NEWSLETTER
If you like dunking things – donuts, basketballs, teabags, Oreos, etc. – then these are the bullets for you!
• I stopped speaking mid-sentence when Andrew Wiggins posterized Luka Doncic in the 4th quarter of last night’s Game 3. My jaw levitated just above the ground for approximately 45 seconds as my brain attempted to comprehend the jam that registered on the Richter Scale in Dallas (this has not been fact-checked). If you haven’t seen it yet, enjoy:
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1528576808932634625?s=20&t=jLnsCRAyptXeCOzYfo_jMQ
• Once I stopped drooling over that Wiggins Whammy, my brain started to cycle through the best slams from the Chicago Bulls’ regular season. Perhaps I’m missing a couple of solid clips that you folks can tweet at me, but I think I’ve pulled out the best ones below, including my top-4.
• Let’s start with some honorable mentions! Javonte Green was arguably the Bulls’ highest flyer this season. He finished with the second-most dunks on the team behind only Zach LaVine, and the one that immediately comes to mind is his poster on Lauri Markkanen. As far as “disrespectful” jams go, I’d give this at least an 8/10. The guy basically took Markkanen’s old starting spot for a large chunk of this season, and he played the kind of aggressive basketball we always wanted to see out of the former No. 7-overall pick … despite being roughly seven inches shorter.
Javonte Green gets blocked by Lauri Markkanen, then baptizes him with a dunk pic.twitter.com/zhCEceAjCK
— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) October 6, 2021
• The man also deserves a round of applause for the air he got on this one.
Javonte Green TOOK FLIGHT 😤 pic.twitter.com/0VoUTx0Xzd
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 30, 2022
• Speaking of getting air, I’ve watched this dunk a billion times and still can’t believe where he left the hardwood. Going for the dunk just inside the free-throw line in a half-court, in-game situation is just absolutely bonkers. You could tell the Denver Nuggets players just couldn’t believe he went for it.
https://twitter.com/BN_Bulls/status/1461901877021396995?s=20&t=ZQXtXNqcQ9jNPnORqLxujQ
• Considering the Bulls went on to lose their six remaining home games, I think it’s safe to say this victory over the Clippers was the last real enjoyable moment at the United Center this season. And seeing DeRozan cap it off in this fashion made it all the more memorable:
MONSTER DUNK FROM DEMAR!@NBCSChicago | @DeMar_DeRozan pic.twitter.com/RIadkxYbd7
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 1, 2022
• ANGRY ZACHARY!
https://twitter.com/NBCSBulls/status/1507170670173687812?s=20&t=9K0L7iL4re-6jmnD-HPIzQ
• ANGRY AYO!
.@Stacey21King and @adamamin talking this kid up and then him immediately getting put on a poster by Ayo Dosunmu made this even better! pic.twitter.com/72kYfdEFGe
— Patrick K. Flowers (@PatrickKFlowers) November 25, 2021
• All right, let’s now pivot to my top-4 dunks of the season. I know No. 4 may not be the most memorable or ferocious slam of the season, but I don’t want it to get lost in the shuffle. DeMar DeRozan’s posterization of Jakob Poeltl was one of his best plays in a year full of greatness. He took the big man off the dribble, rose like he was back in 2011, and finished over the NBA’s 5th-best shot-blocker with a little extra sauce. Electric stuff.
DEMAR DEROZAN PUT HIM ON A POSTER 🤯 pic.twitter.com/zPOda633At
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 15, 2022
• No. 3 is arguably a season-defining moment for Ayo Dosunmu, as he took a one-possession game against the Pacers into his hands and inserted the dagger. The rookie flew right by Indiana’s first line of defense and jumped higher than we had ever seen in true fearless fashion. No one could have predicted that moment, just like no one could have predicted his instant impact on this Bulls team.
HOLY SH*T. AYO DOSUNMU. pic.twitter.com/67Lifswm4X
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) February 5, 2022
• Checking in at No. 2 is the play that defined the *healthy* Chicago Bulls. I don’t even need to talk about it, the excellence is evident:
https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1458634496933253122?s=20&t=HvS9TQvhMKvL5m51BPnHRQ
• DRUM ROLL, PLEASE! When you dunk over the best player in the world and a DPOY winner, it’s going to be nearly impossible to topple. While the Bulls may have gone on to lose this game against the Milwaukee Bucks (and practically every other), Derrick Jones Jr.’s earth-shattering poster served as a reminder of how delightfully entertaining this team could be to watch.
DERRICK JONES JR. ALL OVER GIANNIS 😱 pic.twitter.com/zkdupTS20G
— ESPN (@espn) March 5, 2022
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1499970283603742722?s=20&t=HvS9TQvhMKvL5m51BPnHRQ
• When I was scouring the internet for all the dunk highlights below, I also came across these back-to-back blocks from Lonzo Ball and Dosunmu. What could have been …
https://twitter.com/TheAthleticNBA/status/1452079252203921409?s=20&t=qB955yUaEbFqchb3qBrgtw
• Highlights against the Detroit Pistons have not been particularly hard to come by in recent years, but I think this is still a perfect example of the Bulls’ potential on the defensive end. Dosunmu possesses outstanding length along the perimeter, and it allowed him to recover on numerous occasions where he was beaten off the dribble this season. As for Ball, he continues to show an elite skillet as a help defender, and his ability to switch onto multiple positions proved to be invaluable to the Bulls’ overall defensive success this season. As long as Ball can get healthy, the Bulls are in very good hands with these two in the backcourt moving forward.
• Did someone say backcourt!?
NBA Teams Are Still Interested in EuroLeague’s Vasilije Micic (Who Was Once Tied to the Bulls)https://t.co/UTY1jthyYd pic.twitter.com/lNRxKA5Sf9
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 22, 2022
• Could this be all Boston needs to even up the series?
Spoelstra said the Heat "had to take the decisions out of Herro's hands" to protect him from hurting himself further.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) May 23, 2022
• Candace Parker is out here doing legendary stuff:
At 36 years old, Candace Parker is the oldest player in WNBA history to record a triple-double:
◽️ 16 PTS
◽️ 13 REB
◽️ 10 ASTShe's also the third player in league history with multiple triple-doubles. pic.twitter.com/AuVNT4O4Si
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 22, 2022
• All things considered, Parker’s decision to come home has been one of the most fun stories in sports over the past year and a half. She continues to show just how impactful she can be and how legendary her career has been. Seriously, it’s very cool to say one of the best to have ever done it played for the Sky (and won them a ring!).
• You have my attention.
The #Blackhawks Have Signed Defenseman Filip Rooshttps://t.co/TYC2gegNNh pic.twitter.com/8gw39COLFC
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) May 23, 2022
• What would be the basketball equivalent of this?
J.T. Realmuto Fell for One of the Oldest Tricks in the Bookhttps://t.co/m3tgK5kjPS pic.twitter.com/Vxz0raPnsN
— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) May 22, 2022
