5 most memorable moments of the 2016-17 NBA season

Apr 2, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward DeMarcus Cousins (0) and forward Anthony Davis (23) react during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at the Smoothie King Center. The Bulls defeated the Pelicans 117-110. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

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Feb 19, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Western Conference guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder (0) dunks the ball in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Larry W. Smith/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Durant-Westbrook alley-oop in the All-Star game

Being an NBA fan in a committed relationship is a difficult thing. It means making sacrifices for and against your partner. It means trying desperately to explain to them why this thing you’re obsessed with matters so much, and it means failing to adequately explain it.

This year’s All-Star Game was a perfect example. Most years, the game is fine to miss. In fact, the Dunk Contest has been much more fun the past few years, so Sunday becomes a break after watching all night Saturday. Not so much in 2017. After forcing my little sister to watch Derrick Jones Jr. jump over his teammates on Saturday, I made my girlfriend watch the All-Star Game on Sunday, explaining to her as best I could about two guys named Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Because Durant stayed in the Western Conference when he departed Oklahoma City and because his departure allowed Westbrook to fully dance his dance, they would be on the SAME TEAM this year, I told her. Factor in that Durant’s less-worthy teammate won the starting gig over Westbrook and that Westbrook is about as excitable as they come, this game had become must-see television. I tried to convince my girlfriend that somehow this thing she barely understood might also interest her, too. It sort of worked– we sat down for the game.

It all happened much more quickly than any of us could expect. No staredowns, no ball hogging– just the usual camaraderie. Pickup hoops in a sold-out arena. Then the lineups started to get jiggered, Westbrook entered the game, and noise was vacuumed from the court. Finally:

I turned the television off pretty shortly thereafter. What more was there to see? Everything about the 2016-17 NBA season that matters (including also Paul Millsap being a forgotten side note in the highlight clip), boiled down to one alley-oop.

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