Fansided

Ranking the new NBA hashtags

By Niccolo Hilgendorf

Oct 26, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy gestures as he speaks to his players during a 109-91 loss to Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy gestures as he speaks to his players during a 109-91 loss to Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 22, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Former Cleveland Browns player Jim Brown, a member of the last team to win a major Cleveland championship, hands the Larry O’brien trophy to LeBron James.
Jun 22, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Former Cleveland Browns player Jim Brown, a member of the last team to win a major Cleveland championship, hands the Larry O’brien trophy to LeBron James. /

Tier 1: The good stuff

8. #MileHighBasketball

7. #BuzzCity

6. #MFFL

5. #DefendTheLand

4. #RipCity

3. #GrindCity

2. #WeTheNorth

1. #DubNation

We’ve suffered through a lot of sub-par hashtags, and now at long last it’s time to feast our eyes on the good stuff. There’s a little bit of everything here, and to me each is a winner in it’s own right. Let’s go through all of them, in order, and break down why these are the best of the best.

8. #MileHighBasketball comes away with the 8th spot in our rankings. Denver’s nickname is the “Mile-High City” because their elevation is exactly one mile above sea level. #MileHighBasketball is even more appropriate now that head coach Michael Malone has decided to deploy a starting lineup that includes two centers. This team has height!

7. Anything less than #BuzzCity from the Hornets would have been a hashtag catastrophe. They didn’t disappoint.

6. #MFFL stands for “Mavs Fan For Life.” Dallas has a very loyal fanbase and the Mavs are always relevant in the Western Conference, so their fans always have something to be proud of.

5. In case you missed it last season, here is the link to the Cavs’ hype video, “Brick by Brick, Defend the Land.” #DefendTheLand is just what LeBron and company did at home against the Warriors in the Finals last season, and this hashtag is even more appropriate this year as Cleveland begins its title defense.

4. #RipCity makes our top tier if nothing else for the story behind the name. Rip City was born during a Lakers-Blazers game after Blazers guard Jim Barnett made an improbable long-distance shot to keep the game alive. Portland play-by-play announcer Bill Schonely famously yelled “Rip City! All Right!” Schonely later admitted to having no idea why he said “Rip City,” but now it’s synonymous with the Trailblazers and is even an official hashtag!

3. #GrindCity snags a top three spot in our rankings because it just sounds so cool. If you’ve been watching the Grizzlies for a while you know that they are famous for their “grit and grind” approach to basketball. A Zach Randolph emoji is the only improvement I can possibly think of.

2. #WeTheNorth takes second place due to a fantastic dinosaur emoji and a Game of Thrones Reference. The Raptors have embraced the role of outsiders as the only Canadian team in the NBA, and #WeTheNorth is part of a greater movement to encourage pride in Toronto basketball.

1. #DubNation stands alone as the undisputed champion. It meets all the criteria for a great hashtag: it’s short, relevant (Dub is short for the letter W) and unifying. What’s more, it comes with by far the best emoji: a yellow hand with the Golden State team logo on the palm, holding up three fingers, signifying a three-pointer.  What more could we ask for?

Now stop reading this, get on Twitter, and start using some hashtags!

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