Open thread & Iconic Warriors Dunk Tournament: #1 Baron on Kirilenko vs #16 Gary Payton II on Bane

They ball, we ballot

Most Iconic Warriors Dunk Tournament

The question is simple: What is the most iconic Warriors dunk?

To settle this extremely important matter, we will have a straight single elimination bracket tournament. You might say, wait isn’t this just an excuse to rewatch fantastic dunks? Of course not, this is purely for science.

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DNHQ commenters nominated a number of dunks. I filtered out 16 based on whether I could find an official NBA or ESPN YouTube video about the play. The reasoning is simple: How iconic can a play be if it doesn’t have its own video?

I considered determining the seeding using the same strategy as NCAA March Madness Committees — “pulling it out of my butt” — but I opted to seed the plays based on the number of views the official video had. Humans must make the final decision. Humans like you.

I suggest for this very scientific process that you carefully view each dunk and put the volume on loud.

#1 Baron Davis on Andrei Kirilenko

#16 GP2 dunk on Bane

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Vote

To vote, you can use the Substack poll here or write a comment including exactly one hashtag #ONE or #SIXTEEN. Comment votes with explanation are worth 10 poll votes.

Results of Last Vote

The weighted results of last vote.

• 21% — #2 Barnes reverse on Randolph (poll 16%, comments 23%)

• 77% — #15 JTA dunk on Javale (poll 77%, comments 77%)

Another upset!

You all know I have been one of JTA’s biggest fans. JTA’s dunk has the advantage of recency and more violence and being part of the long journey to a treasured title.

Barnes’s dunk was in a bigger game, more elegant and more difficult. So I would vote for #TWO. But it was also the loud announcement of Barnes’s rookie promise which he never fulfilled to everyone’s maximum hopes.

The guy played an important role in a title and 73 wins and after he left I don’t think he’s ever said anything negative about GSW or given Dub Nation reason to hate him (for instance by playing up to a max contract for another team, or playing particularly well against us). Yet, after Barnes’s departure, absence has NOT made the heart grow fonder.

(FYI Harrison got 62% in the old system HWFL vote.)

I believe this filters into today’s evaluation of his highlights, which — for that time — were among the biggest plays we had.

Today’s Dub Nation has spoken loud and clear, and JTA’s dunk moves on!

Dub Nation Speaks…

They throw it down, we vote it up

• fzwinter (4 ♡):

  #FIFTEEN

  Extra points for JaVale being such a good sport about it.

• stopnpop (4 ♡):

  #FIFTEEN

  I remember JRich being asked once (when he was still playing) about what makes a good dunk. This was specifically about the dunk contest and he said it was more than just how high you jump. I remember he mentioned a bunch of little things like leg flares and extension... and also the sound of the force of the dunk.

  JTA's dunk gets the points for the sound and extension. The cockback and follow through. Against an elite shot blocker. One could argue Barnes' dunk was more difficult due to the drive... but the finish kind of fizzled in a muffled rim pull.

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  I tried to find a reference to that interview but no luck... it was before the age of social media and all. Stumbled on this 2021 interview though:

• * His final winning dunks in the dunk contents were ideas from Gilbert Arenas

  * JRich didn't practice either winning dunk before the contest

  * He could never execute his baseline, reverse between the legs dunk ever again

  * Aaron Gordon and Zach Lavine were the two current players in his best dunkers list

• boba_balla (3 ♡):

  #TWO

  This one is tough. JTA's force is so strong in his, but he also had a clean runway to get a nice running start. Barnes took his man off the dribble in the half-court setting and reverse-flushed it over him, while his body was moving away from the basket. Because of the difficulty, I will go with HB's.

• g8tgod (3 ♡):

  #FIFTEEN. The Barnes dunk was great, but JTA goes straight into the lion's den, and JaVale is ready for him. It's a good contest by an athletic shot blocker, and OGJ just throws it down on him.

• wonderyearsballer (3 ♡):

  #FIFTEEN. Both of these evoked a good bench reaction, but as a scientist I can't ignore (1) the JTA hang time, which allowed for (2) the JTA slo-mo snarl, and finally (3) the "oh no, what evil lurks within me?" look on his face afterwards. As someone who always supported his team so passionately this felt like it came from deep, deep within. What a moment.