To vote, you can use the Substack poll in the article or write a comment including exactly one hashtag #SIX or #ELEVEN. Comment votes with explanation are worth 10 poll votes.
If it was anything else, and anything other than Klay, SIX would win my vote.
But this was Klay Effing Thompson in his FIRST game back after >941 DAYS OF INJURY AND REHAB<. And it was a pretty damn nasty dunk against a very physical and big team. Iconic.
1. The extremely rare phenomenon of athletic giant-on-giant crime (not just one giant dunking and another one being kind of close and beginning to contest but pulling away midway) This is some clash of the titans shit, two golems meeting in mid air. Fucking awesome.
2. The insanely violent loudness of the whoop from the crowd (literally peak Roman Empire style crazy crowd of Roaracle) and do you hear that dunk itself? Anyone watching without sound or on low volume - go turn it up… it’s insane that rim didn’t break or anything.
3. Just how surreal it was to see the Dubs in the playoffs at that time and that feeing of “holy shit are they gonna win this series” … it’s like a coming of age first kiss or something … just can’t be beat.
#ELEVeN Iconic is the word, and this is the definition. Klay back, the fearlessness involved in doing this after rehabbing those injuries, the snarl, the dance, the towel-whack, the screaming joy of the crowd. As a matter of fact, I've got to watch it again now, even though I think I have it memorized already. Oh yeah - and the announcer's comment "Dunked on the whole city of Cleveland" is nothing but the truth, because he went through the whole Cavs team to do this.
Klay. Recency Bias. Plus, I give JaVale a lot of credit for getting up to challenge Bogut when Bogut was doing his best MJ from the free throw line imitation.
But after Klay's dunk, I YoutTubed 8 episodes of "Welcome Back, Kotter." That gets my vote.
This is the first one that’s really tough for me. Klay’s dunk certainly has recency on its side, not to mention the emotional moment for Klay, the team and so many of us fans. I can totally see why it’s winning and I have no argument against your choice.
That said, I think I’ve got a good argument for #SIX. As I said before, my thinking is always going to skew toward how important the moment was. I think Bogut is becoming a forgotten cog in the Warriors engine that drove the ascension. Dude was a beast who established a new physical identity at GSW and had a big part in Draymond turning into the greatest defender of the era. This series didn’t result in a championship, but it was a springboard that lead to a dynasty.
Perhaps most importantly, Bogut’s stare down and scowl is awesome on its own, but an all-timer when we remember the context. In Game 1 of the series, JaVale completely destroyed Bogut on a posterizer, flicked him away and Bogut fell, then put on a celebration that let everyone in the world know what a bad man he was. https://youtu.be/EBN9qxUzgFs Bogut was answering in kind with his dunk.
Both awesome. But #ELEVEN. We are evaluating "iconic" here. With "Icon" being an important/representative symbol. Bogut dunk arguably a better dunk and an important game /series that had ripples, etc. BUT Klay is one of the Big Three and out for two years, returns and, it seems to me, Klay did the dunk as a symbol itself - the I'm back and you better look out dunk. He knew it would tear the house down and everyone would see it and talk about it and it would be start of his return (a meta dunk?). In other words Klay, already an icon of the champion dubs, does a highly symbolic dunk on his return (in a championship season) and it becomes more . . . iconic (Iconic loop? - sounds sciency, and this is for science).
One of many “We Are Here” moments that season while the league shouted “Boil That Dust Speck.”
I love Klay like he’s my son and that dunk of his was so glorious,over three 7 footers, after years of agony and terrible suspense for us all. I watched it over and over. But iconic? I’d have to take dozens of Klay moments over this one.
Tough choice though... it's hard NOT to choose Klay and seeing him come back with such force after two devastating injuries. But the Bogut stuff on JaVale was symbolic in that it was in the series that won us Andre... and we know where that led us... so I'll go with that one.
To vote, you can use the Substack poll in the article or write a comment including exactly one hashtag #SIX or #ELEVEN. Comment votes with explanation are worth 10 poll votes.
#eleven I originally suggested the dunk when this tournament was first suggested so I gotta vote for it!
#ELEVEN
Klay back.
If it was anything else, and anything other than Klay, SIX would win my vote.
But this was Klay Effing Thompson in his FIRST game back after >941 DAYS OF INJURY AND REHAB<. And it was a pretty damn nasty dunk against a very physical and big team. Iconic.
#ELEVEN. No contest.
#SIX - getting disrespected because of it’s age
1. The extremely rare phenomenon of athletic giant-on-giant crime (not just one giant dunking and another one being kind of close and beginning to contest but pulling away midway) This is some clash of the titans shit, two golems meeting in mid air. Fucking awesome.
2. The insanely violent loudness of the whoop from the crowd (literally peak Roman Empire style crazy crowd of Roaracle) and do you hear that dunk itself? Anyone watching without sound or on low volume - go turn it up… it’s insane that rim didn’t break or anything.
3. Just how surreal it was to see the Dubs in the playoffs at that time and that feeing of “holy shit are they gonna win this series” … it’s like a coming of age first kiss or something … just can’t be beat.
#ELEVeN Iconic is the word, and this is the definition. Klay back, the fearlessness involved in doing this after rehabbing those injuries, the snarl, the dance, the towel-whack, the screaming joy of the crowd. As a matter of fact, I've got to watch it again now, even though I think I have it memorized already. Oh yeah - and the announcer's comment "Dunked on the whole city of Cleveland" is nothing but the truth, because he went through the whole Cavs team to do this.
Klay. Recency Bias. Plus, I give JaVale a lot of credit for getting up to challenge Bogut when Bogut was doing his best MJ from the free throw line imitation.
But after Klay's dunk, I YoutTubed 8 episodes of "Welcome Back, Kotter." That gets my vote.
#!!
This is the first one that’s really tough for me. Klay’s dunk certainly has recency on its side, not to mention the emotional moment for Klay, the team and so many of us fans. I can totally see why it’s winning and I have no argument against your choice.
That said, I think I’ve got a good argument for #SIX. As I said before, my thinking is always going to skew toward how important the moment was. I think Bogut is becoming a forgotten cog in the Warriors engine that drove the ascension. Dude was a beast who established a new physical identity at GSW and had a big part in Draymond turning into the greatest defender of the era. This series didn’t result in a championship, but it was a springboard that lead to a dynasty.
Perhaps most importantly, Bogut’s stare down and scowl is awesome on its own, but an all-timer when we remember the context. In Game 1 of the series, JaVale completely destroyed Bogut on a posterizer, flicked him away and Bogut fell, then put on a celebration that let everyone in the world know what a bad man he was. https://youtu.be/EBN9qxUzgFs Bogut was answering in kind with his dunk.
Both awesome. But #ELEVEN. We are evaluating "iconic" here. With "Icon" being an important/representative symbol. Bogut dunk arguably a better dunk and an important game /series that had ripples, etc. BUT Klay is one of the Big Three and out for two years, returns and, it seems to me, Klay did the dunk as a symbol itself - the I'm back and you better look out dunk. He knew it would tear the house down and everyone would see it and talk about it and it would be start of his return (a meta dunk?). In other words Klay, already an icon of the champion dubs, does a highly symbolic dunk on his return (in a championship season) and it becomes more . . . iconic (Iconic loop? - sounds sciency, and this is for science).
#ELEVEN all the way
#6 aka #SIX
Path to glory.
Bogut soaring.
Big on big. Bog on Mog. Slamming.
One of many “We Are Here” moments that season while the league shouted “Boil That Dust Speck.”
I love Klay like he’s my son and that dunk of his was so glorious,over three 7 footers, after years of agony and terrible suspense for us all. I watched it over and over. But iconic? I’d have to take dozens of Klay moments over this one.
#ELEVEN
Still brings tears to my eyes. It’s Klay. Back. After two years. It’s a vibe. It’s a moment.
It’s THAT moment.
#SIX
Tough choice though... it's hard NOT to choose Klay and seeing him come back with such force after two devastating injuries. But the Bogut stuff on JaVale was symbolic in that it was in the series that won us Andre... and we know where that led us... so I'll go with that one.
#SIX. Big dunking over big. IMO Klay’s dunk was nice and we are sentimental about Klay, but I am not voting from sentiment.
#ELEVEN, for the SNARL (and for the catharsis)