shame that their respective teams have already completed their two-game season series. What would an in-game dunk-off between these two rising showstoppers look like? The good news is there's always next season, which will more than likely feature an All-Star Saturday night head-to-head sequel in Charlotte -- right under the watchful eye of dunk contest legend Michael Jordan.
(March 8) -- One Verizon Slam Dunk title wasn't enough for Zach LaVine. Apparently, two hasn't satisfied him, either.
As the new face of the dunk, it's only right that LaVine grabs more notoriety with a spot on the Dunk HQ Countdown, where he enters at No. 4 with a sick 360-degree slam.
It's not everyday that we see a jam like this during games, as mentioned by the TV commentator in this clip. But it's not everyday that a high-flyer like LaVine comes around, either. It will always be an added bonus in our book when showcase slammers bring the same funk into game action.
(Feb. 22) -- We've said it before and we'll say it again: the open court is the skywalker's time to shine.
Taking a page from breakaway showstopper Evan Turner, our latest addition to the Dunk HQ Countdown comes from Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, who, with all eyes on him in the open court, enters at No. 6 with an acrobatic reverse slam. Keep it up guys.
(Feb. 2) -- After a temporary lull in Dunk HQ Countdown nominees, a familiar tried-and-true smash reemerges to add some life to the party.
We've certainly taken notice over the years that the alley-oop has been taken to the next level. No longer is it just a two-man hook-up. On occasion, there's a third party involved: the backboard.
That's where Andre Drummond and Brandon Jennings come into play as the No. 7 jam on our countdown.
The Pistons duo has developed a strong bond through the air and their latest display is full evidence of that connection. But it didn't happen overnight. You see, these two have been at it for some time now, both with and without the assistance of the glass.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
It's probably a good idea to keep your eyes peeled when Drummond and
Jennings are on the break. Your jaw just might drop to the floor. (Fallen out of Top 10) (Dec. 18) -- Nicki Minaj said it best: I wish that I could have this moment for life.
We're all pretty aware that this is the last go-round for Kobe Bryant, who's calling it a career at the end of the season. Time stops for no one, and it certainly isn't slowing down for the 20-year Lakers veteran. Yeah, we know, total bummer. No more breathtaking jumpers. No more improvisational and acrobatic finishes. No more jersey biting.
No more Mamba. A bummer indeed.
But if there was ever a moment when we wished time, an era even, would freeze in its tracks for just a little longer, this was it.
Lets set the scene ...
It's another chance to catch Kobe on his Hollywood stage for one of the last times as his Lakers host former teammate Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets. We have Kobe receiving a pass and then attacking the basket using the quick first step that we've grown so accustomed to for so many years but maybe haven't seen quite as much during his Farewell Tour.
Then the magic happens.
Nothing has ever intimidated Kobe at the rim. Not Howard. Not Steve Nash. Not even the Brooklyn Nets.
Add Houston's Clint Capela to the archives.
It hardly matters if we see anything like this from Kobe again this season. The fact that we were afforded a glimpse of the greatness we've witnessed since he was tossing up postseason airballs and sporting the "nappy afro", as LeBron James called it, is good enough for me.
Fat Lady, take an additional five. This show hasn't run dry yet. (Fallen out of Top 10)
(Dec. 10) -- Now we're seeing some action, both in the air and in the Dunk HQ Countdown.
This time around, we shine the spotlight on Boston's Evan Turner, who joins the Countdown at No. 6 after throwing down an acrobatic 360-degree slam.
Turner, let me be the first to say thank you and that your open-court efforts are much appreciated on this side of things. Far too many times, we've seen players get in this position -- with no one standing between them, the air and the basket -- only to see them take a modest, I've-been-here-before, just-trying-to-conserve-my-body-for-the-long-haul approach with a lame dunk.
Not Turner, though.
No, he went all in, knowing that this was a prime opportunity to put on a show. To entertain. To wow us. As NBA fans -- and dunk enthusiasts -- that's not too much ask, is it?
(Dec. 7) -- Superman is back in the building.
Dwight Howard makes his season debut on the Dunk HQ Countdown at No. 5 with a poweful welcome-to-the-NBA posterizing jam over rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis. It vaguely reminds of us of one of the most terrifying finishes we've seen in recent years. (It's OK to turn away from this one, Brandon Knight). Despite ending up on the wrong end of a highlight, kudos to the Knicks' 7-foot-3 big man for having enough of a motor to make a defensive play. As he'll continue to learn, timing is everything. It just so happens that he was a tad late on this one, a common defensive lapse that can sometimes result in getting dunked on.
The newest edition to the countdown, however, didn't get here by his lonesome. Unlike some of our other standout mano a mano smashes (DeMar DeRozan, Harrison Barnes), Howard's comes with the help of a pinpoint alley-oop pass.
Make no mistake, there have been numerous alley-oop finishes to grace this space before. What stands Howard's slam apart from free-flowing, on-the-break lobs is this one comes from within a half-court set using a basketball offensive staple: the pick and roll.
Made famous in recent seasons by the Lob City Players of L.A., the pick and roll alley-oop is a good way to not only get the rolling big man involved, but to reward him all the same. As you can see below, it has definitely been a go-to strategy around the NBA.
No comments:
Post a Comment